LLOYD ULYATE
Lloyd was a first call first trombonist in Hollywood for decades (he and Dick Nash were a "tag-team"). His brother Bill and he had a band, The Elliott Brothers; and his album is Lloyd Elliott and his Trombone, Trombone, Trombone . . . "Elliott" not "Ulyate" because: "Nobody can say 'Ulyate' – it's such a simple name – two syllables: 'uhl' and 'yate' – how can you screw that up?!"
Lloyd was a subtly funny guy. On of my favorite Lloyd stories goes like this: Lloyd's coming over Beverly Glen, on the way to Fox, running a little behind. There's a speed trap. Cop says, "I've been waiting for you all morning." Lloyd says, "Geez officer, I got here as quick as I could." Cop says, "Get outta here!"
The album is available used from outlets like Discogs. It can be sampled on archive.org and on YouTube. It came out in 1963; the arrangements are of that era, but I have yet to hear a better multi-track trombone recording! All ten parts were played by Lloyd on a Bach 12 trombone with a 12C mouthpiece – sounds as big as a house! The recording technique outlined below is mind-boggling! Sue Mudge did a great interview with Lloyd in the January 1984 issue of the ITA Journal. And Lloyd presented a clinic in 1983 at ITF. Below are a couple tracks from the album and Lloyd’s 1983 clinic that is referenced the interview. (BTW, I agree with Lloyd about vibrato, YMMV.)
Lloyd was a subtly funny guy. On of my favorite Lloyd stories goes like this: Lloyd's coming over Beverly Glen, on the way to Fox, running a little behind. There's a speed trap. Cop says, "I've been waiting for you all morning." Lloyd says, "Geez officer, I got here as quick as I could." Cop says, "Get outta here!"
The album is available used from outlets like Discogs. It can be sampled on archive.org and on YouTube. It came out in 1963; the arrangements are of that era, but I have yet to hear a better multi-track trombone recording! All ten parts were played by Lloyd on a Bach 12 trombone with a 12C mouthpiece – sounds as big as a house! The recording technique outlined below is mind-boggling! Sue Mudge did a great interview with Lloyd in the January 1984 issue of the ITA Journal. And Lloyd presented a clinic in 1983 at ITF. Below are a couple tracks from the album and Lloyd’s 1983 clinic that is referenced the interview. (BTW, I agree with Lloyd about vibrato, YMMV.)
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From the liner notes:
Making a ten-trombone recording using only one trombone player was a complex process. Lloyd had to play each of the ten trombone parts, one at a time, and each part had to be recorded in perfect synchronization with the other parts. To accomplish this, a technique of overdubbing" (sound-on-sound recording) was used employing two Ampex 3-channel "SelSync" (selective-synchronization) tape recorders on which any channel may be recorded individually without disturbing the other channels.
The rhythm section (piano, bass and drums) was the basic guide for the entire recording process so it was recorded first, playing without any trombones. The rhythm section players had a difficult job here, for they had to play with the feeling of playing along with an as yet non-existant trombone section, and accent the musical figures the trombones were to play using only the written music as a guide. The rhythm section was recorded on the center channel of the first 3-channel tape. Listening to the rhythm section track being played back on a set of earphones, Lloyd played the first trombone part which was recorded on the left channel of the 3-channel tape alongside the rhythm section track. Listening to both of these two recorded tracks, Lloyd then recorded the second trombone part on the right channel of the same tape. This 3-track recording was transferred to the second 3-channel machine. re-recording the rhythm section track directly from the center track of the first machine to the center channel of the second machine; and re-recording the combined first and second trombone parts (left and right tracks) from the first machine to the left channel of the second machine carefully balancing the two parts in the combination. Again Lloyd listened to the two tracks and recorded the third trombone part on the right channel of the second machine. Then this second tape was transferred back to the first machine, re-recording the rhythm section track on the center channel, and combining the three trombone parts from the left and right tracks of the second tape to the left track of the new recording on the first machine. Lloyd listened to these two tracks and recorded the fourth trombone part on the right channel of this third tape. As before, the tape was transferred across to the second machine, carrying the rhythm section directly from center to center, and combining the left and right tracks to the left channel of the new tape. Lloyd then recorded the fifth trombone part to the right channel yielding a tape with the first, second, third, and fourth trombone parts on the left track; the rhythm section on the center track, and the fifth trombone part on the right track. This tape was used as one-half of the final 3-track master recording.
