REDD Mixing Consoles vs EMI TG12345

[rkbsound]

As with most Beatle recording efforts, happenstance, luck and extreme creativity would come together at the same time to create fantastic sounds. The recording of the album Abbey Road had much of this, even given it's surface simplicity. The REDD mixing consoles used on previous Beatle recordings at EMI were famous for helping create the Beatles sound. The EMI TG12345 mixing board that was used to record the album Abbey Road was an advancement in technology but it also fit the mood of the songs, unbeknownst to the group and Emerick prior to recording with it. The result is a distinctly different sound for the Beatles.

According to Kehew and Ryan, in Recording the Beatles, p514,
The new TG would have a "profound effect on the on the sound of the Beatles' recordings". "It is no exaggeration to suggest that the TG was almost solely responsible for the sonic differences between Abbey Road and all previous Beatles albums".

They go on to state:

"It should be noted, though, that 20 of album's 36 tracking days saw recording in Studio Three, which still made use of the REDD.511 console. Without a doubt, the older REDD undoubtedly played a major role in the recording of Abbey Road. "Come Together", for instance, was recorded entirely in Studio Three, and "The Ballad of John and Yoko" and "Old Brown Shoe" were both recorded and mixed there. And except for an overdub or two, "Oh! Darling", "Something" and "The End" were almost entirely tracked on the REDD.51 as well. Still, the TG left its distinctive mark during mixing of these tracks. (Interestingly, "I Want You, (She's So Heavy)" was actually mixed on the REDD.51, though the bulk of the backing had been through Trident's solid state Sound Techniques desk".

According to Geoff Emerick, quoted in this month's Guitar World (Holiday 2011), p.101, "The new recording console, that specific one, gave the original rhythm tracks a certain texture that wasn't as aggressive and upfront and hard as the tube desk would have given us. And that sound was suited to a lot of the songs they brought in for the album. In addition, because the original rhythm tracks were sort of more subdued, the overdubs were a little softer and less harsh as well. Everything sat together a little easier in the mix."

The article further states in regard to the TG12345, "The new console's low-end clarity produced more distinct bass tones, capturing the supple tones of McCartney's bass without turning the bottom end of the frequency spectrum into mush." The article continues on about the new sounds that the console brought to the album.

Given this, I was wondering what it would have been to hear the songs on Abbey Road had they been strictly recorded on the REDD's, and vice-versa. How would earlier material sounded on the EMI TG12345? Perhaps we will never know, but the result could be interesting.