"Raising Sand" - Robert Plant/Allison Krause

[tomberdude]

I'm absolutely in love with this album right now, and I'm wanting to know for sure what what was specifially used to create it, especially "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)". If anyone has any knowledge on this, please share.

After much hunting and sifting throughout the internet and finding misleading/incorrect credentials of who works at what studios, I was finally able to track down the list studios involved through Wikipedia. Duh on my part...

Any help in the process of elimination would be appreciated. If you have any knowledge as to what tasks were carried out at each studio, that would be of great value. I would call these studios, but I'm guessing the ones that have tracksheets won't have time to bother with me, or won't remember if they don't have tracksheets, etc.

EDIT: Any info on how they mixed the vocals together, and what paths they took to get the drum sounds would be awesome. I'm pretty sure that Allison's vocals are being sent though a tube pre or eq, possibly Plant's as well, but I could be mistaken. It also sounds to me like they're each being HP'ed @ 175hz-250hz but being boosted in the same area, maybe behind the HP around 130hz...

This is an incomplete list of the studios and gear used. I could not find any info on Electro Magnetic Studios, and I only took the time to look at the A rooms considering the magnitude of the artists, producer (T Bone Burnett), and project.

Studios-
Electro Magnetic Studios, Los Angeles
Sage & Sound, Hollywood
Sound Emporium, Nashville
The Village Recorder, Los Angeles

Consoles-
API (550a's)
Neve 8048
Neve VRP w/Flying Fader

Recorders-
Alesis Masterlink ML-9600
Ampex ATR-102 1/4 inch 2 Track
Ampex ATR-102 1/2 inch 2 Track
Ampex ATR-104 1/2 inch 4 Track
iZ RADAR – 24 Track
Otari MTR-90
Panasonic SV-3800 DATS
Pro Tools | HD
Sony 3348
Sony PCM 800
Studer A-80
Studer A-800
Studer A-827

Outboard Pres-
Summit TPA-200

Outboard EQs-
Pultec EQP-1A Program EQ
Pultec MEQ-5

Dynamics Processors-
DBX-160
DBX 165A Comp/Lim
DBX 900 Single Space Rack with 2 DBX 902 De-esser units
Drawmer DS-201
EL-8 Distressor
LA-2A
LA-4A
Neve 33609 Stereo Comp/Lim
Teletronix LA-2A
Urei 1176 Comp/Lim
Urei 1178 Stereo Comp/Lim
UREI 1176LN

Reverbs and Delays-
AMS DMX-1580S Digital Delay
AMS RMX-16 Digital Reverb
EMT 140 Stereo Plate
Lexicon 480L
Lexicon PCM 42
Lexicon PCM-70
Lexicon Prime Time II
Live Chamber
Quantec QRS Room Simulator
Roland SDE-3000
TC Electronics TC-2290, 32 SEC.
Yamaha REV-7

Microphones -
AKG 414
AKG 535EB
AKG C12
AKG C452
AKG D-109
AKG D-112
AKG D-12E
AKG “The Tube”
Audio Technica 4033
Audio Technica 4051
Audix OM5
B&K 4006
Beyer M260
Cole 4038
Crown PZM-30
EV 635A
EV 666
EV C094
EV N/D 408B
EV RE 15
EV RE-20
GrooveTube MPS 1
Neumann KM 254
Neumann KM 54
Neumann KM 56
Neumann KM 84
Neumann KM 84i
Neumann KM 86
Neumann KM 84i
Neumann KM 88
Neumann M49
Neumann M582 w/ Omni & Cardioid Caps.
Neumann SM 2
Neumann SM 69 Stereo
Neumann TLM 170
Neumann U47 FET
Neumann U47 Tube
Neumann U67
Neumann U67 Steven Paul
Neumann U87
Neumann U87 Fred Cameron
Neumann TLM 170
Oktava MC-012
Oktava MK-219
RCA BK 5B
RCA DX 44
RCA DX 77
Royer 121
Sanken CU-41
Schoeps CMT 35
Sennheiser MD 421
Sennheiser MD 421 II
Sennheiser MD 421U
Seinheiser MD 441U
Seinheiser MKH 405
Shure Beta-58
Shure SM-7
Shure SM-53
Shure SM-56
Shure SM-57
Shure SM-58
Shure SM-81
Shure SM-545
Sony C22
Sony C377
Sony C37A
Sony C37B
Sony C500
Sony ECM 50
Sony ECM-50ps
Sony ECM-377
Studer SKM-5
Telefunken ELAM 251
Telefunken U47

[roscoenyc]

I believe Electro Magnetic is T-Bone's place

[tomberdude]

Hmmm. You know where I dig up some info on his place?

[iC]

Jay Bellerose- he just sounds like that. freakin' glorious...

[drumsound]

That shinier magazine did a decent feature on it. You can read it here

[cgarges]

Your best bet is to find out who engineered what and do some research based on that.

I had no idea Jay Bellerose played on that record. No wonder I like what I've heard. I need to pick that one up.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[JWL]

Yeah, this is a fantastic album. Best surprise I've had in a while. I love how Robert Plant sounds on this album.... his voice is still great, mellow and strong.

[tomberdude]

Your best bet is to find out who engineered what and do some research based on that.

I had no idea Jay Bellerose played on that record. No wonder I like what I've heard. I need to pick that one up.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

That's how I started my search, but those engineers seemed to be frequenting many different studios, which made it pretty tough for me to narrow it down before I found that Wiki page. I bet you won't be disappointed if you do get it.

Jay Bellerose- he just sounds like that. freakin' glorious...

Right on man.

That shinier magazine did a decent feature on it. You can read it here

Well, I'm guessing that article is the best source I'm going to come across, so thanks very much. Now I'm turned on to the Blue Cactus mic, because I've always been picky on how much tube sound was prevalent in recordings... I think that is the nice touch that I've been waiting for. I probably never would have even given Blue the time of day for that matter. It's nice to know that this mic is really friendly with the 1073. I do wish that article focused on how much the RCA 44's were put to use. Either way, I got what asked for, and I'm grateful.

[Aj]

I absolutely love the sound of this record too. There was a big thread over on Gearslutz about it last month - lots of fans of this disc. You might want to check over there for more technical info, I think some of that was already covered over there:

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-much- ... rauss.html

There was also a bit of controversy about how "limited for loudness" the final master is. I disagree with that assessment - it sounds "round" and "present" to me. Perfect really. Also, some folks want to make comparisons to Lanois in the production style. I can understand that, but I think it's just generalizing - lots of room sound, for instance, does not equal Lanois. It just sounds weird and old to me.

My favorite release from a "Rock Dinosaur" in a very long time. Who needs the Zeppelin reunion? (Well, I think that could be pretty cool too, especially if they also take some sort of old weird blues approach to it, but this Raising Sand album is terrific.)

Aj

[bgc]

I'm undecided so far. "Sister Rosetta" is my favorite and I am also liking "Through the Morning" and "Killing the Blues."

My favorite thing about this record is that Alison sounds like herself and not like an airy facsimile. I love the piercing quality of her voice and am glad it's been allowed to come through without a thick coating of "air."

I'm a little shocked about the tuning on Plant's voice. I hate AT rants but it's difficult to listen to and especially odd in this context where it's supposed to sound roomy, retro, and loose. It doesn't sound old in any way, of course, it's a caricature of a classic sound. Check out "A Good Year for the Roses" by George Jones.

Overall I feel it's a touch overwrought. It sounds great and cool, of course, but I don't think the songs are always well served.

Make sure you check out the original recordings of these songs. They tend to be awesome.

Eric