Recording Pink Floyd with Alan Parsons & Nick Mason ( 20 minute conversation in the studio )
Вставка
- Опубліковано 20 лис 2016
- We recorded an interview with Pink Floyd's Nick Mason and top record producer Alan Parsons OBE at State of the Ark Recording Studios a while back when they were recording a special drum sample library for Sonic Reality. Dave from Sonic Reality asked the questions mostly focused on the Dark Side of the Moon album and we have thrown in a stack of cut-away footage of the recording and preparation followed by a little chat about the drums recording in the corridor :-)
Click here to subscribe
ua-cam.com/users/subscription_c...
Special thanks to everyone who helped in the making of this feature!
Visit www.RecordProduction.com for 500 more producer and studio features.
![Recording Drums With Steve Albini [Third Circle Recordings]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kmP9z-xTRz0/mqdefault.jpg)
Alan Parsons is one of the most underrated, but, coolest dude in the world!
this is why UA-cam is better than TV . . . . this kind of stuff is never on TV ..
Your a 100% right UA-cam rules !!!!!
@@AlexandraMyers73 Whats a TV? hahaha...
@MorbidManMusic what once a year?
BBC radio had a program on the melotron which was quite good.
I like youtube but they have started deciding what info We are allowed..................but Yes better then TV..............I thru my tv out my 3rd story balcony
on my first breakdown Peace out....................ps look for hidden truth
I love how Nick Mason, one of the greatest rock drummers of all time, looks like a lawyer! He’s understated in all ways, not just his drumming. You play who you are, don’t ya?
Alan Parsons is an absolute genius behind the scenes throughout the years for many artists. This is probably his masterpiece.
To me Alan Parsons and David Gilmour's voices sound very similar when they talk.
Very true. If we weren't told who it was and it was only audio, I'd have naturally thought it was Dave.
Jeremy V I guess cigarettes were a lot stronger back then 😂
Gilmour has a deeper voice. When both are singing they sound very different.
@@weeooh1 they would make perfect harmonies , though. :)
Jeremy V very true
Nick Mason is a very underrated drummer, he's actually brilliant.
I think he's been on a couple of pretty successful recordings...
@@godfreydaniel6278 Indeed
"underrated"?! He is playing in Pink Floyd!!! I wish to be that "underrated", lol
@@invisiblekincajou He doesn't get nearly enough recognition for his playing in my opinion.
@@irt1971 well.. probably that just because its hard to create solo album of a drummer. Its not lead guitar or vocal. Still, Mason style is very pinkfloydish, and he did his 1/4 of sound
The engineering and production on Dark Side of the Moon was outstanding.
No, it was way better than that.
@@dantierney5563 :~)
Yes, incredibly advanced at the time.
There are lots of comments about Alan Parsons taking a long time to adjust the microphones. There are a few major types of pickup patterns for microphones. There is Omni directional: where the mic can pickup sounds well all around it, figure of 8: where the microphone can pick up sounds well directly in front of it and directly behind it while rejecting picking up sounds to the sides, and then there is cardioid: where the microphone only picks up sounds in front of it. Dynamic mics, which he used for most parts of the drum kit, have a very cardioid type pattern and will reject off axis sounds. So you have to make sure the mic is “pointed” accurately at where the sound from the drum is coming from to make sure it is not being partially or fully rejected and to get the most accurate representation of it. Mr Parsons is a big proponent of recording things right and not trying to “fix things in the mix” with effects. This means he will spend quite a bit of time making sure mic placement is ideal to pick up the qualities of the drums he really wants while rejecting those he doesn’t (rattles and such).
So many legends in this clip: Alan, Nick, Abbey Road Studios, EMI TG12345 console, Fairchild 670 compressor... I could go on and on. 40 years later and these guys and the gear are still just as good ever. Like I said... legends!
The title should be - "Alan Parsons Adjusting a Mic Stand"
😂
@@BobLeton That's what she said ... (I had to, sorry! LOL)
HAHA I was thinking the same thing. :-) They needed a little more B-roll. :-P
100. Years from now Dark side will still be considered timeless
this is possible if there are still friends of this music
How could it ever be called timeless when the track Time is included!? No ’eternal’ is the word my friend...
