Robbie Robertson's Historic Neve Console
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- Опубліковано 5 січ 2021
- Robbie Robertson is a bona fide guitar hero known for his iconic work with The Band. But the legend is also a recording and production ace who fell in love with a 16-channel Neve console that he'll soon be passing along to a new owner. Could it be you? Click here [bit.ly/3hMh5eh] to learn more about the board and get notified when it's available!
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It's always nice to be humble and give credit to others....
I love Robbie's feelings on passing this board onto someone that'll appreciate it.
We're only here a short time and all we own is just borrowed...
Jon Rochner: I would agree that it WILL be borrowed, but only if it is first gifted.
Robbie's correct about one thing. That "Live At The Academy" album is an unbelievably good-sounding record. One of the best I've ever heard. That board really is something.
this is moving, as an audio engineer i cried a little bit :'(
Selling her would cheapen the History... donate it to me!!! 😇(because I am quite sure I could never afford it! I am also waaay down the list of those who have a “right “ to it and could give you what it’s really worth. STILL- Recall your “early-middle days” ... 😉😊☺️🥲🏴🇬🇧🇺🇸🏴🤔🤔🤔
Thank you for sharing your wonderful career with us without lousing your life’s journey. You have lived a life any and every person would be proud and blessed to call their own! God bless you for turning your talents into Skills through all the hard, but giving work you have done.
God bless you and keep you safe and healthy and ... happy! Be good 😌.
Great video love the Neve 1073 pre tone. Robbie Robertson a Rock Legend.
Yeah but I've got better sounding 1073 equalizers. Because they use the 1081 op amps. Mine is kind of a hybrid A/B design Neve.
And so you may have heard discussions between other audio engineers. What sounds more aggressive API or Neve? Well you have to know what kind of Neve you are talking about. There were 3 distinctly different versions. 2 of which were available at the same time.
So younger amateurs know more about the 1073 legacy units. More than they know about some of the more desirable later ones like the 1081's. Those are still 80 series consoles. Where the 1073 was Class-A transistor circuit design. And the 1081 along with the 3115's were of the Class-A/B type designs. And those do sound more aggressive than the Class-A versions. Which I think is almost too smooth for rock 'n' roll and progressive jazz,, Rockin' Gospel and all that stuff. Where the 1073's get kind of flabby sounding. Some people like to call that warm. I think it's flabby. I got warm with Zippy. And I have 1073 equalizers with the Zippy 1081 type op amps.
So recording enthusiasts and amateurs don't know such stuff. Those who are real like myself are in the know. I mean I a single channel of one of those for a while. It's very nice sounding. And still fun to slightly over gain. Until they get flabby. And that's one click, too far on the gain trim. My version does that so much better. The sound amazes everybody. Did you just EQ that? Nope. Oh you put a limiter on that? Nope. What did you do to the sound to make it sound so fabulous? Absolfuckinglutely nothing. And then you switch on the equalizer. Then you patch in the 1176. Then you have some real magic percolating. And you'll know the sound when you hear it. It is absolutely unmistakable. You've heard in every one of your favorite hit records you've ever heard.
It was such a blast when I played back Sound City, the movie in my control room through my Neve. Yup. Sounds just like my console. A lot of it has to do with his transformer designs. When they start to saturate. You don't need analog tape.
@@RemyRAD Try de-caf
WOW ! And everybody is down on Robbie ?? I am so glad to have seen him with THE BAND" on their 1st US tour 1971 !!! Bouyeah .
Exactly 4 seconds in, and Robbie is already taking sole credit for something the Band did together, must be a day ending in y
Hell take any chance he could get to steal the narrative. Classic Robbie
Joseph, well put...!!
The man is my ulitmate guitar hero but these moments are so painful to watch
@@BopKitBill bro you’re a musician yourself, and that’s your view on studio owners? 💀💀 good luck
no doubt robbie is a bit conceited but i mean he’s just saying facts that he engineered/produced band records when nobody else in the band did
Thanks for that!!!!
Awesome video
Oh I like the Blue Nile, didn't expect that.
awesome
LEGENDARY=The Band
In 50 years will people feel this nostalgic for a macbook that a classic recording was mixed with?
No
@@hosoiarchives4858 yes
What do Apple II's go for these days? Like the one Trent Reznor used for sequencing on his first album....
classic recording on a mac? ummm don’t think that exists
@@reymhd7655 I think some albums that are modern classics were probably recorded on MacBooks. Like When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go.
He made that piece of gear Historic.
He's pitching the board, giving its history. I really do not hear the arrogance or narcissism others are projecting here, nor do I ever hear it in his speaking, and certainly not compared to others. But people would prefer to believe Levon's provable lies (like the Last Waltz mic legend, while he can clearly be heard on the raw feed from Winterland) or the songwriting issue that is disputed by people who were there (and not on heroin) like John Simon and Jon Taplin, so they project like crazy.
