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2.25am
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27 November 2016
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I have a question about how they used the tracks on the mixing desk. Early on the channels contained vocals in one in instruments in the other, and slowly they branched out to include other things in other tracks when they got them, but did they ever devote one of their precious 4 or 8 tracks to a kick drum?
As a more broad and very related note, did they have more than one track for drums or were they always folded down into one?
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7.21am
9 March 2017
Offline When they recorded on 4 track, they typically recorded the backing track on one channel, so the drums are often welded together with the rhythm guitar and bass.
Here’s a look at I Feel Fine , since we have written documentation of it and it’s a good example of how they used each track:
Track 1:
Backing track (Rhythm guitar, Lead guitar, bass, drums)
Track 2:
Guitar solo
Track 3:
Vocals
Track 4:
Double tracked vocals
Once they switched over to 8 track, everything got it’s own track but still, the drums were recorded in mono.
IIRC The only time Ringo recorded his drums in stereo was for Get Back /Don’t Let Me Down and The End .
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7.45am
Moderators
27 November 2016
Offline Thank you @Dark Overlord 
I remembered The End but forgot the other 2 so that’s food for thought.
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3.24pm
26 January 2017
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Multilayered songs like A Day In The Life and other pepper tracks would record separate percussion parts along with say, acoustic guitar. They would fit extra instruments onto a track to avoid extra reduction mixes. If you look at the session notes for ADITL you’ll find some interesting combos. Same with Lucy In The Sky W/ Diamonds.
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10.19am
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15 February 2015
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*geeks out* wow, they wee such simple recordings, weren’t they? No multilayered studio wizardry there, and yet they’re so fresh and vibrant (unless it’s that terrible stereo on headphones, ewwww… 
)
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5.25pm
Moderators
27 November 2016
Offline Reviving this thread – but I was just listening to Dig It , and it sounds like that also had drums across 2 channels for a stereo effect. I don’t know if that is leakage or not, but if not that would take it to 4 songs with drums across 2 channels.
My oh my, hasn’t the technology come so far since then?
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12.08am
24 March 2014
Offline Wasn’t Glyn Johns their recording engineer for that album? I mean, he probably recorded drums using his famous technique and so panning two overhead mics left and right he got that stereo feel?
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12.29am
Moderators
27 November 2016
Offline He was, yeah, but iirc the other songs on the album show no evidence of that technique, which is why I brought it up as it is a bit odd?
Good point about him using his famous technique though, that would definitely add up…
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