Playing a rare 1930s RCA Victor 33⅓ RPM Program Transcription record

A look at and listen to a RCA Victor Program Transcription record, as mentioned by ‪@Techmoan‬ in his video about the LP vs. 45 format war, which was the first long-playing 33⅓ RPM format introduced to the public in 1931, but was stymied by the Great Depression, an early vinyl formulation that wore out quickly, and sound quality inferior to 78 RPM records of the day. The format was discontinued in 1933, but some of the Program Transcription records remained in RCA Victor's catalog until 1939.
Note that this was not actually the first long-playing record format; that was Pathé's giant 20-inch, 60 RPM Theatre Disc of 1913: • Pathé Theatre Disc, 50...
The high-fidelity 78 RPM RCA Victor record from 1932 that I played a brief clip of: • 1932, Look Who's Here,...

[@Techmoan]

That was great to see one in action. In an interview I read while making my video, Ted Wallerstein (ex-RCA) said it’d be interesting to see an original unused 1931 disc played on modern equipment as it would probably sound very good now with a low mass pick-up. I’ll post a link to this video under mine (which unfortunately no one will see - but at least I tried).

[@hakemon]

I for one actually read comments and descriptions. ;)

[@kareno8634]

WE Know it will be there. : } - Besides, I'm late to the 'Party' a lot of times. You Guys RULE! Thanks Techmoan and VWestlife!

[@ingenfestbrems]

Do you have to bypass the riaa. Or is it "coded" like modern records?

[@vwestlife]

There are other recordings on KZbin of Program Transcription discs in much better condition than mine. The sound quality is similar to many 78s of the era, but not as good as RCA Victor's own "higher fidelity" 78s of the early '30s. I'm not sure about the equalization on Program Transcription discs, but it's likely the same as what was being used on 78s (as the original 1930s players did not change their EQ with the speed). When playing on modern RIAA equipment the bass EQ is similar enough not to worry about, but ideally you should boost the treble as they didn't use as much high-end pre-emphasis back then -- although on a poor condition record like this, that would only make the surface noise even more audible.

[@burtobm]

@ Techmoan - I just watched your video too....great follow-on video.

[@transformingArt]

This particular record was recorded in New York on January 5th, 1932. The singers are Hizi Koyke (soprano), Howard Marsh (tenor), Ethel Clarke (contralto), Eleanor Gilmore (soprano) plus the chorus and orchestra conducted by Clifford Cairns. The Civic Light Opera Company made several Long-Playing sides for Victor in 1932 and these Mikado sides seem to be one of the more successful ones, as copies are relatively common. This was also directly recorded (i.e. recorded directly at 33rpm) unlike the vast majority of the RCA Victor Program Transcriptions: Another reason why this format failed was that most of their offerings were actually dubbed from their older materials and the dubbing technology of the 1930s wasn't really good at all, creating distortions and other sonic problems that people did not have in the 78 format.

[@clydesight]

Thanks for the info! This recording sounds really good for its age, and the performance is priceless, and should be preserved somewhere. To people of the time, this must have seemed like magic!

[@ingenfestbrems]

clydesight mpeople? Not the band 🤔😄

[@clydesight]

@@ingenfestbrems fixed it, mthanks! (joke)

[@Musicradio77Network]

What happened was that RCA introduced the long playing record in 1931 and it lasted until 1933 and it was a huge flop. No one wants to get a 10” or 12” 33 1/3 RPM back then, because the 78’s are right up there. RCA Victor re-introduced it in 1950 with the long playing record just two years after Columbia started the “Lp” format in 1948, and RCA released a series of 10” and 12” albums for the label. That was also a year after RCA Victor launched the 45 RPM format and the introduction of the 45 RPM record player which was the most popular machine on the market where it began in 1949 and then continued right up until 1957 when RCA no longer manufactured the 45 RPM record player, so they went ahead with a 3-speed record player by other brands.

[@ingenfestbrems]

@@Musicradio77Network I have lots of 45 oldest from 1972

[@nicholas_scott]

This is the perfect companion video to the TechMoan video on this subject.

[@jnorthrop70]

Considering the condition of that record, it sounds pretty decent.

