The Wall of Sound was an enormous public address system designed specifically for the Grateful Dead's live performances by legendary audio engineer and LSD chemist Owsley "Bear" Stanley.
Anyone hear the "wall of sound"?
It was before my time but the Grateful Dead experimented with a system 35 years ago comprised of nearly 650 loudspeakers powered by 89 300-watt Mcintosh MC2300 amplifiers and and three 350-watt McIntosh MC3500 tube amps. Unlike traditional left-right P.A. systems, this behemoth gave each instrument its own vertical array, and vocals emanated mostly from a center honeycomb cluster above the band.
Vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, and piano each had its own channel and speaker array. Phil Lesh's bass guitar was piped through a quadraphonic encoder that sent a separate signal from each of the four strings to its own channel and set of speakers. Another channel amplified the bass drum, and two more channels carried the snares, tom-toms, and cymbals. Because each speaker carried just one instrument or vocalist, the sound was reportedly exceptionally clear and free of intermodulation distortion.
It projected high quality playback at six hundred feet with acceptable sound & projected for a quarter of a mile without degradation or delay speakers. Speakers sat behind the band so it was the monitors. It filled 4 semi trailers.
I find modern computerized eq and pa systems, for the most part, blow away the mostly muddy sound I remember from the late 70's and 80's (except for really good halls). I am too young to have heard the wall. Any A-goners remember the sound?
Vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, and piano each had its own channel and speaker array. Phil Lesh's bass guitar was piped through a quadraphonic encoder that sent a separate signal from each of the four strings to its own channel and set of speakers. Another channel amplified the bass drum, and two more channels carried the snares, tom-toms, and cymbals. Because each speaker carried just one instrument or vocalist, the sound was reportedly exceptionally clear and free of intermodulation distortion.
It projected high quality playback at six hundred feet with acceptable sound & projected for a quarter of a mile without degradation or delay speakers. Speakers sat behind the band so it was the monitors. It filled 4 semi trailers.
I find modern computerized eq and pa systems, for the most part, blow away the mostly muddy sound I remember from the late 70's and 80's (except for really good halls). I am too young to have heard the wall. Any A-goners remember the sound?
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- 13 posts total
- 13 posts total