by alex u. case

the study of recording

Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag, Part I

Notes:

Pitch Shift
Tracked and mixed live, the tune was originally a bit murky, almost 7 minutes long, and maybe didn't groove as hard as desired at the time. A hit single just under 2 minutes long was created through tape edits, tape to tape bouncing with added equalization, plus a little tempo and pitch shift. Pitch shift in 1965? Yes, by choosing a different playback speed versus record speed on an analog tape machine. In this recording, raising the tape speed brightened the tempo, lifted the pitch, and shortened the tune a bit more. The original, full length version, without the tape speed adjustment, is available on the Star Time box set. But the one that grabbed the kids, shook 'em, and made 'em dance in the mid-60s relied, in part, on a bump up in tape speed.

Sources

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