dbx Recording on Plastic and Acetate

In this video I take a live Big Band recording and run it through a dbx decoder then cut a record onto two mediums: plastic and acetate.

[@kelli217]

Professional record cutting was done with heavy equalization that I'd bet your Montgomery Ward cutter doesn't have. See the Wikipedia article on "RIAA equalization". It was done to compensate for the limitations of the medium and the performance characteristics of the cutting equipment.. The recording would have been done with a response curve that featured low bass and high treble, and playback would have been done with a reverse equalization curve, boosting lows and reducing highs.

[@benztrainz9030]

really ? no shit ! the recorder he is using is not a pro disc lathe, it was made for voice recordings basically...

[@shenghe9876]

Use an equalizer before connecting to the cutter.

[@colloidalsilverwater15ppm88]

Why do you think that dedicated machine doesn't have RIAA curve implemented??

[@kelli217]

@@colloidalsilverwater15ppm88 because it's a transcription disc cutter for consumer use, not a professional music cutter.

[@brentfisher902]

The first one I was going to shout "Did you record that album on a drive-thru speaker?" Then I heard the DBX version and WOW it sounds much better. It reminds me of that time in 2008 I tried to set a radio-controlled 'atomic' clock by going outdoors and holding it up to the sky and somebody asked me what I was doing and I said "I'm trying to get RECEPTION!" and they said "What kind of phone company do you have", then I answered "I't's not a phone, it's a clock" to which they replied "How do you get reception on a CLOCK?!" Now the thing to say is "How do you get NOISE REDUCTION on a *dinner plate*?!"

[@colloidalsilverwater15ppm88]

Very nice work, thanks for showing us this kind of experiment. It was my wish to see this sort of technology.

[@525Lines]

Amazing that some radios had integrated disk recording systems for recording radio shows in the 20s.

[@leeshepherd6512]

The recording you made is "encoded" in dbx for tape. If you play it back again and set the dbx decoder to tape not disc it will sound much better.

[@juniorbcm5375]

Here is an idea: What about overwriting a 78rpm vinyl? I'd love to hear the results.

[@therestorationofdrwho1865]

Junior BCM Yeah I just had the same idea. Do it!

[@warrenmacdonald1372]

Fascinating. I think the rather "muffled" highs and boomy lows in the decoded sample on both acetate and plate were because DBX requires at least a 30 Hz to 15 KHz ( -3dB) frequency response of the recordable media, and a 60 DB s/n ratio, ( which the writer most likely isn't attaining ) so when it compresses the dynamic range of the input signal and accentuates the highs, upon decoding ( expanding ), that dynamic range and high frequency just isn't enough to reproduce the original music, but it does a great job on noise. With dbx, because of the 2:1 companding that occurs, overmodulation of the input signal is an easy thing to do.

[@am74343]

Yes, plus isn't DBX an "encode-decode" process? In other words, you have to "encode" the DBX signal onto the record when you cut it, then "decode" it during playback? Otherwise if it is not correctly done, it will sound like non-Dolby cassette played back with the Dolby button on. (muffled sound.)

[@agfamatic91]

intresting experiment seens like the DPX decoder cuts out a lot of treble though. and about controlling the swarf use a cheap soft painting brush to brush the swarf towards the spindle it seens like most of the amateur record cutting guys use this metod and it seens to work well for them, the profesionals have automatic vaccum systems for dealing with the swarf.

[@thomasbrowne9823]

I was thinking, if you rig up some kind of spindle in the middle, you can loop the swurth on to it when it starts and it should wind around as it spins and keep it out of the way.

[@kirknelson156]

doesn't that plastic shaving interfere with the recording if it gets bunched up like that under the head.

[@minscandboo1213]

I don't know for certain, but theoretically, your home dbx recorder/player despite having a dbx disk button to play them, may not record to the plate, or even a real blank vinyl properly, or as well as a normal dbx disk could sound. What lead me to thinkind this would have to be the input and output for it is labelled as "To tape Rec input" and "as it'sFrom tape Rec output" respectively. I believe that those ports may be optimised for recording and decoding dbx recordings from tape specifically. I may have been completely thrown off by some labels. I haven't even finished watching the video before i posted this.

[@jaymartinmobile]

The NX-40 can only encode dbx appropriately for cassette tape. It is a dbx type-II encoder. It won't even work as well on reel-to-reel because there is a slight different in the dbx type-I that reel tape uses. dbx encoded records have a little more equalization done to them to help with the frequency curve of a record and the RIAA equalization, so while this does remove surface noise it also severely reduces the highs. You would be better off to just create a 2:1/1:2 compander system using an NE570 chip or similar. At least it wouldn't be fighting the tape equalization curve then.

[@noahfogarty848]

Dbx is a noise reduction system to make higher quality audio like dolby noise reduction

[@LiviuDragon]

I wish to make my favorite symphonic melodies etched on a record cutter on a normal vinyl not plastic plates

[@VintageElectronicsGeek]

Thats cool....the acetate had warmer sounds then the plastic plate....however it was impressive in its own right!

