Theodore Keep
Encyclopedia
Theodore "Ted" Keep was a co-founder of Liberty Records
. In his role as chief of engineering at the label and afterward, Keep introduced a number of innovations to commercial sound recording.
During the 1950s, Keep provided the synchronization process that allowed Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. to combine his speed-doubled voice technique with full orchestration on "Witch Doctor" and the series of Chipmunks
recordings. For the latter, Keep received Grammy Awards in 1959 and 1960. Keep's Liberty Studios was the first commercial recording studio
to employ solid state
mixing equipment, retaining its claim as "the world's only transistor
ized recording studio" into 1960.
Keep also brought innovations to electronic music
. Working with the Richard Marino Orchestra, Keep combined custom-built synthesizers and audio signal processing
circuits to achieve the unique sounds on the 1961 exotica
album Out of This World. This release built upon Keep's stereo mix experimentation that lent a surreal quality to the early Martin Denny
recordings. He is also credited with supplying electronic effects on the spooky LP Fantastica: Music From Outer Space, by Russ Garcia and His Orchestra.
Into the 1960s through 1980s, Keep chose to focus on television
and film
audio. Among the better known soundtracks he recorded were the John Williams compositions for The Towering Inferno
and Jaws
.
Keep is also known for lending his name to the character of Theodore from The Alvin Show
and The Chipmunks
, and for choosing The Ventures
to record the Hawaii Five-O
theme.
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
. In his role as chief of engineering at the label and afterward, Keep introduced a number of innovations to commercial sound recording.
During the 1950s, Keep provided the synchronization process that allowed Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. to combine his speed-doubled voice technique with full orchestration on "Witch Doctor" and the series of Chipmunks
The Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
recordings. For the latter, Keep received Grammy Awards in 1959 and 1960. Keep's Liberty Studios was the first commercial recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
to employ solid state
Solid state (electronics)
Solid-state electronics are those circuits or devices built entirely from solid materials and in which the electrons, or other charge carriers, are confined entirely within the solid material...
mixing equipment, retaining its claim as "the world's only transistor
Transistor
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...
ized recording studio" into 1960.
Keep also brought innovations to electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
. Working with the Richard Marino Orchestra, Keep combined custom-built synthesizers and audio signal processing
Audio signal processing
Audio signal processing, sometimes referred to as audio processing, is the intentional alteration of auditory signals, or sound. As audio signals may be electronically represented in either digital or analog format, signal processing may occur in either domain...
circuits to achieve the unique sounds on the 1961 exotica
Exotica
Exotica is a musical genre, named after the 1957 Martin Denny album of the same title, popular during the 1950s to mid-1960s, typically with the suburban set who came of age during World War II. The musical colloquialism, exotica, means tropical ersatz: the non-native, pseudo experience of Oceania...
album Out of This World. This release built upon Keep's stereo mix experimentation that lent a surreal quality to the early Martin Denny
Martin Denny
Martin Denny was an American piano-player and composer best known as the "father of exotica." In a long career that saw him performing well into his 80s, he toured the world popularizing his brand of lounge music which included exotic percussion, imaginative rearrangements of popular songs, and...
recordings. He is also credited with supplying electronic effects on the spooky LP Fantastica: Music From Outer Space, by Russ Garcia and His Orchestra.
Russell Garcia (composer)
Russell Garcia, QSM was a composer and arranger who wrote a wide variety of music for screen, stage and broadcast....
Into the 1960s through 1980s, Keep chose to focus on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
audio. Among the better known soundtracks he recorded were the John Williams compositions for The Towering Inferno
The Towering Inferno
The Towering Inferno is a 1974 American action disaster film produced by Irwin Allen featuring an all-star cast led by Steve McQueen and Paul Newman.A co-production between Twentieth Century-Fox and Warner Bros...
and Jaws
Jaws (film)
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
.
Keep is also known for lending his name to the character of Theodore from The Alvin Show
The Alvin Show
The Alvin Show is an American animated television series. It was the first to feature the singing characters Alvin and the Chipmunks, although a series with a similar concept The Nutty Squirrels Present had aired a year earlier...
and The Chipmunks
The Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
, and for choosing The Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
to record the Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
theme.