Tips On Replicating Recording Techniques Of The 60s

Besides actually recording a song with equipment from the time period, what should I and shouldn't I do to duplicate the sound of recordings that would play on radio such as The Beatles or Pink Floyd in more modern works?
1010d, 3h

In the four track era, drums were almost always mono, and usually recorded with two mics - one on the kick and one overhead. The early Beatles recordings (through 65) often used a dynamic mic on the kick and a ribbon overhead for a smooth, rather than bright, sound. The kick is fairly bass-light as well. If you're using a programmed kit, roll off a little treble and bass and perhaps consider submixing the kit as one with some tape compression. More on that in a sec.

Up to 65, the bass was almost always recorded with an amp (rather than DI) and recorded onto the same track as the drums. They would also often record acoustic rhythm guitar or a rhythm piano part onto the track with the drums and bass. Mixing decisions were made on the spot, never 'fixed in the mix'. After 65, the bass was almost always recorded last on its own track.

When creating an early- to mid-60s sound, consider submixing all those elements together, and treating them all with the same EQ, compression, slight harmonic distortion, etc and pan them all to the exact same place in the mix. Keep in mind that EQ back then was usually just three band - low and high shelf, plus maybe mid band, with full surgical EQ almost unheard of. Also when mixing remember that you have 'four tracks' meaning only four pan points - all your sounds should be panned to one of the same four points in the stereo spectrum (or all to center mono).

The Beatles didn't use headphones in the studio till the mid- to late 60s, so their overdubs were all done with a monitor in the room with them, located in 'the shadow' of the mic's pattern. Even vocals! They were trying to minimize bleed, but it was still a part of their sound.

In the late 60s, with eight-track recording, bass may be DI'd to its own track, and the drums might be in 2-track stereo (although the Beatles only recorded the drums in stereo once, for Ringo's solo on The End). Now you have 8 pan points.

One key element of capturing 'that 60s sound' is using complete, continuous takes - recording a performance - rather than punching in, comping takes or otherwise making it too perfect. Say you're recording the bass as an overdub. Record the bassist playing the song all the way through until you get a take you like, and resist punching in to fix that one little part. Either the whole take is good or it's not.

Whether you're going for a four- or eight-track sound, decide what instruments are 'on the same track' and submix them together so they have the same effects on them.

Speaking of effects, there were few 'special effects' or effects pedals available in the early days. Mostly they used reverb (from the studio's chamber), tape echo, compression, and volume swells through 65. Starting in 66, they used rotary Leslie sounds, flanging, and chorus occasionally. Regarding reverb, their recordings were fairly dry through '66, got wetter for Pepper (with tons of tape echo) and they reined in the reverb for 68-69. This is a period when recording studios were known for the quality of their in-house reverb chambers. (Gold Star in LA wouldn't let anyone see their chamber - it turned out later it was an old meat locker! Motown used the stairway up to the attic, and so forth.) Major studios at this time didn't really use plates very often over the whole mix - plates were sort of introduced as a space saver. Spring Reverbs were also not often used over the whole mix, just on instruments.

If you're going for authenticity, fuzz pedals were available from the early 60s but fairly unusual till around 65, wah pedals came in around 67, and univibe pedals around 67 or 68. Moog synths (mono synths, of course, not poly) were basically unheard of until very late 67, and even then were very unusual. Drum machines did not appear on a pop single until 1970.

Hmm that's it off the top of my head... Hope that's helpful.