[@marcviej.5635]

nice swarf collection

[@databits]

Thank you 😃

[@dancebandleader]

I once heard that the cutting needle should be lowered onto the disc with turntable running and and lifted off the disc before the turntable motor is shut off. too bad the new music was recorded at such a large distance away.

[@artemik1986]

Товарищ, а вы не пробовали записывать пластинки для 78 rpm на уменьшенных скоростях?

[@MVVblog2]

Fascinating, in the next experiment, can you try to encode the signal in RIAA first, and if you use DBX, you can try "TAPE" also for reproduction, (DBX disc are not encoded the same way as tape, as far i know) Anyway, good job :-)

[@AMOKIAN]

My friend Bizzart cut a record on a plastic plate. Your videos are cool.

[@databits]

Cool! How did it turn out?

[@AMOKIAN]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bl6mYn-ahc1goac I have some other friends who cut albums on old movie laser discs too.

[@garyandleslied]

Are you using steel needles for a wind up record player to cut the records or a special made one for it? Where could you get such a needle to cut them if they aren't the steel ones?

[@pikotaboada]

Awesome.

[@therestorationofdrwho1865]

Can you do a compilation of your most successful ones so far?

[@zubairkalathingal1144]

Let me know from where we may get blank records for recording?

[@kid3499]

I've been using a Messiner unit, and for some reason my player either cuts too lightly and the record players I have glide over the grooves, or they are too heavy and I hear mostly just sound from the cutting, when I do get swarf from the PVC blanks it would be slightly overpowering (the cutting sound) over the music that was cut.

[@nevilleandann]

Can i get it please ????? THE RECORD CUTTER. WE CAN WORK TOGATHER

[@databits]

Get what????

[@johnschwarzkopf]

What if you put a regular 33rpm record (maybe some old Firestone Christmas album) on the record cutter and tried to cut audio into it at 78rpm?

[@databits]

The groove pitch/spacing would not match.

[@duanethamm4688]

fun!

[@thechangingman3763]

Have you tried cutting onto a laser disc? They can be picked up pretty cheap and if nothing else it would look very cool!

[@hern01134]

they have

[@Barnaulets17]

Could you try to record music on bakellite sheet? It would be very interesting.

[@eltonbadham]

different i like it it looks cool

[@channelofoldthings5617]

how can i bay the plastic plet

[@madonnafitzgerald7840]

If you didn't know you can buy a whole blank 12 inch vinyl record on Amazon: www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00HZ5T1NA/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1501303227&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=blank+vinyl&dpPl=1&dpID=413mutGAcpL&ref=plSrch

[@databits]

Interesting, but there's no quantity or other information. If the quantity is 1, too costly!

[@eflose]

Cool 😊

[@Ddd-wt9rh]

How many bits can be stored in a vinyl disk? Thanks!

[@fogtown7765]

great

[@alexeykokh8240]

Hello. That's cool. How you figured out the level to set up dbx?

[@databits]

It was purely guess work.

[@alexeykokh8240]

It is a nice idea, maybe it could be possible to reach higher quality level with DBX

[@RedVynil]

Sounds better, at least way less distorted, without the DBX.

[@torreslarry6837]

Still" no high- end !!! even "With" dbx,, dammit" maybe put an equalizer in your food chain ??? i dunno,, still good tho"

[@tomkent4656]

You need a brush to control the swarf.

[@databits]

Got one.

[@Infrnoplays]

If i wanted to find a record recorder. where could i find one? I looked everywhere online and cant seem to find one.

[@databits]

Ebay is the only place I know of.

[@Infrnoplays]

ok thanks :)

[@eastmolman]

Will this work on the blank side of a one sided flexi disc?

[@databits]

I've tried those flexi discs and they don't cut well.

[@kargaroc386]

modulated wool

[@hmjeffcoat]

Is that a gameinformer magazine in the background? lol

[@databits]

hmjeffcoat Yes!

[@sc0or]

the same st ))))

[@PlaidDin]

What was the song name?

[@leeshepherd6512]

Did you play it back with the DBX unit set to disc or tape?

[@databits]

Lee Shepherd Disc.

[@Redhotsmasher]

+databits I think that might be what messes with the sound, I believe disc DBX and tape DBX are different enough to be incompatible. Try playing these with the DBX box set to tape.

[@colloidalsilverwater15ppm88]

Very nice video, but you better find some better musical material to conduct such complex operation. It is pitty to make so poor results through dbx and diy recording. Nice work, thanks but find at least cd quality material of 90 dB dynamic range

[@thanthanasiszamp4707]

Here is my idea: try to record on a 5 TB Hard Disk Drive!!!!!

[@databits]

I did record on a hard drive on my channel here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3zJnWasZ7KsaM0

[@koncreteto2758]

well im not coming to you to get any records cut

[@andrewdemetrius8090]

They sound EXACTLY the same and full of horrendous rumble.....

[@theoryg]

I admit I don't understand a thing!

[@vinylcity1599]

Probably would have sounded better if you didn't use that DBX shit on it!

[@classicmusichits811]

MADE IN TAIWAN.