Why Pathé Marconi's tube console was the secret weapon on 'Some Girls'

The Rolling Stones recorded Some Girls at Pathé Marconi Studio in Paris, and the room’s old tube-based mixing console was arguably the most important piece of gear in the room. That desk — originally built in the 1950s for classical sessions — had a naturally warm, slightly saturated sound that could turn even a clean guitar into something that was already half-distorted by the time it hit tape. When the band started pushing the levels into the red, the console’s tube stages didn’t break up harshly; they compressed and rounded the transients, giving the rhythm tracks that tight, percussive punch that made disco-punk hybrids like “Miss You” and “Shattered” sound so fizzy and alive.

The console also had limited channels and no automation, which forced engineer Chris Kimsey and the band to commit to sounds on the way