Old vinyl recordings at DVinfo.net

Zulkifli Yusof · November 9th, 2006, 06:11 AM

Hi all

I've been tasked with the recording of a song and it needs to be mixed in such a way that it will sound like an old vinyl recording from the 40s.

While I'm aware that the musical arrangement, instrumentation, vocal style and lyrics must first be able to reflect the era, how do I approach the mixdown to achieve the sound of an old vinyl?

Any advice is appreciated.

Richard Alvarez · November 9th, 2006, 06:49 AM

Gosh, I don't know. "Old Vinyl"... well that would be MONO, not stereo, and the dynamic range wouldn't be what we expect... so roll off the bass, and maybe crank up the high end a bit... give it that 'tinny' sound. Beyond that, I don't think you WANT to induce 'scratches' and popping, but I could be wrong. Some people thing OLD film means scratches and hair in the gate... so who knows?

Zulkifli Yusof · November 9th, 2006, 08:01 AM

Yea, you're right about it being mono instead of stereo. I'll make a note about dynamic range and rolling off the bass sounds. How do I "degrade" the quality of the recording though? Introduction of noise maybe (like scratches and hair on old films)?

Greg Boston · November 9th, 2006, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zulkifli Yusof

Yea, you're right about it being mono instead of stereo. I'll make a note about dynamic range and rolling off the bass sounds. How do I "degrade" the quality of the recording though? Introduction of noise maybe (like scratches and hair on old films)?

If your audio editor supports plug-ins (most do), look into the plug-in called Vinyl from Izotope. It has several presets for recordings made in different eras.

-gb-

Richard Alvarez · November 9th, 2006, 09:32 AM

Wow Greg, good to know that. Thanks for the tip.

Jonathan Bufkin · November 9th, 2006, 09:56 AM

Yeah...I second the Vinyl plug-in. I have used it on loops before with great success. It has settings for different types of records such as 33 1/3rds etc.

Jon Bufkin
http://www.jonbufkin.com

Richard Alvarez · November 9th, 2006, 10:18 AM

I've been googling for it, and can't seem to locate it. ANy links?

Steve House · November 9th, 2006, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard Alvarez

I've been googling for it, and can't seem to locate it. ANy links?

http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/vinyl/

And the best part, it's free!

Greg Boston · November 9th, 2006, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zulkifli Yusof

Yea, you're right about it being mono instead of stereo. I'll make a note about dynamic range and rolling off the bass sounds. How do I "degrade" the quality of the recording though? Introduction of noise maybe (like scratches and hair on old films)?

If you get the Vinyl plug-in, it has some presets. Try 'attic treasure' and I think you'll be pleased with the results.

-gb-

Ty Ford · November 9th, 2006, 08:12 PM

um, I'm not sure they used vinyl in the 1940s.

Ty Ford

Glenn Davidson · November 9th, 2006, 09:44 PM

Some records from the 1940's were shellac on metal base or cardbord base. That plug in is kinda cool. I think it will make a more convincing 'phone filter' than my waves pre-set. I did almost blow my JBLs and my eardrums as I was playing with the vinyl scratch filter. Scratches were set like 75 db higher than signal. Ouch!

Greg Boston · November 9th, 2006, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

um, I'm not sure they used vinyl in the 1940s.

Ty Ford

It was bakelite plastic. I have a collection of 78 rpm records here that my parents gave to me. Bakelite was a very common formulation in that era. That's also what telephones from that time frame were made of. It's a lot more brittle and prone to cracks than newer plastics.

Vinyl is just the name of the plug-in, not to be taken literally.