[@daviddriggers6420]

I wish I had a rare record like that I would archive it on cd using my Crosley stereo. I heard they have a bad reputation but I’m willing to chance it.

[@brenthooton3412]

Techmoan: I bet most people don't know that the first 33-1/3 LPs were actually made in the 1930s. VWestlife: I bet most people don't HAVE one of these 33-1/3 LPs that were made in the 1930s. (your move...)

[@lilith5865]

Rekt

[@nonci6]

People who performed on said recording: I bet most people haven't got the chance to be recorded.

[@Techmoan]

KZbin isn’t a completion - well not as far as myself and VWestlife are concerned. We support one another as do many other youtubers. There’s plenty of time to watch both our videos. It’s not like network TV in the 1970s where we have competing shows in the same time slot. However I doubt either of us have started a sentence with “I bet’ this side of the turn of the millennium.

[@lilith5865]

@@Techmoan It was a joke.....

[@ajohns5193]

@@Techmoan So what you're saying is that you will crush Vwestlife. Got it. But seriously, thanks to both of you for making your videos.

[@Fluteboy]

That was a bloody enjoyable listen. Old artifacts like this need keeping alive.

[@BillyLapTop]

I think it is remarkable how excellent this recording is against the backdrop of being almost 90 years old. I would have loved being in the studio and see its creation from the orchestra, to the singing artists and the engineers who laid it down. Simply an amazing accomplishment.

[@TheDanno210]

Holy hell does that sound amazing for 1930’s shellac and rudimentary audio technology! I had an awareness of that short lived format but had never seen or heard it in action. Amazing! Thanks for sharing.

[@TeraunceFoaloke]

Woo thank you for making a Part 2 to Techmoan's video.

[@CosasdeOswaldo]

Please, never stop doing these videos. They're excellent! Greetings from Mexico.

[@MrSuperbatone]

This is a CORKING good performance! Even at 33-1/3 rpm and twenty minutes, we're still hearing only substantial, bleeding chunks of the first act of the "Mikado." Of course, to get even THAT on the record, the piece had to be taken at a VERY brisk, no-nonsense tempo, with no lingering pauses - and therefore is even funnier and MORE entertaining than normal. This version sounds more like the soundtrack of "Duck Soup" ! The character voices are wild! The guy playing "Ko Ko" especially. It's a lot more vivid and fun than I had any right to expect from a "Civic Light Opera Company." As someone pointed out below, this is a great-sounding, continuous, non-dubbed, "live" performance - one of the few in this format. I concur: Victor BADLY BLEW IT with their Program Transcriptions. At first, in July, 1931, they promised "Whole Vaudeville acts - entire Night Club routines - complete movements from symphonies." But, in practice, only a very few P.T.s lived up to this idea. Most were disappointing dubs of ordinary 78s, or lasted only a measly seven minutes. Had RCA-Victor stuck to its guns and given the public consistently fresh material, in sparkling un-dubbed sound, twenty-minute shows IMPOSSIBLE to do in any other format, with good promotion - - the Victor Program Transcription would have found an audience and been a success.

[@battra92]

It gets me how they had an idea of what to do but just didn't have the materials and the consumer interest. The Depression and WW2 had to happen first.

[@pixoariz]

The Mikado is always fun, but this version slays me. Especially the tenor's vocal stylings!

[@Helvetica_Scenario]

Video has been copyright claimed by Old Timey Music Entertainment (OTME). Appeals can be made out with a mechanical typewriter and sent in a wax sealed envelope to KZbin via Zepellin, or Autogyro.

[@vwestlife]

I disputed the claim because it is totally bogus. The Mikado was written in the 1800s and it lapsed into the public domain decades ago.

[@notthatyouasked6656]

@@vwestlife The composition is public domain; the recording isn't, at least not in the USA. Google "Music Modernization Act" for the latest info on copyright status of sound recordings in the USA.

[@vwestlife]

The copyright claims I got were for the musical composition, not for the audio recording.

[@notthatyouasked6656]

@@vwestlife Yeah, this has been happening a lot. Those claims usually go away immediately if you dispute them.

[@jkclayborn1]

Wow, I was so excited to see an CRL Amigo AM. I was the Customer Service Manager for CRL from 1993 to 2001, when I became the Product Manager. From there I moved on into Sales, being the North American Sales Manager from 2006 to 2010. Look forward to seeing your piece. If you have any questions, drop me a line and I'll see if I can answer them.