Because it really is... Timeless...
There really is NO END to the Endless CYCLE of LIFE.
CYCLE...CIRCLE. Where is the beginning of a circle and where is it’s end? If you can find the end of a circle you have also, in the same moment, found its beginning. But there isn’t any of either (if there is, it is NOT a circle and the cycle is broken).
There are 4 stages or steps to the cycle of Life:
1) Creation
2) Growth
3) Maturity
4) Fruition
Now, look at steps 1 and 4. They are one and the same! There really is no beginning - and THERE WILL BE NO END.
Only on temporary TIME-BASED worlds (like Earth) established BY DESIGN and WITH PURPOSE to test and move mankind from one level of existence (‘spirit’ only) to the next higher one (which is a COMBINATION or UNION of the ‘spirit’ with the ‘physical’) do we find a BEGINNING and an END (in the birth of the mortal body and then its ‘death’). But we come from a pre-Earth state or place of TIMELESSNESS, so this temporary testing ground of TIME on Earth IS NOT NATURAL TO US. It is FOREIGN to our nature as timeless spirit beings, hence we are truly curious, obsessed, fixated on that which is strange to our soul: TIME.
The 4 artists who created “Dark Side Of The Moon” were a literal conduit for something not tied to this world. They tapped into a message that all people of all worlds which are temporarily tied to TIME are fascinated with. In a TEMPORAL world like the one we are currently living on, where the clock is ticking and with each revolution of the sun as it races around to come up behind us again, we get shorter of breath and one day closer to death, TIME is a curiosity and a wonder to us. And it is a dread to many who do not understand the Plan and the Purpose behind it all. And it’s that Plan and Purpose that is Eternal... Endless... TIMELESS. There was never “a beginning”... and there will never be “an end”!
MorbidManMusic Again
It’s just way over your head. Beyond your mental reach. You hear Roger’s lyrics in “Time” and wonder, “What the hell’s he talking about?!”
“And one day you find, 100 years have got behind you....”
Alan Parsons is a master in engineering... why do you think he spends a long time adjusting a microphone stand??? Because he is a professional genius!
@MorbidManMusic no Mick Nordström is absolutely right. When you record a drum session the most important thing is the way you had adjusting all the microphones. This is the way the drum will sound. It's done bit by bit and take a lot of the time. Great engineers and producer knows that.
Alan Parsons help the Beatles out on 1 of their albums before they broke up
Alternatively, with the weight or the mic and the counterweights, the mic stand was simply mis-behaving. I've had to wrestle with many a mic stand.
@@JohnnyMotel99 Thanks Sir for your comment. Alan is a superbe maestro. IM a long time fan. We really wish he will put out some others 5.1 mix of The Alan Parsons Project. Eye in the sky and Allan Poe are also fantastic in 5.1. Hope he will do all the others.
Then explain his drab and tasteless solo catalog????
UA-cam is magic.
I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be watching Nick Mason & Alan Parsons talking about recording Dark Side of the Moon.
Amazing.
I can die now.
(Kidding.)
I love seeing Alan and Nick together like this.
2 music geniuses, united in this wonderful interview, and presented as no one imagined it, by Record Production, thank you. Greetings from Argentina 🇦🇷.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Historic interview about a timeless album. Some may find it boring, but others fascinating.
What a great interview from two legends of one's life!
I love how Alan's just quietly setting up mics deep in thought while the other guy is doing all the talking. I got to meet Alan once at a benefit, super nice guy.
“The other guy” haha smh
so many comments about how long it appeared he was taking to adjust those two beautiful ribbon mics for overheads, if you add up all the actual video footage it probably is a fairly “normal“ amount of time. That’s the magic of filmmaking, you can make a moment stretch as long as you want or at least seem to, see the great work of Albert Hitchcock for instance, many moments in time are stretched for dramatic affect.
