Wall of Sound

Wall of Sound is a phrase used to describe the effect created by the music production techniques of legendary record producer Phil Spector. During the Wall of Sound era, Spector gathered large orchestras of musicians (even for instruments not generally used for ensemble playing such as the electric guitar) playing orchestrated parts for a fuller sound. Not so well known is that at the heart of the Wall of Sound was a basement room fitted with microphones and speakers. This room acted as an echo/reverb chamber where echo from the hard walls of the room gave his productions their distinctive quality and resulted in a full sound when played on AM radio with an impressive depth rarely heard in mono recordings.

References

• Middleton, Richard (1990/2002). Studying Popular Music. Philadelphia: Open University Press. ISBN 0335152759.
• Williams, Richard. Out Of His Head. Abacus.