Superstar Instrumental Remix...

[Chris May]

I own a copy of the single disc "Master Karaoke" album from Japan (this is the reissue from "Best of Best", containing the instrumentals ONLY). I was told some time back that there were liner notes included in the original "Best of Best" that gave an explanation as to why on 'Superstar', Karen's lead vocal bled through onto the instrumental bed of the track. Can anyone recall Richard's explanation as to which track(s) the vocal bleed-over took place? It's not totally uncommon that something like this would happen, I have just always wondered what the real story was on that.....-Chris

 

[andywithaz]

That is funny because I just got my CD tonight. I had to go pick it up at the post office and wait 10 minutes. I too noticed that Karen's vocals bled through and I also noticed that I Need To Be In Love's lead vocals bled through but very slightly. You mentioned liner notes, but mine doesn't have liner notes. I have the 2 CD set Best of Best. Does it suppose to have liner notes

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I have the pink cover with roses that say:

Yesterday Once More Carpenters Original Master Karaoke CD POCM-1521 Made in Japan

It is only 1 Cd of 15 songs. No liner notes, but the tracks are listed with the words in english & Japan writing also.

Listening to these give me a idea of how brilliant Richard really was with mastering a song & all he did to make it perfect, he is incredible. Leaving on some of the overdubbing in the background is icing on the cake. Great CD.

 

[Chris May]

Yeah, that's the one I have... I forgot it was actually entitled "Yesterday Once More". Hmmmm, I thought for sure someone told me there were liner notes in "Best of Best", but I guess not. Maybe there was reference made on one of the original Carpenters threads way back when (I think the internet was just getting started when that album first came out... Now I'm dating myself) heehee..... -Chris

 

[newvillefan]

There is also leakage from Karen's vocals on Yesterday Once More master instrumental.

Listen to the first chorus, first you have:

(backing harmonies) 'Every shalalala every who-oo-oo'

(leakage): 'still shines....'

 

[andywithaz]

Actually, there is leakage on every song. Some more than others. Most of the time it is around the chorus parts but Rainy Days and Mondays has it throughout the whole song.

I think that Goodbye to Love and Bless the Beasts and Children have the least leakage.

 

[Chris May]

From experience standpoint, I understand the technicalities as to why there is bleed over on virtually all of the instrumentals with regards to the lead vocal. Usually it’s when there is some kind of transition (i.e. string pass, background vocal overdubs, etc.) where there is excessive headset bleed-through from a large number of string players, or for instance if the lead vocal track being played back in the mix when Rich and Karen did a large number of vocal overdubs, you would for hear Karen’s lead at the point where the backing vocals are, usually toward the end of a phrase when the backing vocals get quiet, but the tracks are still turned up in the mix until that sub-group can be pulled back down out of the mix. The reason you don’t hear it throughout the songs is because for the most part, all you are hearing is the track (bass, piano and drums), where there was no lead yet recorded when they cut those parts. Even if there were a work lead recorded at the time the “track” was cut, none of the musicians (piano or the drums) have their headsets close enough to the microphones to bleed over a lead vocal onto the piano or drum tracks (the bass is direct and not miked therefore no bleed-through is possible with the bass). It’s not until the lead was recorded, and the overdubbing process started that as Karen’s lead was now blended into the mix for the musicians to reference while overdubbing (i.e. string players, Karen and Richard singing background vocals, etc), hence the slight bleed through throughout the mix, yet not consistent throughout the mix (I know I’m going on and on, but it takes some explanation).

The reason “Superstar” baffles me, is because lead Karen’s lead was a “work” lead. Most work leads can be cut while the track (bass, piano and drums) is being recorded. However, there should not be any bleed-through at that time, unless it is ELECTRONIC, and not a sonic error (i.e. headsets, etc.). That’s why as a producer, I am so interested in knowing the details….hehehe -Chris

 

[davidgra]

There are three main reasons for sound "bleeding through" on a multi-track recording:

1) One of the instruments on the final track was recorded at the same time as a "work lead." For example, berhaps the bass was recorded at the initial tracking session. Karen would be in a booth, recording the vocal, and the other instrumentalists would be out in the studio, playing their parts. Simply put, the sound coming through the door of the booth, muffled though it may be, would be picked up by other microphones in the studio. Even if the "work lead" was later re-recorded, the sound recorded as part of another track would remain (provided that part wasn't also re-recorded). This is the least likely scenario, in that it is unlikely that much of what was tracked during a "work lead" session would end up as part of the finished recording.

2) The vocal that bleeds through was coming through the headphones of a studio musician while recording his part. This is quite likely, and since it was never assumed that the instrumental backing tracks would ever be heard without the lead vocal, no one worried about it at the time.

3) Possibly the most likely reason we hear the vocal bleeding through more on some songs than others would be bleed-through from the tape itself. Due to the physical makeup of analog recording tape, tracks that are positioned side-by-side on the tape can sometimes bleed through to their neighbors, especially as a tape ages. Let's say the lead vocal was recorded on track four -- it is possible that the vocal could bleed through very slightly onto what was recorded on tracks three and five. Different tapes could have different levels of bleed-through.

Anyway, those seem to me to be the reasons that any bleed-through would occur. It would be nice to read what Richard had to say about the subject...

David