I’ve been continually asked to recommend albums, that combine both sonic and musical bliss :). No, I’m not getting a free vinyl copy from Acoustic Sounds… I do own the original vinyl release and Breaking Silence is one of the albums, that can really show all the virtues of great analog setup. What makes this Grammy Award winning album so special is a combination of musically potent songs, purely analog recording path being taken from start to end and sublime mixing job, that preserved the dynamic impact… For those of you who cannot wait and want to get some taste of this gem, you can download the official free track “Guess You Had To Be There” from the album, that Janis Ian kindly provided here.
So, Janis Ian – Breaking Silence, 1992 all-analogue recording is going soon to be released at Analogue Productions as 200-gram, 45 RPM vinyl pressing by Quality Record Pressings. Mastered for 45 RPM by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the original analog master tapes!
Tracks were recorded at Nightingale Studio on a Studer 820, 16-track machine, 30 IPS, non-dolby, at the elevation of +6/250 nu using Ampex 499 tape.
Included among the mics used on the recording dates were: Neumann M-49, AKG C-12, Telefunken 251, Sheffield C-9 and a custom built tube direct box on the bass. Janis’ vocal was recorded using a Telefunken U-47 and a Mastering Lab mic preamp, linked with series-one Monster Cable direct to the back of the multi-track machine with no EQ or Limiting.
The album was mixed at Bill Schnee Studio to an Ampex ATR 1/2″ machine, at 30 IPS, non-dolby, at the elevation of +3/250 nu on Ampex 499 tape. The reverb on the album was an EMT tube plate used along with natural room sounds captured in the recording. During the mixing of the album, “Some People’s Lives” was recorded direct to two-track using the same vocal chain as above and Telefunken 251’s on the piano. Take number two was used as the album cut. The album was mixed using Mastering Lab modified Tannoy SGM-10’s powered by Sherwood-Sax mono-block tube amps.
Produced, engineered and mixed by Jeff Balding.
Link: here.