Reviews and Commentaries for Rubber Soul
How is it that none of the critics of “twin track stereo” — the two-track recording approach used on the first two albums, with the elements hard-panned left and right — has ever come clean about the obvious twin track stereo sound of Rubber Soul?
We used tracks four, five and six to test side two with, and in all three the vocals are hard-panned right with most of the instruments hard-panned left. Why is it wrong for Please Please Me to sound that way — the mono mix being the critic’s choice — but fine for Rubber Soul to be heard that way?
Tons of energy on the drums in the left channel are a key test.
In the right channel the shakers and tambourines are way up in the mix.
The bass is a bit lean compared to the other tracks and tends to get a bit lost. If you can follow the bass throughout the song, that’s a good sign.
Balancing the bass and drums in the left channel with the vocals and percussion in the right channel is not easy to do, which of course is what makes it a great test.
Further Reading