We work with vintage music – unfortunately often in lowe(er) source quality and in Mono. However – with the right tools – one can re-create the BIG sound of the BIG bands in Stereo.
While working on our “Strictly Analog” project we found a very nice 1958 Stereo tape containing the song “I Know Why (and so do you)” performed by members of the original Glenn Miller orchestra.
Harry Warren composed the song and Mack Gordon created the lyrics. Though the original 1941 release featured vocals by Paula Kelly and The Four Modernaires, our very, very beautiful 1958 recording unfortunately did not have any vocals.
A crazy idea was born – Would it be possible to dub the 1941 vocals into a 1958 Stereo recording?
We knew of course that this would require the use of our DAW (digital audio workstation) which would disqualify any result from being included into our “Strictly Analog” project – but what the heck. We wanted to listen to a modern, full Stereo HiFi vesrion of that beautiful song – but with the sweet voice of Paula.
We transfered and mastered the tape and a 78rpm recording and isolated the elements we would need to use in our merged audio. Then the digital editing started. While we thought it to be easy, it was quite some work because both, the 1941 voices and the 1958 instruments never quite matched. We couldn’t just reduce the volume of the instruments during the vocals, because that would have sounded awkward and we of course wanted to keep the rhythm and the full frequency spectrum. We isolated the instruments used as vocal replacements in the 1958 recording so that Paula wouldn’t have to sing against them, we worked measure by measure to keep the base in sync with the vocals and were able to get a very close match by adding or reducing micro seconds here and there and by stretching or adjusting the speed of a few bars of sound when necessary.
Finally we adjusted Paula’s position in the sound image and rendered the track. We sincerely hope you’ll like it.
And so – without further delay – we give you:
Members of the original Glenn Miller Orchestra – in a Stereo recording from 1958 – with vocals from Paula Kelly and the Modernaires – in Mono a recording from 1941 –
I Know Why (And So Do You)
This restoration of the Glenn Miller 78’s is just remarkable, even just hearing the samples on your website! If only I had had access to these splendid records of yours for my B.F.B.S.big band series, “Swing Convoy”. It is so cheering that people like yourselves exist, with the interest,skill and determination to “re-create” these wonderful records as they have not sounded over the last nearly eight decades! Congratulations and many thanks indeed to your team and roll on your next project(Artie Shaw?). Yours,with the kindest of thoughts, Richard Clegg.