Roots Archives Forum

hello everyone...

i have a list of questions about how these legendary musicians made their sound. its mainly for my own curiosity. im trying to get together a list of plugins and actual instruments to play around with the dub sound. i know it might sound silly but i just love that music, i dont get tired of it! so simple yet so profound! its very soothing and enriching music.

anyway, heres my list of questions:

1) why is the king tubby dub sound so 'ancient' sounding when 1970s recording technology could make it sound cleaner with a wider frequency response? what sort of mixing/recording gear did king tubby use that it sounds so old and worn? am i hearing the effects of vinyl? an old dubplate pressing perhaps?

2) what spring reverb and/or eq unit was king tubby using on most of his dubs? you know, when he switches between different settings like a 3 position switch? was that a particular tape echo unit from the past--ala roland re-201 or univox something or other?

3) did he ever use a real metal plate reverb tank?

4) how do they get those strange metalic hi hats?

5) what manner of melodica did augustus pablo usually play? does it matter much? id love to get one and learn to play. ive looked and honer seems to be the popular one of old.

6) how closely was reggae music connected with detroit back in the motown days of the 50s 60s and 70s? did the two share session musicians? (sorry that wasnt a technical question lol!)

7) did lee perry really go mad with jealousy when bob marley showed up on the scene? (another non technical one haha!)

if anyone would like to, please tell me what you think the answers are. i truly appreciate your help. thank you!

Checkout the dub scrolls site
most of your questions are already answered in the fourm.

http://www.interruptor.ch/dub.shtml

you'll also find some answers in the very interesting book "Bass Culture" by Lloyd Bradley.

one of your questions can be answered.
the sound quality is not awesome from tubbys
because his early stuff was done with a
small mixer and only a 4-track in the
early days.
also, there was alot of poverty in jamaica,
so money was tight , and the roots sound
was like early blues stuff.
the sound quality wasnt perfect, but still
awesome mixing and riddims full of
culture. seen
peace and love in jah ghetto, you know?

The reverb used was propbably a Fisher K-10 spring reverb that also use to come built-in in the hammond organs. The echo unit can be seen in some photos of the Perry's Black Ark studio and it's surely the Roland - Space Echo 201. I have one and it does the growing feedback (like going up to sky) we love in dub.
Now it's my question: what's the effect used in most Channel One dub from 1978, sounding like a eletronic whistle going fastly up and down on the music scale and usually with echo? In these recordings also appears another effect that sounds like one oppening a champaign bottle which seems like a wood block + echo. Who knows about? thanks.

Gianni Zion (aka reggaester, from Brazil)