Realizing this video is several years old, I wonder who ended up with it…or, if Robbie still has it (as of 2023).
If this Neve console is the one that Robbie (and Daniel Lanois) used to track/record his 1987 album “Showdown At Big Sky”, then it truly is a magical console, because that album’s sonics are absolutely stellar.
I’m presuming that the album was probably mixed on a larger console that had more inputs/channels (I could certainly be wrong about that), but the sonic quality all starts with the way that the tracks are recorded to begin with.
Older Neve desks seem to have a certain “sonic mojo” that newer Neve consoles don’t seem to have, (I’m sure that the console having original 1073 preamps played a major part in the sonic texture of that album) and, that if it has gone to another owner, and has been loved, that Robbie’s old Neve still has mojo…for miles.
😊
Send it come
each channel strip must be worth at least $5000
Have they released a plugin emulation of this console yet?
I’m more impressed with his hair piece.
I’ll take it Robbie
I've got a better 36 input version if you're interested? It's real big. Bigger than Dave Grohl's. Rupert said he built it better than any of his recording consoles. He told me he had to for the major Television Networks. Where I worked. And used it for years before I won the bid after its decommissioning. And then the second matching one eight years later which I sold. So leave a message for me at 202-239-7412 and you might score. I'm not kidding. I'm downsizing radically. I've had this one for 26 years which I purchased from NBC-TV whom I worked for, for 20 years.
You can buy one right now for 76950 from vintage king. If I recall correctly I’ve actually messed around with one. But my hand was swatted away and told not to touch that. Lol
The moral of the story.......don't touch what you can't afford! :(
You were told not to touch because it was real hot. I mean you were told not to touch because they didn't want you to get infected. No. They told you not to touch. Because they did not want you to become addicted. It is incredibly addictive. Once you have touched one. You're doomed. I ended up purchasing two, better 36 input versions. I had to go to rehab over one of them and give it up. To a couple of other addicts by the name of Paul Reed Smith and Fabrice duPont. But I still have my personal stash of one of the 36 input desks with the 1073 equalizers. But with the 1081 microphone preamp and op amps. Custom-built for NBC-TV News. And much better than any of their recording consoles. Or so Rupert Neve has told me numerous times through the years. And while I do not want to part with mine or part it out. I'm downsizing. I'm 65. Time to spread the joy and love and addiction. I'm only asking 70,000 for my 36 input version. Because through Reverb (and not my plate or digital units) it'll go for a lot more. It was actually $85,000 new somewhere around 1972. Built at the same time as Dave Grohl's. Only much bigger. 14+ patch bays. They don't fit in the console. They take up 6 feet of rack space. I've thought about having Vintage King broker it for me but why? This is not something it's hard to sell. Let's face it. In whole or in part or both. 202-239-7412 the number to call and leave a message. Or you're going to miss out.
Dear Robbie, can I have your console when you're done using it?! Oh-please-oh-please-oh-please-oh-pleeeeaaaaaaase!!!!
I don't think you can have his. But you could purchase part or all of my larger better one. I'm only asking $70,000 for the whole thing. 202-239-7412 and leave a message. Fabrice duPont got my second matching one years ago. When he nonchalantly invited me to his studio party during an AES convention. Then he found out I had an extra one for sale. I actually had purchased both of these custom-built NBC-TV Neve consoles I used at NBC for my 20 year tenure there. Ending up on an SSL 8000 followed by an SSL digital. SSL's are just plain fun to mix upon. You don't really record with those. The microphone preamps are nothing to write home about. That's why everybody tracks through Neve and API and you mix on an SSL or emulated within software, yada yada, etc. So I have one waiting for you. In whole or in part.
@@RemyRAD Thanks Remy, but it's a little out of my price range.......my desperate begging was all said in jest really!
I've got myself a Chilton QM3 right now......I keep telling myself that it's a poor man's Neve, haha!
Do the weekend on synth sounds mane
+1 for Gil Evans
Can i Borrow it for the weekend?
No you can't borrow it for a weekend. But you could purchase my 36 input version that's even better. You'll need $70,000 for that. Not going through Reverb, eBay or Vintage King. And then you can keep it forever. I've had it for 26 years now. Time to spread the love around. I'm 65 and still alive. I don't how this happened?
What won’t this guy take credit for?
being humble
I don't think he recorded the Beatles?
he really likes listing his credits
Wouldn't you if you were proud of what you had done through your career? I toot my horn. I've also made recording history. And I really shouldn't have I don't think. But what do the people at the Grammys know anyhow? What kind of judge of recorded music character are they? I know how good I am. They didn't have to tell me.
@@RemyRAD sounds like you're both insecure people lol
Mark Knopfler scored the soundtrack Color of Money.
Interesting - wiki says original score by Robbie Robertson.
No he did not
it credits both plus others including, to name a couple - Robert palmer,Eric Clapton. I think Robbie meant he produced a song for it maybe?
