Pink Floyd
Empire Pool
Wembley, London, UK
“We Meet Again”
November 16, 1974
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This is a 60% SBD, 25% AUD1, 15% AUD2 mix.
- Mixed by [email protected]
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Notes on the Source Material
I love the fact that all 3 sources were raw. It doesn’t sound or look like any noise reduction, EQing or any other DSP (digital sound processing) was done. It was an honor and a privilege to work on this project. It was also very very cool to be sitting at my workstation, working on 3 impressive recordings, in such beautiful condition, 33 years after the fact. Incredible.
SBD
Very clear, well balanced and a clean PreFM source. However, this is much more like a straight SBD feed than a PreFM. Many PreFM sources I have heard have some element of a live feel. Either b/c there is a “live mic” feed (a microphone used to capture the sound of the room) or a similar technique where a microphone is used to capture the crowd, i.e. cheers, etc. On this recording the only way the room or crowd is heard at all is b/c it is being picked up thru the mics set up for the vocals. The result is an extremely dry and flat sound making this an ideal source to use in a mix with an AUD recording(s).
AUD1
I find this to be the better of the two AUD recordings used in this mix. Without a doubt this recording is made much closer to the PA stacks than the AUD2 recording. This recording is very well balanced with good dynamic range and little to no hiss. The low hiss and limited speed fluctuations tells me that this is indeed a digital recording made off the masters. A very interesting note is I could not find any evidence of a tape flip. Was a quick flip done and a small patch used from AUD2? Maybe. Was this recording on a 120 min cassette or possible a 60 min Reel? Maybe. The only disappointment with the AUD1 recording is that it is missing the encore, Echoes.
AUD2
Although not as punchy and clear an audience recording as the AUD1 source, this is still a very good recording. Made from further back in the venue this recording also has low hiss and limited speed fluctuations and tells me that this is digital transcription made off the masters. A long tape flip lasting 1 min and 36.33 seconds in Any Colour You Like is the only missing portion.
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Notes on the Sound
The PreFM (or SBD) source sounds great. Conceptually all I was trying to do here is to add some dimension to the SBD, which is dry but very crisp, by using the ambience of the AUDs.
The PreFM sounds much more like a studio recording than a live recording. I have a hunch that a completely different feed was setup for the BBC recording than the mix that was sent over the PA. Evidence for that is found on sound “Sample_6″. On that sample you can clearly hear that reverb has been added to the vocals on the PA mix but is not present on the BBC recording. Not just reverb but other effects are lacking throughout, leaving an unnatural tone to Gilmour’s guitar among other shortcomings. His sound is noticeably flat and completely lacking that warm, wonderful tone that is the trademark of Gilmour. This is a huge reason why I find this matrix mix to not only be a much better representation of this live show but also a more pleasant listening experience than the dry BBC mix. Your mileage may vary.
