RIP Les Paul – The Man Behind All Your Favorite “Records”

Les Paul passed away yesterday from complications of pneumonia and old age. Most people associate him with inventing the “Les Paul” – the first solid body electric (the Fender Strat was made around the same but it’s really no comparison is it?)

What is more interesting for our blog, is the fact that Les Paul revolutionized the recording industry (or created it according to modern day definitions). He paved the way for artists in all genres to truly express themselves. He can be credited with developing “multi-track” recording.

From Wikipedia.org:

“In 1948, Capitol Records released a recording that had begun as an experiment in Paul’s garage, entitled “Lover (When You’re Near Me)”, which featured Paul playing eight different parts on electric guitar, some of them recorded at half-speed, hence “double-fast” when played back at normal speed for the master. (“Brazil”, similarly recorded, was the B-side.)

This was the first time that multi-tracking had been used in a recording. These recordings were made not with magnetic tape, but with acetate disks. Paul would record a track onto a disk, then record himself playing another part with the first. He built the multi-track recording with overlaid tracks, rather than parallel ones as he did later. There is no record of how many “takes” were needed before he was satisfied with one layer and moved on to the next.

Paul even built his own disc-cutter assembly, based on auto parts. He favored the flywheel from a Cadillac for its weight and flatness. Even in these early days, he used the acetate disk setup to record parts at different speeds and with delay, resulting in his signature sound with echoes and birdsong-like guitar riffs. When he later began using magnetic tape, the major change was that he could take his recording rig on tour with him, even making episodes for his 15-minute radio show in his hotel room.

Later he worked with Ross Snyder in the design of the first 8 track recording deck (built for him by Ampex for his home studio.)”

Imagine what Pink Floyd or even Radiohead would have sounded like if they had to record live in a room with one track for each instrument? Imagine what  Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” would have sounded like recorded “live”? Would Quincy Jones still be living above Sunset?

In other words, Les created “studio magic”, where would Hip -Hop be without that!!!????

I wonder if T-Pain is gonna write a blog thanking Les?

-Guru Jacky