If only Levon and Rick and Richard and Garth could afford an original neve board maybe none of them would have died penniless and almost destitute.
Robbie loves to blow his own trumpet and hardly ever mentions the guys who’s talents helped get him there .
Go on Mention Levon Robbie I dare you lol 😂😂😂
Beautiful board . His face winds me up tho 😂 I was luck enough to meet levon once and Rick on a different occasion wonderful guys
Phil, you nailed it !!
@Pat Brennan someone really needs to learn how the music industry works , and I met levon and Rick many many times and believe me they never once earned 6 figures from anything, in fact without a healthy fair share of the publishing of which they did not have you earn fuck all . Go and ask all the penniless pop stars who’s label mates wrote all the songs . No mate penniless and destitute is exactly how they died , in fact it was only levons movies career thet enabled him to purchase the ranch in Woodstock where the ramble still takes place .
Ego has entered the chat...
Only 345k!
All about himself nobody else helped him at all miracle lol
Channel vs Track, eh?
No kidding - as someone who claims to have done lots of engineering, you'd think he would know that consoles don't have 'tracks'...
I bet they’re also going to list this 50 year old 16 channel mic preamp/EQ with summing buss in a desk for $90,000 lol.
and when you don’t go through a board like that, well... We’ll see what you’re up to in 10 years 💀
I've got a better 36 input version I'm selling for $70,000. If I don't go through a used equipment broker like them. You can call 202-239-7412 and leave me a message to get back to you. I'm serious. And has 24 of the 1073 equalizers in it with the 1081 microphone preamps. It's unique. It's one-of-a-kind. But you're going to need $70,000 for the whole thing. Though I am considering partying it out. I could get more that way. And/or parting it out. You can do both. It's boatloads of endless fun. I'll dearly miss it. I've been living with it since 1984 but owning it since 1996. Time for me to start enjoying my retirement and downsize. I could still keep my 20 inputs worth of API. So that's not much of a compromise. I could live with that. Maybe? Or this console might be missing a couple of microphone preamp/equalizer modules? Better act fast.
He must have at least one swollen shoulder and a worn out hand.
And now show me what is actually different & important about this thing.
Because I still don't have a clue, besides that it's 'warm' and has 'history'.
It's a class A Neve 8014 with 1073 preamps........nuff said.
It’s like a 50s Tele.... sure, today’s guitars may have better fit and finish, but there’s no replacing a classic!
Okey-doke, you really want to know? Here's how it goes.
Like any other mixer. Just like your own cheap one. There is this thing we do called gain trim settings. Where you set your microphone preamp gain trim. And when you do it correctly. It sounds very nice. The way you would expect it to.
But when you don't trim the gain correctly. And you overdo it a bit. You will suddenly and immediately discover. What the big fucking attraction really is. It does this incredible magical trick.
This over gain trick. Sounds like you've added just the right EQ. Sounds like you patched in a LA-2 or Fairchild 660 or vintage UREI 1176. And everybody's eyes pop out of their head. And asked me what the hell I did with the sound??? It sounds fabulous. What did you do? I usually smile and tell them Absolfuckinglutely nothing!
That's when you really crank the equalizers. And they start to ring and overshoot. And you are starting to saturate the input and output transformers that Rupert designed. And you find yourself instantly addicted and hooked. Because it really ain't warm at all. It's incredibly huge fat zippy and punchy sounding. Like nothing else you've ever heard before.
Because when you do that. It does to the sound. What Rupert told me numerous times. Is the bane of his designing career. He hates his 1073. It's very funny. He told me he was basically a tube guy. And when he started designing transistorized circuits. He told me he made a lot of mistakes. Yes he did. And we love those mistakes. He doesn't understand. He's a very godly Christian man. He wanted his audio circuitry to be perfect. And he has perfected it. That's why nobody really wants his new stuff. That's why they rereleased the 1073. I mean he is both a brilliant design engineer and extremely stupid also.
It's the distortion and the grunge these flawed designs of his, produce. And we've taken advantage. And manipulate them to do what he absolutely hates. And because after using some of his new stuff. I wouldn't piss on it. If it burst into flames.
I'm not even all that hot on those 1073 modules. I have the 1073 equalizers with the 1081 microphone preamp and op amps. Which I like better. It's got that Neve warmth. With that API zippy aggressive sound. Because mine is not Pure Class-A. Mine is like the 1081's which are Class A/B. And shares a commonality with API in that manner also. Because API was never pure Class-A, either. And Bob Clearmountain hates those. He tells me he can't get his sound on an, API. And I know precisely what he's talking about. Because I've worked with him back in 1979 briefly. He likes to track on Neve. And needs the grunge of the SSL 4000 E with the G computer. Because he doesn't care for the G series equalizers either... But will use those. If somebody contracts him to engineer at another studio and that's what they've got. Then he'll use the G Equalizers. But he doesn't care for those. He prefers the E versions.
