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In Memoriam Carson Taylor

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In Memoriam Carson Taylor p149_obitdec21 12/22/04 11:38 AM Page 1 In Memoriam arson Taylor, AES fellow, passed away in November Cafter a long illness. He was just shy of his 92nd birthday. He received the Fellowship Award in 2002, in recognition of his lifelong contributions to the art and science of music recording techniques. This, however, gives only the merest glimpse of the man who was a col- league, friend, and mentor to many recording artists and engineers during the last half of the twentieth century. During his extensive career as a recording engineer, Taylor worked in all media from wax discs and wire, to modern magnetic tape and early digi- tal recordings. As one of the principal recording engineers at the “Capitol Tower” in Hollywood for nearly three decades, he gained a reputation as an Carson Taylor innovator of many recording and edit- 1913–2004 ing techniques that remain staples of the art today. and his daughter, Natalie Cole. achieve in the final product what the During his tenure, Carson worked • He used a similar multitrack tech- artist was unable to accomplish in the with all of the major artists in the Capi- nique to record the singer Love so studio. For example, on one occasion tol and EMI catalogs and in all musical that his records could be released in when a soprano simply could not sus- genres. Once they worked with Car- both English and Spanish versions. tain her final high note in an aria, he son, many of these artists would accept • His recording of the Stan Kenton carefully extended it during the mix- no one else. The band Earth Wind and Orchestra utilized microphone tech- ing session by employing an oscilla- Fire even asked him to go on tour with niques that “changed their sound” and tor and one of the tower’s superb them. He declined, however, because brought the group from near obscurity echo chambers. On another, when a sound reinforcement for a touring band to the top of the charts at the time. few inches of a critical master tape was not his idea of how to spend his The album, Adventures in Jazz, was was damaged, he edited the final ver- life. Many of the following gave credit awarded the Grammy in the category sion together note-by-note from ses- for their unique “sound” to his engi- of Best Jazz Performance—Large sion out-takes. Although Carson often neering creativity: Nat King Cole, Group (Instrumental) in 1962. described these techniques in private Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Stan Ken- • He was nominated four times for conversation, he never disclosed the ton, Carlo Maria Giulini, Leonard Pen- Best Classical Engineering Award names of the artists or the albums. He nario, John Browning, Seiji Ozawa, (Grammy): the Chicago Symphony was a very ethical person and never George Szell, Carmen Dragon, Felix (Giulini), Chicago Orchestra (Oza- would do anything to mar an artist’s Slatkin, the Hollywood Bowl Orches- wa), and twice with the Cleveland reputation. His only job was to serve tra, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra (Szell). Although he never the music the best way he could. Orchestra, and many others. won the Engineering Award, several Carson retired from Capitol in the Here are just a few highlights of of his recordings did receive the late 1970s but remained in the indus- Carson’s technical and artistic Grammy Award for Best Classical try for several years as a consultant achievements: Recording of the Year. and, for a time, operating a studio in • He worked extensively with Nat • He made several early quadra- the San Francisco area. He was a King Cole and produced the original phonic recordings utilizing two quiet and elegant gentleman, who version of “Unforgettable.” Recorded mixing consoles to record both throughout his career, and even dur- onto three (or four?) track tape, with “direct-to-stereo” and four-channels ing his retirement, mentored many Nat on an isolated track, this record- simultaneously. young engineers, emphasizing musi- ing was the basis for the recent • He developed several special cianship and the artistry of recording. award-winning “duet” between Nat tricks during postproduction to Ron Streicher J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 53, No. 1/2, 2005 January/February 149.
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