Using the same technique (again starting with the rhythm section on the center track), Lloyd recorded a second 3-track master tape which contained the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth trombone parts on the left track, the rhythm section on the center track, and the tenth trombone part on the right track. This tape was used as the second half of the final 3-track master recording.
The final monophonic and 2-track stereophonic master tapes were recorded by carefully balancing the ten trombone parts and the rhythm section while playing back the two 3-track master tapes on two machines running simultaneously, in perfect synchronization.* On the stereophonic recording, the first five trombone parts were placed on the left channel, the remaining five trombone parts on the right channel, and the rhythm section on the "phantom" center channel. (The "phantom" center channel, which appears to deliver sound from a point midway between the two speakers of a stereophonic reproducing system. was achieved by recording the center track sound modulation on both the left and right tracks at equal volume level and exactly in phase.)
In order to give the highest quality disc reproduction the master tapes were transferred to the master lacquer discs using the highly specialized "One-Twenty" mastering process in conjunction with a Teldec cutting head on a Neumann Lathe. – Bones Howe
*Lloyd said this frequently involved Bones dragging his thumb on the capstan of one of the tape decks.
The rhythm section (piano, bass and drums) was the basic guide for the entire recording process so it was recorded first, playing without any trombones. The rhythm section players had a difficult job here, for they had to play with the feeling of playing along with an as yet non-existant trombone section, and accent the musical figures the trombones were to play using only the written music as a guide. The rhythm section was recorded on the center channel of the first 3-channel tape. Listening to the rhythm section track being played back on a set of earphones, Lloyd played the first trombone part which was recorded on the left channel of the 3-channel tape alongside the rhythm section track. Listening to both of these two recorded tracks, Lloyd then recorded the second trombone part on the right channel of the same tape. This 3-track recording was transferred to the second 3-channel machine. re-recording the rhythm section track directly from the center track of the first machine to the center channel of the second machine; and re-recording the combined first and second trombone parts (left and right tracks) from the first machine to the left channel of the second machine carefully balancing the two parts in the combination. Again Lloyd listened to the two tracks and recorded the third trombone part on the right channel of the second machine. Then this second tape was transferred back to the first machine, re-recording the rhythm section track on the center channel, and combining the three trombone parts from the left and right tracks of the second tape to the left track of the new recording on the first machine. Lloyd listened to these two tracks and recorded the fourth trombone part on the right channel of this third tape. As before, the tape was transferred across to the second machine, carrying the rhythm section directly from center to center, and combining the left and right tracks to the left channel of the new tape. Lloyd then recorded the fifth trombone part to the right channel yielding a tape with the first, second, third, and fourth trombone parts on the left track; the rhythm section on the center track, and the fifth trombone part on the right track. This tape was used as one-half of the final 3-track master recording.
Using the same technique (again starting with the rhythm section on the center track), Lloyd recorded a second 3-track master tape which contained the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth trombone parts on the left track, the rhythm section on the center track, and the tenth trombone part on the right track. This tape was used as the second half of the final 3-track master recording.
The final monophonic and 2-track stereophonic master tapes were recorded by carefully balancing the ten trombone parts and the rhythm section while playing back the two 3-track master tapes on two machines running simultaneously, in perfect synchronization.* On the stereophonic recording, the first five trombone parts were placed on the left channel, the remaining five trombone parts on the right channel, and the rhythm section on the "phantom" center channel. (The "phantom" center channel, which appears to deliver sound from a point midway between the two speakers of a stereophonic reproducing system. was achieved by recording the center track sound modulation on both the left and right tracks at equal volume level and exactly in phase.)
In order to give the highest quality disc reproduction the master tapes were transferred to the master lacquer discs using the highly specialized "One-Twenty" mastering process in conjunction with a Teldec cutting head on a Neumann Lathe. – Bones Howe
*Lloyd said this frequently involved Bones dragging his thumb on the capstan of one of the tape decks.
