![]() Here’s Ken describing how the effect was achieved.In the 1960s, track counts were strictly limited by the technology of the tape machines available, but could be increased by combining or ‘bouncing’ multiple instruments together onto one track, thereby leaving tape room for other parts. That said, it’s also a rather complicated setup that you can only grasp if you know how 3 head tape machines work. The solution that Townsend came up with is ingenious, considering how limited the tools were back in the 60s compared to today. Not only that, back in the 4 and 8 track days, the doubled vocal would take up a track that could have been used for another element of the production. The Beatles, and John Lennon in particular, loved to double track vocals but hated the act of doing it. Some might say that Townsend’s invention is the closest artificial double tracking has ever come to the real thing. ![]() Today we have so much that we can use to manipulate the sound to get an effect that’s in the ballpark to ADT, but it just doesn’t provide the same sound. He called the effect ADT or Artificial Double Tracking. That’s why Abbey Road chief engineer, technical director, and later studio manager Ken Townsend came up with an ingenious way of simulating a double track for The Beatles by using a couple of tape machines that’s still tough to duplicate even today (although Waves now has a nice simulation). Trying to match the timing and nuances of a vocal takes a lot of time and can be super frustrating for both the singer and the production team. If you’ve ever tried to intentionally double track a vocal track you know that it can be a lot tougher than you think.
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