Really enjoyed this interview. Alan Parsons has had an incredible career, and what can you say, it's Nick Mason!! Thank you for sharing this
1
I always liked Nick Mason, just from the way he plays the drums. The is the first time I hear him speak and he seems to be the same kind of humorous, self-effacing, good guy that you can hear in his playing.
You don't know about give me a piece of apple pie just crust?
Go look up Pink Floyd live at Pompeii you won't be disappointed
And a petrolhead👍
the interviewer knows his facts & details, very impressive.
I just love both of these guys!!!
I love these guys. This interview is gold, and watching Alan adjust the same mike stand for 12 minutes is priceless.
"The ultimate stereo test record." Right on.
A Legendary Drummer and a Legendary Producer 👍👍👍.
Take care.
Melbourne, Australia.
I just turned 19 when DSOTM came out, and was immersed and blown away by the many themes the album presented. It's now almost exactly 50 years later, and to this day those themes reverberate. Just love listening to any discussions about the group, the making of the album, and hearing Nick and Alan reminisce feels like sitting and chatting with old friends.
I, too, was 19 and I still think this is one of those albums that is timeless. Over the years it has been my "go-to" to play my drums to, pick me up when I'm down, and just plain appreciating what a wonderful piece of music it was, is, and will always be. I am glad I ran across this interview. Yep, I feel like I know the guys.
Really a timeless album and a milestone in the way rock music proved itself able to address themes that were relevant to people in any age span, not just young people (as noted by Alan Parsons in the interview here). I first heard this one (and Wish You Were Here, an equally classic album) when I was around eleven years old - together with some songs from Meddle and Obscured by Clouds (a very overlooked album for many people. but never lost on me) they became my early introduction to the Floyd.
Parsons..... THE LORD OF SOUND....
And it would have the best sound quality! As much as I love Alan Parsons ability as an engineer, I really think Brian Humphries work on "Wish You Were Here" is very good and possibly underappreciated. Of course, the equipment at Abbey Road was par excellent, but I think the drum sound on the SOYCD parts 8 and 9 is one of my favorites. The cymbals really showcase a good sound system!
Pyramid
Parsons is a musician. He plays guitar and keyboards as well as sings. Take a listen to some Parsons albums. He also produces incredible orchestral arrangements.
@Rodzilla I know you made that comment two years or ago, but Alan Parsons not a musician?? Alan is a brilliant musician. Check out The Alan Parsons Project
Great to see Nick Mason playing the Ludwig drum kit once again in this video as from the 1990s he switched to DW Drums.
Nick's drums always sound beautiful...few drummers had that close-mic'd sound in '72-'73...Nick's roto-toms on Time are just amazing and are one of Nick's drum signatures.
when the chicago Bulls are introduced...that music is Alan's..His Project was killer..and so under appreciated...
Nick Mason, the best R&R drummer ever! he does it just right: no excessive beats, no missing ones! no show off! he just plays it right!
Disagree. I think despite how simple he keeps things, he actually overplays fills fairly often in the sense that he does a fill every four bars or so in many songs
@@Explosivo11 the fills are needed. At least in most of the songs, I agree that there are a handful that have too many
I was fascinated by this album since I was 6...
Everything about Floyd ,and Parsons is just top flight . Live they always sounded impeccable,quad ,and for me playing things note for note is most enjoyable.I listen constantly to this day as I did when they were new.Talk about standing the test of time.I've never heard anything Parson did that wasn't stellar ,eargasm.
Bryan Eddy Stellar!!!
The myth that PF play songs live, note for note, is completely unfounded. There has been tons of improvisation applied to their catalogue in live shows. Forgive me if I misinterpreted what you meant.
Just shy of 50 years after it's release my 12 year old daughter has discovered The Great Gig in the Sky and is marvelling at it's brilliance.
Great to hear, these albums and bands are finding their way to new generations! I'm sure the Floyd, Yes and Genesis will be listened to, loved and studied for a hundred years on...The amazing series of albums those three bands released between 1970 and 1977 had an incalculable impact on my own understanding and appreciation of music, how it works and what can be achieved with it.
The vocals were recorded in two takes, improvised in one session on the fly.