Because when they say warmth when talking about a Neve that is, Class-A transistor circuitry. When you start to over gain those. Well it just gets big and flabby sounding. It does not have the zip. A lot of us like to hear. That's why some people go with API, SSL, Sphere, MCI, Auditronics, Spectra Sonics. Which were all, Class-A/B types. So is my Neve. Which Rupert designed but truly despises now in his senility. Dementia. Whatever? He wants to be walking with Jesus. And he overdid it. He over perfected his circuitry. And it sounds like everybody else's state-of-the-art crap today. It doesn't sound like we all know a Neve sounds like to us. And so there's really no reason to own any of his brand-new stuff. It doesn't matter that he might be using 70-100-120 volt power rails for unlimited headroom. We don't want that!
What we have here is just another pallet of additional audio colors to choose from. When you mix some of those colors together just right. You get Day-Glo! There Day-Glo again with those old Neve consoles. See? And they very much built them to last a very long time. They will outlive all of us. I've been using mine since 1984 and owning it since 1996. And I really don't want to stop enjoying it. But the time has come to speak of many things. Like retirement. My retirement. Not the consoles.
So what they actually did was add an additional dimension to your sound. You could definitely hear and compare against others. That purport to sound better. But better doesn't necessarily mean better. It merely means, different. I hate when everybody talks about better sound. They are not talking about better sound. They are just merely talking about different sound or fad sounds and techniques. Let go by the wayside quickly enough. Because it's always the same crap. Like hip-hop and heavy metal. It's all crap. It's all software. It's all artificially percolated and perfected. And that's a fun artform also playing video games with audio software, sure. But some of us grew up and cut our teeth on these flawed old console designs. And we got a sound from them. You can't get any other way. And people still find it incredibly attractive. And there are good reasons for that. Psychologically speaking. People are not aware. That they are programmed and now automatically drawn. To the sound that these things make. The way we use them. They don't know why they are being drawn to a particular song. But it has a lot to do with Familiarity of Sound.
So when I do my recording and mixing. While my brain is constantly evaluating and thinking technically. I am not consciously doing that. It's automatic. Instead. Consciously speaking. I will use, SM-57 & 58's. Over that of mine now sold recently, original, Neumann, U-67's & 87's, along with my KM-86's. I actually found those more important. Back in the day of analog tape recording. To cut through the analog tape slathering smoothness. And also rolling it 30 IPS when I can. When budgets permit. Until we went digital. I went digital back in 1983. But only 2 track digital. 24 track digital by 1993. And I've really found no good use for those capacitor microphones. I mean condenser microphones. And where today I'm still using all of my ribbon microphones, still. And loving them even more with digital recording. I still have quite a few. But I will be selling those also. I will dearly miss them. Where I really don't need anything more than 57's and 58's. You really don't. They make fine drum overheads. They sound fine on a Symphony Orchestra also. Because we don't need to cut through numerous layers of analog tape grunging. We have inherently more purity today in digital. When you combine digital with these legendary amazing grungy sounding desks. With a grunge we love. Because it's not really warmth at all. It's got the right punch. It's got the right distortion. It's got the right zip. And it's really cool the way they sum, everything together. Because mixing through one of these. It is not like a passive summing mixer at all. Because you are going through so many transformers and so many extra op amps. Adding all of this additional color. In addition to the summing. And when you hear it you'll know it. You'll recognize it. Even if you don't know what you're recognizing. And that's the psychological way I go about my recording and mixing. It's not about the technical. That's a given automatic function I don't even have to think about anymore. I just go for the vibe. I go for the Performance Value. That's what this is all about. For real Audio Engineers. As I also know how to design and build these suckers myself and I have. Because I'm a really great and unique Audio Engineer. I'm the audio engineers, engineer. I teach the fucking college professors. I ain't got no college degree. I don't need one. None of the famous guys have college degrees. There were no college degrees. That's just another moneymaking thing for the for-profit schools. When they realized they could make a killing on all you crazy kids. That all want to be spoonfed and given the magic fairy dust and the magic pills along with the magic beans. There is no magic but there is. You have to know how to get it.
The fact you have to ask/make snarky comments says a great deal.
Happy Presonus recording, kid.
