Jan 1, 2004 12:00 PM

THE GODFATHER UNDER FIRE

I have enjoyed your series on Bill Putnam, “The Art of Engineering,” by author Jim Cogan. The quote from Bruce Swedien (page 48 in the November issue) that “Bill Putnam was the father of modern recording as we know it today” is one that I am in total agreement with. In 1960, the concept of combining a mic/line preamplifier, low- and high-frequency equalizer, and an echo send into one small module that used only one connector was revolutionary. Before the creation of the 610 modular amplifier, audio consoles were all custom-designed and built out of discrete parts, such as switches, attenuators and transformers that were all wired to one large panel. This panel would then be connected through a patchbay to a microphone, line and program amplifiers, equalizers and echo sends. This did not make for either easy maintenance or efficient manufacturing methods, unlike the modular 610.

In the interest of historical and technical accuracy, I would like to correct a few errors I noticed on page 50, under “Putnam's Technology Legacy.”

The equalizer Cogan discusses is model 508A or later a 508B, not a 50BA. Also, the patent rights for the LA-2A were acquired from Teletronix Engineering Company, not Studio Electronics Corporation. (Jim Lawrence Jr., the inventor of the LA-2A, wrote an excellent article describing the development of the LA-2A, which appeared in the August 1964 SMPTE Journal, for those who wish to know more about it.) Also, the LA-3A and LA-4A are both solid-state designs and do not use vacuum tubes.

Bill Putnam was inspired to develop what eventually became the 813 monitor system by Ed Long's 1976 AES Journal article about time alignment. The author states, “These were the standard for large-scale studios from the late ‘60s to the ‘80s,” which, of course, is impossible for a product that wasn't available until 1979.

The 1108 solid-state, Class-A FET line amplifier is what is used in the most highly regarded versions of the 1176 limiter and in the current version made by Bill Putnam Jr. The author states, “UREI also introduced the 1108 FET Preamp and some innovations, such as the Cooper Time Cube and the Electrostatic Reverberator…that are best not known.” The 1108 FET Preamp is a superb design by any standard that is still being produced to rave reviews. It is not fair to lump it in with the two other items that are definitely best forgotten.

Keep up the good work.
Paul McManus

CILETTI'S SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS

Thanks for hitting the nail on the head [“Tech's Files,” November 2003]. Even if young engineers don't do the school thing, there's still the concept of internships, apprenticeships, etc. Guided discovery and the school of experience is a good thing. Hell, they can just read the bloody books and manuals themselves.
George Petit

OPEN MIND: BETTER MIX

Yes, technical knowledge creates better recordings, and some of us understand this better than others. I have been guilty in the past of erroneous ideas, but that has never stopped my being creative or being willing to accept ignorance as part of the learning process.

In fact, by making mistakes and testing weird theories, we are better able to understand why things do and don't work on a record. I suspect a lot of the world around us exists because people have been willing to try out their ideas, however mistaken they may be.
Piotr Orloff

KRAUSE GROUSE

I'm always amazed at the audacity of some claims in this business. To wit, quoth Robert Margouleff [in the Isley Brothers “Classic Tracks” article, November 2003]:

"The thing is, the reason we became so indigenous in the business is the fact that we worked with everybody, whereas most of the other synthesizer players, like [Morton] Subotnick and [Wendy] Carlos and Beaver & Krause mostly worked for themselves. We put ourselves in a major recording studio and worked for everyone who wanted to come through the doors; we made ourselves a ubiquitous comestible."

Horseshit! It's a bloody wonder he didn't claim that he invented the synthesizer, too. How does this self-promoting, solipsistic, historical-revisionist blathering idiot explain the work Paul Beaver and I did on a synthesizer with the following artists, sometimes working on multiple projects with them? For instance: Beach Boys, The Byrds, Elmer Bernstein, Jimmy Cliff, The Doors, George Harrison, Mick Jagger, George Martin, John Mayall, Van Morrison, Gerry Mulligan, Randy Newman, Jack Nitzsche, Prince, Carly Simon, the Rolling Stones, Simon and Garfunkel, Phil Spector, The Tubes and Neil Young, to name just a few. Or on numerous films, from Apocalypse Now to Cool Hand Luke to The Graduate. In all, I believe we worked on more than 250 albums for others, aside from the five we did for ourselves, at least 135 major feature films and several dozen TV shows. While I believe [Margouleff and Cecil's] Tonto's Expanding Headband was one of the most brilliant albums of the time, that momentary stroke of genius does not warrant a claim to even a small chunk of the universe.
Bernie Krause
Wild Sanctuary Inc.

FROM FLORIDA, A FOND FAREWELL

To all my friends,

I just wanted to take a moment to say farewell, as I have decided to move on. I spent the past 12 years at 441 W. 53rd St. in New York City, [known] most of the time as the Power Station, the rest as Avatar Studios, serving both as technician and chief technician. I also had stays at a few other facilities, as most of you know, but Power Station was my home.

Basically, it was time to move on. My wife and I decided to sell the house, pack up the kids and move to a beautiful town outside of Tampa, right on the Gulf, where I am currently pursuing other musical ventures. I would like to say “thank you” and “see you later” (never goodbye, as I hope our paths cross again) to a few people I considered friends and with whom it was a pleasure to work: Zoe and Pat Thrall, Al Schmitt, Elliot Scheiner, David Baker, Jim Anderson, Joe Ferla, Jay Newland, James Farber, Neil Dorfsman, Jason Corsaro, Kevin Shirley, Vince Caro, Kirk Imamura, Ed Evans, Vinny Sofia (the greatest studio carpenter), Tony Bongiovi (who built the greatest studio in the world. Let's face it: If there were no Tony, there would be no Power Station.) and many others I simply don't have room to list.

Good health and continued success to all of you.
Ken Bailey
kxxb1964@aol.com

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