Pink floyd are great I never get tired of watching docs on the floyd or anything very Interesting stuff to learn
Been waiting to see the rest of the first video for a long time!!! Thanks for getting it up!!
massive,massive fan of alan parsons. has the midas touch. project albums stand the test of time
I cant stop singing Eye in the sky,lol [I'm a baritone]
Intriguing how Alan Parsons take the time to find the” sweet spot “ where he places the mic !
Great vid! I really think that in say....50 years from now...vids like this will be invaluable. Thank you!
The main lesson I took from this is that Alan Parsons has as much trouble with mic stands as I do.
The Quality ..Time.. comes into creating great art. Taking you somewhere that is only explained through music.
these people are super musicians
I'm learning that a lot the basic work of a music producer, even a legendary one, is grunt work like adjusting mic stands. But that's how much of perfectionist Alan Parsons is.
These two deserve their own constellations :) I'm spell bound by this vid ty
Nick Mason and Eric Idle have to be genetically related...
This was illuminating just to look at the mic placement for the drums--the conversational brilliance was almost lagniappe.
I love what Mason said about how people 'use' samples... It feels like a true 'creator' perspective rather than a commercial one. Kinda warmed my heart :)
And Alan still seems to get younger.
Where do we go from here, now that all of the mic's are set up.
It's like heaven listning to this. I Love it as much as I did when it was released. Pure Magic.
You are truly amazing people.
Can’t wait to look back in 50 years listing to the making of classic Taylor Swift albums ... said no one in the future, ever
Why pick on Taylor Swift?
Mike Hegarty There was plenty of pop fluff selling in huge amounts during Floyd's hey-day too, bear in mind. There have been lots of bands in the last 20-30 years who have made similarly sonically adventurous music as Floyd, in my opinion- it depends on your own taste, I guess.
AK K Brilliant!
It was an age of innovation and great talent. Lots of music today will be unremembered in two years.
There actually are no modern artist or bands that will be looked back on in 50 years as classics. Its laughable.
Really nice to see this. What a brilliant engineer/producer Alan is. From the Great Gig in the Sky to the Eye in the Sky.
"DARK SIDE OF THE BOOM STAND"
Once you see Alan's tummy peeking out between buttons sitting down with Nick towards the end, you can't UNSEE it (between 13 - 15 minutes into the video).
Well lucky us, I think he's very sexy :)
Please go through your albums, please find I Robot, Play as instructed , wonder to yourself, why the hell haven't I listened to this in a while.....
Alan Parson is a genius !!! Stereotomy !!
Thanks so much for posting!
9:15 I love the symbolism of the mirror ball chandelier in the hallway. I'm so fortunate to have grown up when studio recording was progressing like a moon shot. Close to 50 years later, albums like _Meddle_ and _The Dark Side of the Moon_ sound as fresh as when they were released. I hope those original 2" tapes are being preserved.
StringerNews1 I still listen to Meddle all the time and I’m 67. Saw Pink Floyd on both the Meddle and Dark Side Of The Moon tours in the Tampa Bay Area. I was so lucky living in that area because all the great bands came and played Tampa and St Petersburg.
@@fw1421 I'm a few years younger than you; the first PF tour that I could have seen as a teenager was the Animals tour, and I was out of town when they came to Chicago. The Wall passed us by, so the first time I saw any member of Pink Floyd play live was when David Gilmour came to town to support his "About Face" album. After hearing so much about the Pink Floyd shows (one of my high school classmates' brother worked for the band, so there were a lot of stories going around) I was disappointed by the rather bland performance. I had quite a different experience the last time Gilmour came to town in 2016. Unfortunately I have no previous shows for comparison, but the '87 tour lived up to everything I imagined a Pink Floyd show might be. _Meddle_ is still one of the albums I play a lot.
StringerNews1 Pink Floyd has a long history of putting on great shows,especially their light shows. When I saw the Meddle concert it was their first Quadrophonic tour and their sound was incredible and they were using lasers in the light show,nobody I had seen before did that. Now I haven’t seen any concerts since Eric Clapton played Dallas in 2012,they’ve just gotten too damn expensive for me so I’ve picked up some really good concert videos. The David Gilmore concert at Royal Albert Hall in London is one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen,I just wish I could have been there.