I had no idea Stephen Colbert was also a sound guy
Dave Grohl has entered the chat 😉
Really? I'm sorry I missed him. I have a tape for him I recorded of him in 1994 he forgot to get from me. Damn. I guess I'll just have to go to Studio 606 when I get to LA. Sometime in the not-too-distant future I hope. Before we all die from a virus. This fucking virus killed my business after 30 years. And I'm not dead yet unfortunately. But I am 65 now. And Dave is catching up. He's really one of the funniest guys I have ever met. I didn't even know who he was. When I was putting the microphones on his drum set. I mean I don't buy any records. You've got to pay me to listen to them. I mean I've purchased some in the past. Like when they came out. Like Sergeant peppers. Chicago. EW & F, Linda Ronstadt, etc., etc. To learn how to engineer recordings. By listening carefully. And 4 major music award nominations later and making history doing it. And then 20 years with a major Radio & Television Network. The first, the best. I was paid by RCA to work for NBC. Back in the day. And in my control rooms at NBC. There were the Scully tape recorders I built. How about that? Then I built a homebrew live on air FM radio console. Of my own design. Using API and Dean Jensen op amps. Like no other broadcast on air console ever made! When it was decommissioned. One of my colleagues copped my console for himself. He loves it. But of course! I designed it right. API microphone preamps and 550 EQ's. With a Dean Jensen summing and output section. Certainly nothing there not to like. Add with a special voiceover microphone circuit I designed. Punch the on button. The monitors mute and the microphone fades up. Press the off button. The microphone fades down before the monitors unmute. You don't have to touch a volume control. You can leave it up all the time. And you don't get any click and sudden burst of room tone. And then have it slam closed. When you turn it off. Because that sounds like crap! And nobody ever designed or built that into a live on air broadcast console before. Go figure? And so that circuit was nothing more than the same optical gizmo. You would find in an optical limiter. Controlled by a switch and a couple of capacitors. It was a switch controlled limiter. That would limit the sound down to infinity i.e. zero. It was cute and simple. Just like me.
No really it's true about Dave. I was going from my remote recording truck to the outdoor stage. And he was joking with me as I was putting the microphones on the drum kit of his.
When I got off the stage. All of my friends that like to come with me on these gigs. So they can hang out backstage as part of my pseudo-crew. Because they didn't know how to do anything. They just wanted to hang out backstage. Sure.
They asked me did you know who you were joking with on stage? I said no. They said that was Dave Grohl!!! And I said so who the FUCK is Dave Grohl? They said he's the drummer in Nirvana! I said oh yeah. I've heard of them before. I don't like their lead guy much. Didn't he blow his brains out? Yeah. That's why Dave is back in his old band called Scream. He came home to Springfield, Virginia. I lived in Falls Church right next door. We probably passed each other at the Springfield Shopping Mall like 2 ships passing in the night numerous times.
And so I only go to rock concerts. When people pay me to do it. Or they just get me free tickets. And asked me to make a bootleg recording. Back in the day. Nobody got bootleg recordings like mine. Because I make the best binaural dummy head in the world. Better than the Neumann dummy head. Let me be clear about that. I stuck Sennheiser MKE-2's in my ears. You brush your hair over your ears. You have to have long enough hair. I started with a pocket-sized stereo cassette analog recorder. Later switching to a Denon slightly bigger than a cigarette pack DAT pocket-sized recorder. I made everything from rock 'n' roll bootlegs to Symphony Orchestra and Opera, bootlegs. Actually for the conductors. Because they couldn't get clearance from all of the union musicians to do so. So they had to get it on the sly. They would never ask me to make a bootleg recording for them. They would simply call me up. And say hey Remy. I'm doing a concert at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. And I got you a those 3 seats you like the best. It'll be waiting at the, will call for you at the box office. Okay thanks!
Captain days later. They would call me and asked me if I liked the show? I would say I sure did. And they would invite me over. Oh. Lookee what I have. They would be very appreciative. They would give me a cigar and a tip. And nobody would ever know I was miked up. Eighth row orchestra center. With an empty seat to my left and to my right. And you have to learn the art of, very shallow breathing. You cannot turn your head. And you can get some remarkable binaural recordings that way. Back in the day when you couldn't get any recording stuff beyond the ushers. For those hoity-toity type concert. It almost made me not want to set up any equipment when I was actually contracted to do the recording. Why bother? You can sit there and enjoy the concert. Just don't breathe too deeply. Not a lot of clearing of the throat either. And you just cannot sneeze.
Aren't you glad you posted here? Look at all that you have learned. For real actual Audio Engineers. We do whatever it takes. Upfront and personal or on the sly.
Sly and the Family Stone used a Flickinger audio console. I could never figure out why their stuff sounded the way it did? Until I actually read that some years back. Oh that's why it sounded like that. It was a Flickinger.
And so for myself. It was kind of wild watching and listening to Dave Grohl's movie, Sound City. Sitting behind my Neve console in my control room. And it just sounded like recordings that I was making. Yeah that's my Neve I'm listening to. I had numerous friends in my control room for that viewing. And they were all freaking out! Remy it sounds just like the recording you made for us! Of course. What did you expect? It's all fun. I never wanted to work for a living. That's like working.
probably stole that from levon too.
He used Richard Manuel's cut to buy it. Haha.
Is it a meme to say he's narcissistic? I feel like I watched a different video from all the other commenters. He was talking about the great history of the board.
Absolutely! All I saw was a passionate guy talking about all of the wonderful moments he's experienced over the years sat in front of this immaculately engineered console! Oh well, haters gonna hate....
