On January 13th 1968, Johnny Cash and his band recorded their first live album at Folsom Prison in California. The band recorded music from two concerts at the prison just in case the first recording was not to their liking. As with any live recording the listeners can hear the audience in the background of the songs. The addition of the audience provides the album with atmosphere and an unique environment since the audience is prisoners.
That said, since we can hear the audience, it is very likely that Cash used a cardioid microphone since the Cash’s voice is the loudest while the noises from the audience are present but much quieter considering there was a crowd. Additionally, Cash and the band used multiple dynamic microphones to record both their voices and their instruments. Finally, an amplifier was used for the electric guitars. Based on a photo of the concert, it seems like the band also opted to use a microphone to record the sounds of the amplifier as well in order to capture its unique sounds.
Some of the vocals and instruments do not sound as clear as you would expect from a traditional recording session in a studio. This is also due to the older recording equipment used since this is what was available at the time. During some parts of the song “Folsom Prison Blues” you can hear a slight echo of the vocals in the room since the auditorium used for the concert was not designed for the acoustics of a concert (not that it was designed with acoustics in mind at all). I own a vinyl copy of this album and when I listen to it, there are crackles and pops in it; however when listening to the recording on YouTube, I did not hear these sounds. I do not know if it is because the album I own is old and not in pristine condition anymore, or if it has to do with the digitization of the recordings, probably a bit of both. What makes this album so unique is the environment of its recording and how it brings live music to a group of people who would not normally get to enjoy this experience.