@@fw1421 I got to hear the quad sound system a few times during the '87 tour to support _Momentary Lapse of Reason_ and consider myself fortunate to have that experience. Plenty of lasers in that show as well, including a stunning cloud effect made by crossed laser beams with tons and tons of smoke wafting through. When I saw that in an open air stadium with the stars shining through, words can't describe it. And the mirror ball was a treat for that tour! The ones that I've seen photos of from previous concerts were hung like regular dance hall balls, but this one was raised up from beneath the stage to the middle of the circular screen as spotlights played over it. Then suddenly it cracked open like an egg, with brilliant light coming through the cracks. The whole ball rotated 90 degrees to face the audience as the top half opened up into six petals, revealing that the _inside_ of the ball was also covered with mirrors, and some source of brilliant saturated light in various colors. It was such a stunning effect, and so surprising that by the time I was outside, I wondered if I had seen it for real or had hallucinated it. My best friend and I decided to settle the question by getting front row seats to a later show, and were not disappointed.
I didn't go to many concerts after the '87 tour. Careers and families made it hard. I saw Pink Floyd for the last time at RFK Stadium in Washington DC, all alone because nobody I knew there cared about a Pink Floyd concert. By the '90s there wasn't much music that inspired me either. I might buy a CD for one song, but I wouldn't care to see the band in concert. I have a copy of _Live in Gdansk_ that IMO is the best live version of a number of Pink Floyd songs, notably "Fat Old Sun" and "Comfortably Numb" but I never saw that last tour with Rick Wright. Where I currently live, none of the big acts play in town, so it's videos for me too.
To have Alan Parsons, a great artist in his own right as your sound engineer, it makes sense that Dark Side is a timeless masterpiece.
Alan PArsons, very probably the best sound engeniering in the history
i don't know. i think that he was the right person in the right place
Kerry McNab is right up there too.
silvio napoli tell the Beatles
love Alan Parsons major talent !
I've got a great CD which Alan Parsons made about 25 years ago, called "Sound Check". It's not a music CD but made for those of us who needed some kind of reference for sound equipment and sound recording. It's a gem! Very helpful. And yes he does sound like Gilmour, doesn't he?!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_(The_Alan_Parsons_Project_album) also good
DSOTM Quad by Alan Parsons is to me the best version ever!
(And your voice reminds me a lot of Gilmour's voice.)
Just imagine if still to day the greatest automobiles had been made way back in the mid 70's
One line we should have taken VERY seriously: "and then one day you find, ten years have gone behind you - no one told you when to run... you missed the starting gun"
Alan Parsons the legend behind the scenes
Years ago I thought that
"Alans psychedelic breakfast ", was something to do with him in the studio.
But that was a while back, before getting into staging and lighting and learning about Floyds roadie Alan, and the story of this talented young man who wasn't around when "Alans breakfast" was made, and fresh on the scene as a sound engineer around time of DSOTM.
What a nice persona he has. There's something about him isn't there.
Speaks very well. Like them all I should say.
He must have been a very endearing young man, to have not only worked on that album, but to get through the doors of the studio in the first place. I'm aware he was taken on as a trainee. Big job prospect that was for a young lad.
(Had to edit this. Can't reply without saying something about Nick.
Top man. Gent. :) )
Interesting interview focusing into the technical aspects.
Alan Parsons has put mega brain work over the years into trying to figure out what made DSOTM such a monumental recording. He has had several theories, but never pinned it down
The album remains a "comprehensive work of cultural genius"!!
wow not seen this glad to see alan is as cool as i imagined him!
The inevitability of those of a more "vulnerable disposition" succumbing to the pressures of life and the subsequent consequences thereafter was conveyed in the most "Brilliant Of Fashion" and that is why "Dark Side Of The Moon" will always have an infinite relevance"!!!
Where the bleep has this been!? Awesome!
Thank you. At the mercy of UA-cam so please spread the word.
Thank you.