I know, right...
You should turn the comments off, too many sad and pathetic trolls posting here.
He must have a pretty sore shoulder after 50-odd years of patting himself on the back...
So do I. When I realized I had arthritis in my shoulders. Because I have been doing this for 50 years also. And hard to imagine. More people have heard my work than they have heard of his. By virtue of what I used to do. Live broadcasts coast-to-coast and around the world on the satellite. I've served billions. Just like McDonald's. If I were to get a platinum record for each 1 million people that heard my work over the years. I would have my entire house built out of platinum records. But I ain't got no. You ain't going to get no. When you are a live broadcast union engineer for NBC-TV. And Radio. Like I did for 20 years.
And of course they paid very well. So not many people had a 2 and 16 track home studio in 1983. Along with an actual Plate Reverb. Because the digital ones still sucked. Ursa Major Space Station, just the worst piece of crap. But some people love to those. I sure didn't. I had one to use. Glad I didn't pay for it. I had a Quantec Room Simulator. Which was $15,000 at the time. I picked up a used one. That was thrown in with a used $85,000 Sphere Eclipse C I had gotten for $17,000. Oh my God!
I was not as appreciative of Quantec for reverb as I was my Plate. It was nice, no doubt. But I sold it. And later picked up some cheap Lexicon PCM-60 & 70 a couple of LXP-1's & 5's. Some Yamaha SPX-90 version 2's. ALESIS Quadra verb, Delta lab's. You know. Buy them by the bag. They are cheap. They work. Nobody knows the difference. As I also had plenty of original 1176's, DBX 165 A's, LA-3's & LA-4's. Orban 418 A and 560 De-Esser along with 4 channels of graphic parametric EQ's. And a whole lot of other stuff. Because I was essentially doing. 24-40 some channel mixed downs live for broadcast. When you don't know what you want on anything. You just plug everything in. Come what may. It's all going to work. Maybe not exactly the way you wanted it to sound. But who cares. As long as it sounds listenable for the audience to enjoy. That's all that matters. And technical accuracy is bullshit. I mean I do things very technically accurately. But then I purposefully do things technically inaccurately. So it sounds better. Better to me. Usually better to everyone else also. It's all in your technique mostly.
And when you have accomplished some truly great a remarkable feats of musical artwork. No reason not to be patting yourself on the back. Because other people cannot do what we do. And we bring a lot of happiness and joy and improvement to life of other people's lives. And we are extremely proud of what we have done and accomplished. I've been greatly honored with the work that I have been able to do. It's been a true honor. And not bad. For a high school dropout with only a GED and a couple of weeks of some technical training seminars here and there.
And then to be offered a job I did not apply for. A managerial position. My services and employment was requested. As the Quality Control Manager and Final Test Engineer and overall company troubleshooter. For this little tape recorder company called Scully.. But only after I had also declined offers from MCI and Ampex. I mean when you're good. You're good. Unless they know you are very good. And when you are very good. You don't even have to apply for work. They call you. They need you. Even up at Media Sound when I was there with Bob Clearmountain and Michael DeLugg, Michael Brauer and Michael Bronner, Michael Barbierio whatever?.... We had too many Michael's. At Media Sound NYC. Because I guess guys with the name of Mike like things called MIC's. Whereas I personally do not drink much cognac myself. I've always been a 3M Scotch drinker. I don't mind blended tapes. 206-226-250, 996. I wasn't particular. Rarely do I get a single malt tape. Because it's too expensive. If ya follow? You can't forget the pot either. You have to have the pot also. A day without pot is like a day without sunshine. And since I like to play with volume controls. It would only stand to reason. Why I like pots so much. Like Plain Old Telephone Service POTS. Also. When you are hooking up to telephone lines. You didn't think they were all by satellite and microwave link did you? Sometimes it was a dial-up. Other times ISDN leased lines. It takes all types in our business. Recording engineers and broadcast engineers. I just happened to be both. So was Bruce Swedien. We both started in radio first. Sort of. I mean I had been to recording studios along with radio and TV station starting at the age of 7. But I got my first job at an FM station instead of a recording studio. My second job was at a recording studio. My third job was at a radio station. My fourth job was at a recording studio. Then a national advertising agency. Then Scully. Then NBC for the next 20 years. And it took my music recording career on something of a detour. I wouldn't be doing as much studio work as I was enjoying doing the live work. That presented a far greater challenge. And I could get as Focht up. As I wanted.
I'm all Focht up! I'm a Tonmeister.
RemyRAD
Says the guy who's sleeping in his parents basement.
@@eldeluxo Actually, I sleep in the bedroom of my very comfortable house, but where I sleep is hardly relevant to the subject matter of my original post - I don't take credit for other people's endeavors and accomplishments. I have no doubt that Mr. Robertson sleeps in quarters far more luxuriant than my humble abode, but he has lived most of his life standing on the shoulders of others - often trampling them underfoot in the process, as many others who have posted in this video thread have noted. My point stands and your reply to it is moot. Stay safe.
