piano from “hey jude” by the beatles | ToneDB
hey jude
the beatles
piano
Tone Profile
A full-bodied, warm, and resonant concert grand piano with a clear attack and rich sustain. The tone is natural, slightly compressed, and EQ'd for clarity and warmth, sitting prominently in the mix.
Signal Chain
Instrument: C. Bechstein Concert Grand Piano (Trident Studio's resident piano)
Microphone: Neumann U67 (single mic, placed approximately 1 foot above the strings in the middle of the piano)
Processing: Trident custom console preamplifier (from the studio's Malcolm Toft-designed desk), Pultec EQP-1A Equalizer (boosting ~100Hz for warmth and ~5kHz for clarity/attack), Fairchild 660 Compressor/Limiter (for gentle dynamic control), Studer J37 8-track tape machine (recording medium, imparting tape character)
Other: Recorded at Trident Studios, London. The piano and Paul McCartney's lead vocal for the first half of the song were reportedly recorded simultaneously to the same track on the 8-track tape.
Recording Notes
- Recorded in July/August 1968 at Trident Studios, London.
- Engineered by Ken Scott.
- Paul McCartney performed the piano part on Trident's C. Bechstein concert grand piano.
- A single Neumann U67 microphone was used, placed centrally about a foot above the piano strings.
- The piano signal was processed with a Pultec EQP-1A for EQ and a Fairchild 660 for compression before hitting the tape.
- Recorded to a Studer J37 1-inch 8-track tape recorder.
- The piano is panned slightly to the left in the final stereo mix.
Recreation Tips
- Use a high-quality concert grand piano sample library or VST (Bechstein emulations are ideal).
- Emulate a single Neumann U67 microphone. If your VST allows mic placement, position it centrally over the virtual strings.
- Utilize a console preamp emulation that can provide clean gain with subtle coloration (e.g., an early Trident/Malcolm Toft style if available, or a general vintage British console sound).
- Apply a Pultec EQP-1A emulation: use a broad low-shelf boost around 100Hz and a broad bell boost around 5kHz.
- Employ a Fairchild 660 compressor emulation for smooth, gentle compression (2-3dB gain reduction on peaks).
- Add a tape saturation plugin (ideally emulating a Studer J37) as the final step in the chain or on a master bus if replicating the full mix context.
- Pay close attention to McCartney's playing dynamics; they are crucial to the emotional impact.
- Pan the piano slightly left of center.
Recommended Gear
- C. Bechstein D 282 Concert Grand Piano (or similar model)(piano)
- Native Instruments The Grandeur (VST)(plugin)
- VSL Synchron Bechstein D-280 (VST)(plugin)
- Neumann U67(mic)
- Universal Audio UAD Pultec EQP-1A(plugin)
- Waves PuigTec EQP-1A(plugin)
- Universal Audio UAD Fairchild 660 Compressor(plugin)
- Waves PuigChild 660 Compressor(plugin)
- Arturia Pre TridA (for Trident-like preamp/EQ color)(plugin)
- Softube Trident A-Range (for Trident-like preamp/EQ color)(plugin)
- Waves J37 Tape Saturation Plugin(plugin)
- Universal Audio UAD Studer A800 Multichannel Tape Recorder(plugin)