Les Paul’s namesake guitar is how he is often remembered in history. The guitar was based on an initial design by Les Paul called the “Log”. He was searching for a way to amplify his guitar when playing with a band, and improvised a solution that was later refined by Gibson guitars. He was a tireless innovator and consummate guitar player. He pioneered using the studio as a creative tool in recording, creating sounds that were at the time unique and new.
This song illustrates a technique that Les Paul refined called “sound on sound”. Using a modified tape recorder with an extra record head. a singer or instrumentalist would record a part, and then sing or play on top of that part, which would be re-recorded. In this particular song, you can see Mary Ford holding a pair of headphones so she can hear the previous part while singing on top of it. To one side you can see the tape recorder. “Double Tracking” is now a basic recording technique that is used to give a performer’s voice more weight. Digital effects like Antares Duo can approximate the same kind of sound, where it takes the original track, shifts the pitch slightly, and adds a very small amount of delay. The end result can sound like one person with a fuller voice, or sound like two people singing together in perfect harmony.