@@ytnsanw That's just your opinion and who cares anyway, you only sound like a whiney jealous loser.
lose the wig ffs
Shame the guy's hair wasn't as genuine as the board...
It's always a cringey moment listening to this guy describe how great he is, love his music, but not one ounce of humble in him.
did we watch the same video? he was talking about the board not himself, educate yourself on the board, anyone would be happy as him to do a video on this
@@reymhd7655 ya,, if you say so
@@Grecoguitardude bob dylan and robbie were the only ones who mattered so
God he’s so insecure lmao.
bro you gotta be stupid, who would be insecure when they own a 1073 console 🤦🏽♂️
@@reymhd7655 I own a better 36 input version. In fact I had two of them for a while. I've never felt insecure. I never even felt insecure on an API, Sphere, Auditronics, MCI, SSL, Neve, console. Any console, ever. I know on the fabulous engineer. I have no insecurities. A lot of people do. Because you know you can always do it better. You have to learn how to resist that feeling. And here's how you do it. It's really simple. And fun.
With any mixer that works. You call a friend with their rock band over.
Now you're going to set them up to play. All at the same time. Like they are doing a live show for an audience. So invite a small audience of friends over also. Because you want them playing for an audience. You're going to get a better recording and Performance out of them.
And then here's what you do. They are all huddled very closely together. You've got microphones on everything and everyone. 8-16-24 on a 4 piece band including room microphones. Whatever you have.
Then you plug-in your limiters on the lead vocals. And if you have enough limiters? You put them on the drums and guitars and keyboards. And you crank your EQ's all over the place. Rolling off a lot of low-end on everything. Perking up midrange and upper midrange. Boosting the high frequencies beyond sanity. And you're going to create a live 2 track stereo mix. While you are tracking to your multitrack simultaneously.
Now I can guarantee you this. That 2 track mix is going to be quite flawed. But with a little postproduction bus limiter and a little more EQ. It might not sound so bad.
Then later. You go back to remix the multitrack. And get your mix nearly perfect. Then, walk away from it for a week.
When you come back. You play your remix cut first. Then you play your live 2 track mix that's rough. I keep going back to my live 2 track mixes.
And a couple of years ago. I tried an experiment. I pulled my recording truck up to this nightclub. And I said I was going to park my truck in their backyard. I'm not going to pay you for parking. And I'm not going to pay you for electricity. But what I am going to do. I am going to record every single band that comes through. I will present them with my live FM stereo rough mix. While making dual redundant 24 track recordings simultaneously. And I recorded 500 bands in 11 months time. In Austin, Texas. Before the pandemic.
And I knew how to make my mixes sound much better by remixing some of them. I keep going back to the live ones. The rough ones. They are just so much more real and exciting sounding. And they are highly flawed, technically. And making them better does not make them better.. I mean it can, it does. But it's certainly not the same excitement level. With all its technical flaws and compromises.
I can't be too far off with this. I've garnered 4 major music award nominations. Two of those were never supposed to be released. But the producers and record labels decided they liked my rough mix better. Then the 24 track remix another engineer did in a big LA studio. And in doing so I also made history with that. They were your first submission entries for me. I didn't enter them. The record labels and producers do. But they were nominated for best engineered categories. And they certainly were not my best engineering. I was actually having a conversation with my partner while doing it. So what the FUCK do they know at the Grammys? Those shouldn't have gotten nominated. They were not my best engineering. I guess it really doesn't matter now does it? No it does not. You just have to be good at what you do. I wanted to be the best at what I did. So I am.
And that's when I asked them at the Grammys, so you mean I'm not a hack? They said no you are definitely not a hack. Who knew? I thought that was so funny. That was 25-30 years ago. Before any of our computers could do diddly squat. These were all computer less, computer free, analog input to digital recorders. And so how do you do that without plug-ins? What the FUCK is a plug-in? You can find that in the feminine hygiene section called tampons. Some people still like using sanitary napkins over there tweeters of their NS-10's.
It's all in what you make it to sound like.
@@RemyRAD exactly, so the original comment confuses me, is that guy dumb? and anyways Sanitary napkins over NS-10s huh? i’ve never tried that
@@reymhd7655 he is constantly talking and reminding people of his achievements (MANY great achievements) instead of letting them speak for themselves.
@@charlessale409 Do you even understand what is going on with this video? Good christ, the cluelessness..
Musta known he was really sick and was winding down his production business...
Worth almost nothing......................
you buy one then 😂😂
@@reymhd7655 Its worth nothing because nobody wants that kinda thing anymore. Its all digital now, large boards are now surplus and nobody has room for them or wants them. Like a VCR.........................
@@gr8fullfred Lmaooo, sure buddy, imma let you think that way, definitely would not wanna hear your “music”
More like: Robbie Robertson annoyingly braging for 8 minutes straight.