Blessings
Nick Mason a genius
chindoo what is...awaime?
Greatest album of all time!
Ahhhhhhh....so Pink Floyd was the “Alan Parsons Project “ Haha, oh yeah, historic stuff for sure!
Wait! Alan Parsons is actually Wolfman Jack. Now i get the whole Dark Side of the Moon idea. Absolute BRILLIANCE!!
And some people will actually believe that. LMAO
Thats one thing that we have clearly genius guys in this video but nobody talks about that EMI TG mixing console or the Fairchild compressor in that rack? These gears are the holy grails of pop-rock producing right from the golden ages! What a temple!
PERFECTION..........YEAAAH....THANX A LOT........
Alan has that circa '73 Peter Grant look going....I LOVE IT HAHA
Nick should mention his own producing credentials. The Damned record company said Syd Barrett would produce Music for Pleasure. Syd was unwell so Nick Mason was sent to produce .
Because they/him loved me when I couldn't.
My friend brought me out to his older brother's car in the highschool parking lot to hear Dark Side and be blown away and then on vinyl on his great sounding home stereo and it made an impression that stayed with you like a good movie does. This was probably a year before the album became super known and popular because in a way I felt a bit of snobbery and maybe disdain is too strong a word but it felt like a something was different when everyone knew this album that began as just us sharing the experience of it...
Such majesty in one room at one time .
This channel gets better and better. Been watching interview's with Trevor Horn and lot's of other great producer's and the quality is top notch... almost as good as the drum sound on "Comfortably Numb"!
Thanks Mattie, been doing this for 20 years, getting video interviews with producers / engineers online long before UA-cam existed - never made any money but we don't care :-)
@@RecordProduction Well, the service you are doing is so good that, even without making money, you are getting great karma credit's! Who know's where it will lead...?
Two legends, Parsons had a massive impact on DSOTM, great Engineer and Nick is a fantastic drummer. Listen to the live stuff and focus in on what Nick's doing (if you can put Gilmours' beautiful guitar and Rogers' stunning lyrics to the back!).
Highly underrated drummer.
Ok your comment is now number one. Ever. Steve. Lol.
Any colour you like live version from 72 is a good example of that.
And do mot forget Richard Wright , may he rest in peace.He textured keyboards brought all of it together.
Rick Wright was the soul of Dark Side...memorable throughout the album
Omg that kit sounds perfect
Nice to hear that Nick appreciates Dub Side of the Moon. It really is a great 'cover' of the album.
Their intro to Money is worth the price of admission alone!
Eye in the sky love that song
I saw The Alan Parsons Project when he ( they ) played The Grand Sierra Resort Casino a few years ago.....here in Reno, NV.
I read in M. D. Magazine people talking about Nick Mason's " limited abilities " on drums . The same limited abilities used on Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here .
Same thing they said about Ringo Starr.....
His playing was distinct and perfect for Floyd. Also, having seen him play live and also seeing his more intense playing on the Pompeii video, I’m pretty convinced that he usually holds back and simply serves the song.
Understated Elegance.
Most people writing in or commenting about drummers in mags are just a few literate sentences above youtube flamers and wouldnt be able to drum their way out of a paper bag. Would Ringo havd lasted 5 seconds in a band with such picky players as Macca and Lennon? No. Would Roger 'Control Freak' Waters and Dave G have let Mason hang around if he couldn't cut it? No.
Imagine the song Time without its unique drum intro or any other parts without Mason and it would fall apart.
Wow!!! Very cool--thank you!!!!
Wow this was brilliant. Very interesting.
unbelievable band
Your sharing is so well appreciated:). Thank you guys !! 'Wanna be a part of it.
Lots of respect ❤❤❤❤❤
Alan always looks quite fashionable, I love the unique shirts he wears!
@Kim A Alan doesn't look or act feminine in the least, though.
Cool video. Thanks for posting!
Thanks for watching! Please subscribe and check out our other videos :-)
2019 and it still sounds good in all media formats.
Wow I love it sir. I appreciate your efforts. I wish I could be like you one day
Nice , Frater Alan!