Bill Putnam

For the basketball player, seeBill Putnam (basketball).

Bill Putnam
Birth name	Milton Tasker Putnam
Born	(1920-02-20)February 20, 1920 Danville, Illinois,U.S.
Died	April 13, 1989(1989-04-13)(aged 69) Riverside, California,U.S.
Occupation(s)	Audio engineer,songwriter,record producer

Milton Tasker"Bill"Putnam(February 20, 1920 – April 13, 1989) was an American audio engineer, songwriter, producer, studio designer, and businessman. He has been described as "the father of modern recording". He was the inventor of the modern recording console and is recognized as having been a key figure in the development of the postwar commercial recording industry.

Former colleagueBruce Swediendescribed Putnam's achievements:

"Bill Putnam was the father of recording as we know it today. The processes and designs which we take for granted — the design of modern recording desks, the way components are laid out and the way they function, console design, cue sends, multitrack switching — they all originated in Bill's imagination."

Early life and education

Bill Putnam was born on February 20, 1920 inDanville, Illinois.Putnam's father owned several business enterprises related to the coal mining business and also ran a radio program atWDZinTuscola, Illinois.While in theBoy Scouts,working toward a 'wireless' merit badge, Bill built acrystal radioand aone-tuberadio with his father's help, sparking his love of electronics. At thirteen, he tried and failed to become a licensedham radio operatorbut at fifteen he succeeded, earning a Class Bcall signW9PUK and building his own ham radio.

Bill Putnam attendedDanville High School,where two of his school classmates wereDick Van DykeandBobby Short.In his early high school years, he worked part time in a friend's radio shop, learning about radio repair andPA systems.He began singing with a number of regional bands which played college campus gigs, developing his interest injazzand the music business. He realized that musicians were his favorite people.By his junior year, Putnam was earning $5 per night singing with dance bands and owned his own ham radio shop where he also installed car radios on weekends. After Putnam graduated from high school, he sold his radio shop for $700 and decided to studybroadcast engineeringatValparaiso Technical Institute;his professors were J.B. Hershmann and the school's future dean, Cloid Patton.

Putnam returned to his hometown of Danville to work in theengineeringdepartment atWDAN,and later became the chiefengineeratWDWSinChampaign, Illinois.He began writing articles forRadio and Televisionmagazine.

Career

Military service

In 1941 at the age of 21, Putnam received adraft noticeand became acivil serviceemployee working onradio rangesfor theUnited States Army Corps of Engineersunder theSixth Service CommandinChicago.He later worked forG-2on several different projects, the first one was miniaturizingmine detectorsto develop a miniature, concealable gun detector used by theUnited States Secret Serviceto protect PresidentFranklin D. Rooseveltat theTehran Conference.Putnam also worked for theArmed Forces Networkto recordbig bands.

Illinois (1946–1957)

In 1946, Putnam foundedUniversal Recording CorporationinEvanston, Illinoisto pursue the development of specialized recording equipment and new recording techniques. He secured a lucrative contract to record anddelay broadcasttranscriptionsshows for theABC radio network.

In 1947, Putnam moved Universal Recording to the 42nd floor of theChicago Civic Opera Buildingstriking a deal withThe Harmonicatsto help facilitate a recording session and record release in exchange for a portion of the sales of the record. His use of the building's bathroom as anecho chamberfor the recording ofPeg o' My Heartwas the first artistic use ofartificial reverbin a popular song. The song sold 1.4 million copies, inspiring Putnam to establish the Vitacoustic and Universal Records labels and attracted new clients to record with Putnam at Universal Recording.

In the same year, Putnam made the first recording of a single artist singing more than one line on a recording; it was recorded withPatti PageandGeorge Barnes,who suggested the "duet." Page sang one vocal line of "Confess"and the second part was recorded onto a large 17.25 "disc, then played back as she sang the main vocal line; the two vocals and accompaniment were wedded onto a wire recorder. Shortly thereafter,Les Paulutilized his own technique for multiplying guitars and vocals, using magnetic tape.

In 1955, Putnam built Universal Recording a new 15,000 square foot facility at 46 E. Walton Street. His company quickly became Chicago's largest independent studio, sometimes referred to as the "grand palace," recording projects for independent Chicago record labels likeVee-Jay,Mercury,Chess,andOne-derful.His reputation grew quickly thanks to his work with artists such asCount Basie,Sarah Vaughan,Little Walter,Dinah Washington,Vic Damone,andDuke Ellington,who said Putnam was his favorite engineer.

There were a number of 'firsts' for the recording industry during Putnam's time at Universal Recording including the first use of tape repeat, the first vocal booth, the first multiple voice recording, one of the first to use 8-track recording (preceded by Les Paul andTom Dowd), the first use of delay lines in the studio, and the first release (in 1956) of half-speed mastered discs (on the Mercury label.)

By the mid-1950s, Putnam was one of the most sought-after engineer-producers in the United States.Sam PhillipssentElvis Presley'sMystery TrainandI Forgot to Remember to Forgetto Putnam in August, 1955 with the instructions: "Give me 'hot' level on both 78 and 45's and as much presence peak and bass as possible!"Universal Recording had become so successful that clients includingNelson Riddle,Mitch Miller,andQuincy Jonesbegan urging Putnam to open a facility on thewest coast.