Jealous?
He doesn't speak any different than I do. What are you talking about? I mean when you've accomplished some really great stuff over a career spanning decades. You speak of your stories fondly. And because in a working band. You are all together and individually. Me is us and me is me. The Beatles means all of them. Even if we knew that was a McCartney song or a Lennon song or a Harrison song are an octopus's garden, song. And it was then individually. As we, us, me.
I was hanging on every word of his bragging. You call it. Sure. I brag about my audio accomplishments also. I've also made history. And now I also have a Neve console to sell even bigger and better than that one.
Plus you also have to realize. This was in fact an, Infomercial for Reverb. Since they are brokering the sale of his console. And you want to know all about it. And the person who has owned it. For so many years. It was actually a commercial. And Reverb wanted Robbie. To speak of all of his accomplishments. Before, with and since owning this great compact half-size diversion of what I have. And you want to get maximum bucks. Out of that collectors item owned by that person. Along with whom all and what all, was recorded through it by him. That's called a value added sale. Part of the value of that console was that owner. It's a piece of rock 'n' roll history. Where my console has a much different history. Because it didn't just do musical recordings. As I also had Presidents of the world. Going through my audio console when it was at NBC-TV News in Washington DC for 22 years. When I started using it when it was 10 years old in 1984. It was commissioned around 1972. At the same time that Dave Grohl's version was being built also. That he got from Sound City Studios. Mine is better and bigger and more unique. Because it also had Billboard chart topping bands also going through it since my ownership.
It might happen to you one day? You'll sound the same 30-50 years later. I mean we were married to these things. And it was a great marriage. Time for me to die. Not the console. I'm dying to enjoy my retirement! And that's what happens to us all when we sell these off. We enjoy our retirement to death! And we kind of live on. In somebody else's control room. Until they die.
And everybody wonders about an afterlife? This is how you get there. You leave a piece of yourself behind. For others to enjoy and benefit from.
You might understand this if you ever make it to old age? Many of my closest and dearest friends who did everything right. Didn't make it. They didn't abuse their bodies like I have. They ate right, exercise, slept right, didn't drink much, didn't smoke much. They led healthy lifestyles. And they all dropped dead from something suddenly. I miss my colleagues and friends and think about them often. They left us all way too soon. And I'll be surprised if Rupert makes it through 2021. I don't like what he makes today. But I love that man dearly. And I have enormous respect for him. And all that he has wrought upon us. I mean who couldn't? Maybe you?
The Americana Donald Trump
He really is insufferable. I have a difficult time reconciling my love of the Band and his solo album “Storyville” and my dislike for him. Such a blowhard and he did Levon and the boys dirty.
He's actually Canadian - by birth, but remarkably un-Canadian in character....
@@ytnsanw
Yeah, Toronto born 1943.
Hey at least Robbie can speak in complete sentences!
lol..this guy hasn't done anything in what...45-50 yrs?
You don't need to when you get one of these Neve console prizes.
I loved the guys in The Band but I don’t think he has a clue how narcissistic he sounds. Reminds me of Trump. Robbie please listen to yourself you sound ridiculous. When he mentions The Band he has to use the word “we”.
Kiddo when you are in the Band. You are the band. Nothing ridiculous about all that he has accomplished. You're just jealous. So am I. I don't have as many awards. And tell me George Massenburg is narcissistic. I've known him since I was 15 years old when he was 23. He's much worse than Robbie. And I can't help it if more people in the world. Billions of them. Have heard my work. More than they have heard any of these hit engineers work. As many people have heard my work as McDonald's has sold hamburgers. And I'm anonymous. I do the live broadcasts and the live recordings. That's all I've ever done for over 50 years. We all have to be a little narcissistic in this industry to survive. I mean guys like Bob Clearmountain are extremely humble. But if you are a moron in a garage band. And you tell him what to do. I think just like myself. He would throw you out of his studio. I know I would. I have. I've told people to get out in the middle of recording sessions. Now I'm not going to do that stupid thing you want. That would sound stupid. And I'm not going to put my name on anything that I don't like. So you come to me. To make you better. That's a different mindset from a lot of guys like yourself. Amateurs. I don't care to work with amateurs much. But if they want to get better. If they want to make it. I'll work with them. So I'm also a bit narcissistic. Because I know the caliber that I am. And it's a very big caliber. The kind of mixes that blow your head off. And I'm very proud of myself. When I blow people's heads off. I'm one of those kind of aggressive in-your-face recordist mixers. It works better for television and live recordings.
@@RemyRAD I have known George since 1981 when he was over at the Complex. He is a genius when it comes to recording music and designing equipment. He never gave off that vibe to me and he has always been very kind to me and has done me a few favors. I respect Robbie for what he does and his song writing ability and his guitar skills but not so much for his singing. Sorry I disagree with you but you have a right to your opinion as do I .