Notes and Quotes: "Paperback Writer"

Geoff Emerick: "‘Paperback Writer’ was the first time the bass sound had been heard in all its excitement. . . . For a start, Paul played a different bass, a Rickenbacker. Then we boosted it further by using a loudspeaker as a microphone. We positioned it directly in front of the bass speaker and the moving diaphragm of the second speaker made the electric current." (Lewisohn 1988:74)

EMI’s reaction? They criticized Ken Townsend, the engineer who developed this recording process, [who was also responsible for ADT—artificial double tracking] for mismatching impedances.

Another problem with a boosted bass line was in the disc-cutting process. A high bass content could make the stylus of a turntable jump.

Tony Clark (an engineer and later a producer who cut the master lacquer of "Paperback Writer"): "It was EMI’s first high-level cut and I used a wonderful new machine just invented by the backroom boys, ATOC—Automatic Transient Overload Control. It was a huge box with flashing lights and what looked like the eye of a Cyclops staring out at you. But it did the trick. I did two cuts, one with ATOC and one without, played them to George Martin and he approved of the high-level one" (Lewisohn 1988:74).

Schedule

21 March, 2012