California

In 1957, with support fromFrank SinatraandBing Crosby,Putnam sold his interest in Universal Recording and moved toHollywood,taking over and remodeling a defunct film studioat 6050Sunset Boulevardestablishing a new company,United Recording.

Determined to incorporate as many technological innovations into the new complex as possible, Putnam constructed new facilities, including a significant modernization of studio control room concept to permit multi-track monitoring and recording. It featured his innovative design to provide overhead forward speaker mounting and provided seating space for guests while improving the engineer's view of the studio (control rooms of the era had typically been small booths). United's facilities included three acoustically isolated studios of varying sizes, three lacquer mastering studios (one stereo) and a stereo re-mi xing room. Additionally each studio had its own stereo acoustic reverberation room. All facilities were cross connected electronically at a central location and all facilities were available to each other as needed.

In 1961, Putnam acquired the neighboring Western Recorders located at 6000 Sunset, remodeled it, and incorporated it into the complex which was renamedUnited Western Recorders.He wasFrank Sinatra'spreferred engineer, and Sinatra put him on retainer to ensure his availability. When Sinatra foundedReprise Records,his office was in the Western Recorders building.

At the time Putnam started United Recording, stereo recording was new and considered by the major record labels as little more than a novelty. But he foresaw its importance and at his own expense, began making and stockpiling simultaneous stereo mixes of recordings produced at United. About 1962, as consumer demand for stereo recordings was surging, the major labels offered to buy Putnam's stockpile of stereo recordings. He negotiated a lucrative deal, whereby he was recompensed not for the finished recordings, but for the (much more expensive) studio time used in mi xing the stereo versions. According to his former associate, Allen Sides, at this time United Recording was bringing in around $200,000 per month in studio billing (equivalent to $2.01 million per month today).

After the United/Western merger and at the request of several film music producers in Hollywood who were looking for a more modern sound for their films, the studios began to record film scores utilizing multi-track film recorders. Playing video cues and sync recording mono audio for quick playback in the studio was also a very popular time saver.

In 1962, sensing a business opportunity in theBay Area's commercial jingle industry, Putnam purchased a majority interest inCoast Recordersand moved the studio to a location at960 Bush Street.He eventually relocated Coast Recorders to a two-floor studio complex of his own design at 827 Folsom Street, whereFrancis Ford Coppolaleased space on the second floor for hisAmerican Zoetropefilm studio. Less than a year later on September 15, 1970, Putnam sold majority control of the building toColumbia Records,a division ofCBS.The location later became the home ofThe Automattrecording studio.

In 1963, Putnam extended his studio presence toLas Vegaswhen he established United Recording Corporation of Nevada, orURCON,complete with a fully-equipped remote recording truck.In 1966, Putnam sold URCON toBill Porter.

In 1985, Putnam sold the original United Recording studio to Allen Sides, who renamed itOcean Way Recording.

Universal Audio and UREI

Main article:UREI

Putnam developed the first US multi-band audioequalizerand establishedUniversal Audioas well asUniversal Recording Electronics Industries (UREI)in the second story loft of United Recording, in 1958 as a means to develop and manufacture studio equipment. That included custom Studio Electronics recording consoles, outfitted with Putnam's 610 modular channel strips, all of which soon became standard equipment in studios all over America. His companies were also responsible for thevacuum tube-basedLA-2Aand 176 compressors, and theirtransistorbased successors, the LA-3A and1176.They also developed the Time Align Monitor Series.

UREI outgrew the loft above United Recording and relocated to a wing of the Western Recorders building, later moving again to a much larger headquarters inNorth Hollywood,with Putnam eventually selling it toHarman Industries.

Personal life

Putnam was married four times. He and his first wife had a son and daughter, Scott and Sue; Grace elected to stay in Danville, Illinois with their children when Bill joined the U.S. Army Band and was stationed near theNorth Sideof Chicago. After his discharge from the Army he and Grace divorced. After Universal Recording moved to Walton Street, Bill met Belinda Richmond, a singer at a nearby club near Universal Recording Corp's Walton Street location and the two were married. Richmond worked at the studios as a tape editor and part time file librarian. But after moving to Hollywood, Putnam's long hours at Universal Recording again led to a divorce.Frank Sinatraintroduced Putnam to his assistant, Miriam Simons (also known as 'Tookie'), who became his third wife; Bill and Miriam had two sons, Bill Jr. and Jim.Miriam died unexpectedly and Bill did not marry again until after he sold the company and retired. In retirement he and his last wife, Caroline, moved to Ventura Keys,California.

Bill Putnam died inRiverside, Californiaat the age of 69;he was laid to rest in Valley Oaks Memorial Park inWestlake Village.Many record executives and industry colleagues attended the service and a group of musicians formed a band to play some of his favorite songs.

Awards

• TheAudio Engineering Societyawarded Putnam a Fellowship Award in 1959, and an Honorary Membership in 1983 "for lifelong contributions to studio design and to the design and making of audio instruments and equipment."
• In 2000, Putnam received a posthumous Special Merit/Technical Grammy Awardfor his contribution to the music industry.

External links

• Universal Audio - Our Story
• Bill PutnamatAllMusic
• Bill Putnamdiscography atDiscogs