Editing The Doors (album) (section)

== Recording == 
''The Doors'' was recorded by producer Paul A. Rothchild and audio engineer [[Bruce Botnick]] at [[Sunset Sound Studios]] in Hollywood, California, over about a week{{sfn|Weiss|2021|p=5}}{{sfn|Densmore|1990|p=90}} in late  August 1966.<ref>{{cite web |first=Michael |last=Gallucci |date=January 4, 1966 |title=Revisiting the Doors' Historic Debut Album |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/the-doors-the-doors-debut-album/ |work=[[Ultimate Classic Rock]] |access-date=May 1, 2023}}</ref> "Indian Summer"{{refn|group=nb|"Indian Summer" was the first recording session, occurred on August 19, 1966.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Goldmine Staff |date=December 8, 2020 |title=Checking back in to the ''Morrison Hotel'' |url=https://www.goldminemag.com/.amp/interviews/checking-back-in-to-the-morrison-hotel |magazine=[[Goldmine Magazine]] |access-date=August 3, 2022}}</ref>}} and "[[Moonlight Drive]]" were the first rehearsal outtakes of the album,<ref name=albumfacts/> while the first actual songs recorded that appeared being "I Looked at You" and "Take It as It Comes".<ref>{{cite web |date=March 15, 1967 |title=Paul Rothchild Speaks About Recording ''The Doors'' |url=https://thedoors.com/interviews/paul-rothchild-speaks-about-recording-the-doors |location=Englewood, New Jersey |website=Thedoors.com |access-date=August 7, 2022}}</ref> A [[Multitrack recording|four-track]] tape machine was used at the cost of approximately $10,000.{{sfn|Weidman|2011|p=148}} Three of the tracks were utilized as: bass and drums on one, guitar and organ on another, and Morrison's vocals on the third. The fourth track was used for overdubbing (mainly Morrison's harmony vocals and bass guitar).<ref name="Jackson" />{{sfn|Fong-Torres|The Doors|2006|p=68}}<ref name="Kubernik" />

The album's instrumentation includes keyboards, electric guitar, occasional bass,{{sfn|Classic Albums|2008|loc=26:33}} drums,<ref name="Liner" /> and [[marxophone]] (on "Alabama Song").{{sfn|Classic Albums Extras|2008|loc=0:00–0:40}} Rothchild had forbidden Krieger from using any of his guitar effects (particularly the [[wah wah pedal]]) on the record in order to avoid what Rothchild thought was the overuse of these devices.<ref name="Jackson" /> However, the studio was equipped with an [[echo chamber]] which gave that specific effect to the sound.<ref name="Paul"/>

Ray Manzarek, explaining the bass-overdubs, said:
{{blockquote|{{nbsp}}... on some of the songs we brought in an actual bass player, one of the Los Angeles cats, Larry Knechtel, who played the same bass line that I played on "Light My Fire." He doubled my bass line.<ref name="Kubernik" />}}

According to Botnick, "What you hear on the first album is what they did live. It wasn't just playing the song–it transcended that."{{sfn|Weidman|2011|p=149}} However, session musician [[Larry Knechtel]] and Krieger overdubbed bass guitar on several tracks in order to give some "punch" to the sound of Manzarek's [[keyboard bass]].{{sfn|Fong-Torres|The Doors|2006|p=71}}{{sfn|Davis|2004|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=fLzRXcFh4aQC&pg=PA139 139]}}<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |first=Steve |last=Sullivan |title=Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings |year=2013 |volume=2 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |pages=484–5 |isbn=978-0-8108-8296-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QWBPAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA485 |access-date=December 20, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221063005/https://books.google.com/books?id=QWBPAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA485 |archive-date=December 21, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Hartman |first=Kent |title=The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best-Kept Secret |publisher=Macmillan |year=2012 |page=2 |isbn=978-0-312-61974-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-ne73TRP1FQC&pg=PA2 |access-date=December 20, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221081707/https://books.google.com/books?id=-ne73TRP1FQC&pg=PA2 |archive-date=December 21, 2016 }}</ref><ref name="interview" />{{refn|group=nb|Despite their contributions, both Robby Krieger and [[Larry Knechtel]] were not credited in the album's liner notes as bass players.<ref name="Liner" />}} Morrison explained in 1969, "We started almost immediately, and some of the songs took only a few takes. We'd do several takes just to make sure we couldn't do a better one."<ref>{{cite web |title=January 1967: The Doors Debut with ''The Doors'' |date=January 3, 2022 |url=https://www.rhino.com/article/january-1967-the-doors-debut-with-the-doors |website=[[Rhino Records|Rhino.com]] |access-date=April 23, 2023}}</ref> For "The End" and "Light My Fire", two takes were edited together to achieve the final recording.{{sfn|Fong-Torres|The Doors|2006|p=71}}<ref name="Kubernik">{{cite web |first=Harvey |last=Kubernik |title=Ray Manzarek on The Doors' 6 Studio Albums: The 'Lost' Interviews |url=https://bestclassicbands.com/ray-manzarek-interview-doors-12-18-19/ |website=Best Classic Bands |access-date=March 13, 2021}}</ref> The album was mixed and completed in October 1966.<ref name=Holzman /> Although "Indian Summer" was recorded during the sessions and thought was given to including it as the final track, it was eventually replaced with "The End".<ref name=albumfacts />{{sfn|Weidman|2011|p=201}}