On March 23rd, 1974, the Grateful Dead unveiled one of the largest and most ambitious sound systems ever built. In his new book, Loud and Clear, author Brian Anderson, for the first time ever, tells the full story of that revolutionary feat of engineering known as the Wall of Sound.
As the Dead’s fanbase expanded, with audiences often totaling tens of thousands of people, the band was confronted with the challenge of how to present their music to such large crowds while keeping the sound clear and free of distortion. The solution provided by sound engineer Owsley “Bear” Stanley along with Dan Healy and Mark Raizene of the band’s sound crew was a custom-built, state-of-the-art, three-story speaker system the likes of which was never seen before or since.
Combining six independent sound systems with eleven separate channels and about 600 speakers, the Wall of Sound allowed each instrument to be amplified separately and projected from its own speakers, resulting in exceptionally clear, distortion-free audio that could reach fans up to a quarter-mile away without the use of delay towers. The signal from each of Phil Lesh‘s four bass strings had a separate channel and set of speakers, while another channel amplified the bass drum, with two more channels dedicated to the snares, toms, and cymbals. The monstrous wall of speakers erected behind the band also acted as its own monitoring system, requiring the Dead to use an innovative two-mic setup that would capture the sound as it traveled toward the audience and use noise-canceling technology to prevent feedback.
The Dead’s busy tour schedule required the use of two separate sets of scaffolding, so another crew could leapfrog ahead of the band and set up for the next gig before they arrived. That unwieldy and expensive arrangement made the Wall of Sound a short-lived experiment, with the band retiring the system in October 1974, but Owsley Stanley’s impressive feat of modern sound engineering permanently changed the way people approached live sound, leaving an indelible mark on live music, traces of which can still be seen in the PA systems used at every concert and festival today.
For his new book, Brian Anderson interviewed hundreds of people associated with the Grateful Dead and the construction of the Wall itself, including “band members, roadies, tech wizards, fans, and many more.” The result is an enthralling, character-driven narrative—the first book to tell the full story of what has become a legendary if brief era in Grateful Dead and live music history.
Due out June 17th, Loud and Clear: The Grateful Dead’s Wall of Sound and the Quest for Audio Perfection is available for pre-order in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats. For more information and to order your copy, head here.
For more on the Wall of Sound and its revolutionary impact on the history of live music, check out the video below.
How The Grateful Dead Changed Live Music Forever