-gb-

Ty Ford · November 9th, 2006, 10:07 PM

That's what I thought. I have compared vinyl to bakelite. Bakelite is harder and the 78 rpm disks turn much faster than 33 1/2 rpm vinyl. Although the frequency response of the earlier systems was not as good as later systems when 33 1/3 rpm vinyl disks took over, the 78 rpm bakelite I heard had a lot more attack. I still have some of those 78 rpm disks.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Steve House · November 10th, 2006, 05:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

That's what I thought. I have compared vinyl to bakelite. Bakelite is harder and the 78 rpm disks turn much faster than 33 1/2 rpm vinyl. Although the frequency response of the earlier systems was not as good as later systems when 33 1/3 rpm vinyl disks took over, the 78 rpm bakelite I heard had a lot more attack. I still have some of those 78 rpm disks.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Reminds me of when I was a teenager a friend had a marvelous jazz album in her collection called "Bix and Trum." Bix Beiderbecke and Trummy Young jamming together. The term "album" really meant "album" because each track was on one side of a 78 and the whole set came in a book rather like a photo scrapbook with a folder-pages to hold the individual records.

Ty Ford · November 10th, 2006, 09:00 AM

Of course! Never thought of it that way, but i have some of them as well.

Regards,

Ty

November 9th, 2006, 06:11 AM	#1
Zulkifli Yusof Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Singapore Posts: 86	Old vinyl recordings Hi all I've been tasked with the recording of a song and it needs to be mixed in such a way that it will sound like an old vinyl recording from the 40s. While I'm aware that the musical arrangement, instrumentation, vocal style and lyrics must first be able to reflect the era, how do I approach the mixdown to achieve the sound of an old vinyl? Any advice is appreciated.

November 9th, 2006, 08:12 PM	#10
Ty Ford Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Baltimore, MD USA Posts: 2,337	um, I'm not sure they used vinyl in the 1940s. Ty Ford __________________ Ty Ford's Audio Bootcamp Field Guide Ty Ford's Audio Video Blog

November 9th, 2006, 10:07 PM	#13
Ty Ford Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Baltimore, MD USA Posts: 2,337	That's what I thought. I have compared vinyl to bakelite. Bakelite is harder and the 78 rpm disks turn much faster than 33 1/2 rpm vinyl. Although the frequency response of the earlier systems was not as good as later systems when 33 1/3 rpm vinyl disks took over, the 78 rpm bakelite I heard had a lot more attack. I still have some of those 78 rpm disks. Regards, Ty Ford __________________ Ty Ford's Audio Bootcamp Field Guide Ty Ford's Audio Video Blog

November 10th, 2006, 09:00 AM	#15
Ty Ford Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Baltimore, MD USA Posts: 2,337	Of course! Never thought of it that way, but i have some of them as well. Regards, Ty __________________ Ty Ford's Audio Bootcamp Field Guide Ty Ford's Audio Video Blog

November 9th, 2006, 06:49 AM	#2
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	Gosh, I don't know. "Old Vinyl"... well that would be MONO, not stereo, and the dynamic range wouldn't be what we expect... so roll off the bass, and maybe crank up the high end a bit... give it that 'tinny' sound. Beyond that, I don't think you WANT to induce 'scratches' and popping, but I could be wrong. Some people thing OLD film means scratches and hair in the gate... so who knows?

November 9th, 2006, 08:01 AM	#3
Zulkifli Yusof Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Singapore Posts: 86	Yea, you're right about it being mono instead of stereo. I'll make a note about dynamic range and rolling off the bass sounds. How do I "degrade" the quality of the recording though? Introduction of noise maybe (like scratches and hair on old films)?

November 9th, 2006, 09:32 AM	#5
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	Wow Greg, good to know that. Thanks for the tip.

November 9th, 2006, 09:56 AM	#6
Jonathan Bufkin Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 253	Yeah...I second the Vinyl plug-in. I have used it on loops before with great success. It has settings for different types of records such as 33 1/3rds etc. Jon Bufkin http://www.jonbufkin.com

November 9th, 2006, 10:18 AM	#7
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	I've been googling for it, and can't seem to locate it. ANy links?

November 9th, 2006, 09:44 PM	#11
Glenn Davidson Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Nevada City, California Posts: 499	Some records from the 1940's were shellac on metal base or cardbord base. That plug in is kinda cool. I think it will make a more convincing 'phone filter' than my waves pre-set. I did almost blow my JBLs and my eardrums as I was playing with the vinyl scratch filter. Scratches were set like 75 db higher than signal. Ouch!