The Technical Bits (1)

In the early days of the Type B desk, the control room was linked to a recording channel in an adjacent room, as well as by Post Office lines to Old Broadcasting house in Manchester. The recorders in the pictures were mono EMI TR 90’s and a Leevers Rich, and what is possibly a Brenell alongside, being used for flutter echo. (Echo was from an EMT stereo plate in later years)
The recording channel was made redundant when stereo arrived, and recordings were then made on Studers’ at the rear of the Control Room. This had its problems because editing previous takes whilst recording new ones was difficult due to high sound levels - even with good sound deadening headphones.

Early Recording Channel and mixing Desk at the Playhouse theatre during a recording of the NDO. Dick Wilson at the controls with Producer John (Taffy ) Wilcox -

Playhouse showing the later Neve stereo desk and Studer Multitrack at the Playhouse - possibly not even an NDO / NRO recording.

Using a multitrack was rare in NDO recordings, but more common with the NRO. Note the LS5/8 2 way active monitor speakers.
Studers for stereo recording were on back wall, behind camera .This is the new control room which was moved from the original one, into the larger recording room.
There were Leevers-Rich E series stereo tape machines as well as studer A62, then B 62s before the A80s..
A varispeed B 62 was used for echo delay before the AMS DMX series digital echo and delay devices were available.

(Neve Photo’s - Ron Southern)

"Be all right, boyo - nobody'll notice that - be all right..."

(Old photos, Tony Nuttall and Dick Wilson.)
Additional info re desk and recorders - Paul Smith