10:30 PM . . . the ‘NOW GROVE’. . . the comedy team has slipped back behind the curtain . . . the room is hushed . . . expectant. . . apprehensively darkened . . . unaware that tonight’s performance is to be, too, a live taping of material for Sammy Davis’ new Motown album . . . SAMMY DAVIS JR LIVE AT THE GROVE.

Connected umbilically to the GROVE by some 400 yards of audio and coax cable, in a strangely unmarked, workman-like panel truck, a big man, in reputation for this sort of thing, as well as in physique, WALLY HEIDER easily swivels left, then right from his position full in front of the complete 16-track console, ‘punching-in’ both 16-track recorders.

For the next hour and thirty minutes, as the two-inch 3M 206 tape winds, Wally operates in his acknowledged specialty: CAPTURING THE LIVE PERFORMANCE

At odd times during that day, as time occurred during the set-up, we talked with WALLY HEIDER about Remote Recording, and particularly how he intended to work this date.

“This job started,” said he, “last night, (the opening night of Sam’s four-day engagement), when we saw the show completely and began to work out the basic planning and strategy.

We got a pretty good idea of the things Sam wanted to record; sound levels, and how the band was used.” The best ‘Remotes,’ we were to learn, happened when the performers were as nearly unaware of the recording process as that is possible.

We watched as Wally and his set-up crew took every possible precaution so that Sammy and the 23-piece George Rhodes band, on the 30’ x 12’ stage would in no way be impeded. The essence of Wally’s secret, if it is a secret, is that the twenty-seven (27) mikes, many boxes, and yards and yards of cable in no way detracted from the flow of the performance.

Earlier on the day of the ‘taping,’ Wally prepared a sketch of the stage, as well as the instrument placement of the band, and the house Public Address systems. An inventory of the mikes he wanted to use followed. The set-up crew working from these plans wired the stage and hung the mikes accordingly.

Microphone and Stage Layout

RHYTHM SECTION MIKING
Although no special problems occurred, a good bit of time was spent at the heart of the band, the very tightly-grouped rhythm section at the center of the stand. So that the drums were not obscured, the piano lid had been completely removed.

The decision, thus, was to ‘close-mike’ the piano, top and bottom, with two Sony C-37’s multed together before they reached the console input. Normally, Wally would have preferred to mike the piano with a single mike a couple of feet above and away from the piano, to effect a better blend of highs and lows. A second alternative, if a woody, funky sound was desired, would have been to place a mike directly into one of the sound holes.

Having heard the repertoire the night before, Wally decided to go with the ‘above and below’ close-miking which, as it happened, gave remarkable tone. Separation was distinct even from the double bass drums located directly behind the piano.

Wally preferred to mike the drums very much the same as they would have been, had they been recorded in a studio. He used two Sony C-37’s over head. The snare was close-miked with a Shure 546, as well as two more 546’s close-miked on the bass drums.

Still in the rhythm section, the bass amp was close-miked with a Shure 546 multed with a ‘direct- box’ on the electric bass. The guitar amp, likewise, made use of the highly directional qualities of the 546.

The Leslie tone cabinet, directly to the drummer’s right, was miked, too, using the Shure 546 on both top and bottom, multed into one input. Suspended above the total percussion section was an overhead Sony C-37 for blend.

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