Making of the Emi centenary Wax recording Cutting lathe 78rpm

Vhs tape recording. Part of the set "Emi centenary 1897-1997 Special Edition" with one 10 inch 78rpm vinyl record, and copy on cd.
Roberto Alagna, Antonio Pappano

[@AlbertBenajam-ww1db]

The Abbey Road studio was built in 1926 specificaly for mew Electrical recording process. The recording lathe (turntable) show here is driven ny a falling weight, the same method "grsndfather" clocks used. Being on a tripod, it IS (or modeled copy) of portable recorders of time. A World War 1 puplicity ohoto shows a tripid portable used for recording sound of Liberty Bell in Philadelphis PA.

[@Corrie121]

This is just so interesting - and enjoyable at the same time. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@LHUPA]

I discover a "new" antique record cutter lathe... So, I had never seen EMI as a record cutter manufacturer! What an antique thing with the mechanical rewinding system! that's a beautiful and great video! Also, I had never seen Abey Road Studios and I have always thought that it was a very compact studio... and this video has shown another vision!...

[@spannerworks1]

Hi Just great to see Roberto singing - great video Warm regards Richard

[@LHUPA]

I discover a "new" antique record cutter lathe... So, I had never seen EMI as a record cutter manufacturer! What an antique thing with the mechanical rewinding system! that's a beautiful and great video! Also, I had never seen Abbey Road Studios and I have always thought that it was a very compact studio... and this video has shown another vision!...

[@lamusicadelsigloxx]

Tenía mucho mérito grabar todo de una pieza, de una vez y en una sola toma. Nada de mezclas ni de tratamientos, directos todos los sonidos a la cera y punto. Increíble, hoy día. Los discos 78RPM de las últimas décadas ya no se grababan así, sino con micrófonos y el trabajo de estudio era prácticamente igual que con los primeros microsurcos. Por eso se conservan grabaciones de aquellos tiempos que inicialmente salieron en goma laca con todas sus limitaciones, y se han reeditado después en vinilo y hasta en CD, de magnífica calidad. Todo lo anterior al año 1950 fue en origen para 78RPM.

[@gmmix]

This is a fascinating video and very much appreciated. I have the 78 issued but NEVER saw this video. Thank you for this very special posting. Geo. M. Meiser, IX

[@Indiestereographer]

ha! I made this, my name is on the end as camera operator and director - I also have a complete box set including VHS tape 78 rpm vinyl and CD - never ever played.

[@beppo_1465]

Wow wonderful Machine! And wonderful music too!👍👍😍

[@Borriaudio]

This was a pretty video. I have don a few thousand acoustic recordings on cylinders, and make wax blanks

[@FootbridgeFoundry]

Shawn Borri righteous

[@litoboy5]

GREAT

[@yopascualin]

@mmilovan I think, the real master to do the after pressing was an acetate disk but in the video recording they show one wax cutting disk also. The record in the box with this vhs vido is a standard 78rpm vinyl record.

[@edwardnowill4408]

The waxes cut during these sessions were stored for longer than was desirable for processing into metals.14 inch mastering lacquers were cut on this acoustic lathe & the recorded quality on playback was remarkably good.I learnt this from Sean himself.

[@td1238]

It would be interesting to apply more modern principles to acoustic recording, like having the resonance of the cutting device be above the human hearing range, and to use a stiff diaphragm that itself would not flex, but instead would be coupled at the edge by a soft device with a very low resonance. This would allow for excellent bass and treble response. Further correction could be had by better horn design.

[@edwardnowill4408]

I understand that Sean Davies had suggested the use of an exponentially contoured recording horn for a better impedance match between diaphragm & singer but this was deemed to be outside the parameters of this exercise.Lord Rayleigh had done work in this area in the 1880s [mathematical computations]but the recording industry did not employ the results of his work until Hanna & Slepian's research efforts brought about the re-entrant horn acoustic gramophones of the late 1920s [Victor/His Masters Voice].Diaphragms of different thicknesses & edge compliance ajustments were fairly standard during the acoustic recording era I believe.

[@AlbertBenajam-ww1db]

Yes, photos of acoustic era recording studios show different horns. Photos of "control rooms" where the recording turntable was show different sound boxes for recording. Some of the technicians personally owned their own, they brought them to recording sessions. There is a photo of Caruso arriving at VICTORS Camden studio, a recording tech has a "doctors" bag. He could have been a company man, transporting a company tool, but some engineers owned personally that they brought to sessions at different companies.

[@AlbertBenajam-ww1db]

In a comment to td1238, I'm very sure that acoustic recording process could be improved as he suggests with CAD etc as it is 1/ Around 1960, Lafayye Radio (a New York area, "Radio Shack" type regional chain, that sold by mail order also throughout the USA) sold an ACCOUSTIC PROCESS TONE ARM FOR STEREO LPs! It took the form of an externally ordinary looking tone-arm, and a mounting plate that could be double sided tape adeared (optional wood or metal screwed OP epoxied) to phono it would fit. (Even a kid record player would do) Attached to top was a two hose tubing to earpiece like Doctors stethescope. The stylus/needle was attached to a Y shaped topped by two pencil top sized SOUNDBOXES in turn connected in turn to earpiece. It really played stereo with high quality, but for 1 person tethered to short tube. A novelty only. 2-Better ACCOUSTIC machine were made in late 1920 like the Victor Orthophoices, they sounded as good as electric phonographs of time. So also did many portables made into 30s for electric records.

[@AlbertBenajam-ww1db]

3-Many of the post WW1 ACCOUSTC records of say 1919/1923 (not the "Electric Batwing" variety of some early electrics not labeled as such) sound about as good as electrics of the time. After all they were examples of 30+ years of ACCOUSTIC process matured improvement, as opposed to new electric still undergoing development. (And of course, on the ground, most recording tech may have been in trade 10 or more years ACCOUSTIC method, but except for the few working to develope the process, novices by new method. 4- There is also AUXOPHONE. where compressed air pipes into a special sound box, was accousticly amplified. There are demonstrations on KZbin, while they were called electric machines, because the air compressor was electrically powered, some were spring powered of directly cranked. A variety with a mouthpiece was used in 1910 auditorium, and is origin of phase CRANK UP THE VOLUME -----------

[@edwardnowill4408]

@@AlbertBenajam-ww1db A device of this sort was advertised in the UK "Gramophone" magazine in the early 1960s.It was an "audio pioneer stereophone SH 100".Stylus weight on record was 5 grams.Response was to 10 KHZ according to the advertising copy. [I am quoting this from memory so I might not have all the details correct]

[@tubellarbells]

Muy buen aporte !..pero no sé si es un documental y/o recreación o ambas ?. Rescataron los equipos originales no ? No habia oido hablar de esto. Muy interesante para mis clases de sonido. Y algún dia tengo que aprender más sobre discos acusticos y electricos. Todo esto me fascina. Siempre soé con trabajr cortando matrices, de veras ! Saludos.

[@yopascualin]

@tubellarbells Hey, que tal, como estas? Lo que ves en el video es el contenido de la cinta vhs que viene en un pack, junto con un disco de vinilo a 78rpm (copia del que se graba en el video) y un cd con el mismo contenido del disco. Como puedes ver es un pequeño documental recreando una sesión de grabación de aquella epoca. Me pareció curioso. Un saludo.

[@mmilovan]

Is it, in fact, making of acetate disc recordings, or I'm missing something here? It is clearly shown acetate/nitrate/lacquer disc, as recording media, not wax discs. These are shown earlier in the clip.

[@edwardnowill4408]

both media were used.

[@tubellarbells]

@yopascualin Muy bueno. Te mando un abrazo.