[@careysfever]

The only records that disconcerting when spinning to me are those giant 20" Pathe records that spin at speeds of 120 rpm

[@jeenkzk5919]

shooketh to the core Id be worried the whole record player would take off into space at that speed! Put your phone number on it and get a call from France saying they had a record player land in their yard!

[@Gameboygenius]

Pathe? With that sort of speed it sounds more like it's a lathe!

[@erwindewit4073]

@@jeenkzk5919 Well, wasn't that where they were from in the first place? It found its way back home ;)

[@mercuryoak2]

Here's the 120rpm record you talking about . crazy fast. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6TGkIN3gJhspdE

[@robertgaines-tulsa]

Such a thing exists? It would be great if someone uploaded a video of that.

[@TheRailroad99]

Crazy! That "HiFi" 78 you showed at the beginning was just perfect. Like a time capsule. Just imagine, this was recorded before the 2nd world war, times were completely different, end of the golden 20s, and yet still it sounds nothing worse than a 128kbps mp3. Mindboggling!

[@davek12]

I'm shocked it hasn't triggered a copyright warning. RCA records used to reissue very old recordings periodically which are usually Red Seal. I'm glad it sounds good.

[@vwestlife]

It did get two musical composition copyright claims, which are totally bogus since The Mikado lapsed into the Public Domain back in the 1960s, so of course I disputed them.

[@peacearchwa5103]

In the USA, most (but not all) pre-1972 sound recordings are not specifically covered by Federal copyright protection though there are a few exceptions. However, last year, the US Congress passed legislation aimed at allowing the creators of pre-1972 original master recordings to demand "public performance" royalty payments from satellite radio services. This topic of pre-1972 recordings, as well as what musical compositions are public domain, is a very thorny subject with incredibly complex details as well as different laws in other countries. "Pre-1972" sometimes is defined as originally released before 1972, so a pre-1972 recording first released for sale years later is considered copyright-protected. I am glad to hear this ancient and obscure recording, one of millions which are unlikely to be commercially reissued by the owner of the original master recordings.

[@MrDuncl]

@@peacearchwa5103 1972 isn't that long ago when you consider the careers of well known, living, artists like Paul McCartney or even Elton John . Not surprisingly they still want the royalties to fund their retirements. Maybe copyright should die with the last of the artists on the recording although I suspect Elvis's estate would disagree with that.

[@MrToradragon]

@@MrDuncl Or maybe it should be done as in case of patents that you have to pay some fee after initial patent protection had expired. As well different protection should apply to recordings and live performances. I think that after, let's say 15 or 20 years other artists should be able to perform those songs live without any fees that they would have to pay.

[@refluxcatalyst7190]

"Use 3 to 4 oz needle pressure...' 3 to 4 OUNCES. Good lord....mine runs at 1 gram.

[@ChrisXif1]

Your videos and content are oddly satisfying to watch and listen to. The fidelity of this very beat-up looking wannabe 78 is just amazing! Thank you!

[@fromthesidelines]

"Ave Maria", by Jascha Heifetz, was recorded on November 9, 1917. 7:16- "My Buddy", by the International Novelty Orchestra (a Nat Shilkret ensemble), was recorded on December 2, 1922.

[@IsaacSmelcZhan]

Funny because they are both in sleeves from the 40s

[@niedaugusto1735]

I watched the format war video from techmoan..was very informative....you videos are very good too...nice channels to watch!!!

[@jimrick6632]

THE SOUND WAS SO MUCH IMPROVED FROM THE 78 SHELAC RECORDS..IT IS AMAZING IT TOOK THE RECORD INDUSTRY SO LONG TO DEVELOP THE 33 1/3 AND 45 RPM RECORDS...ALSO IT TOOK THEM A LONG TIME TO REALIZE HOW SUPERIOR THE MOVIE SOUNDTRACK RECORDINGS WERE TO THE 78 SHELAC RECORDINGS...THE QUALITY OF THOSE GLENN MILLER 1941 SOUNDTRACK STEREO RECORDINGS ARE AMAZING...AND DISNEY "FANTASIA" STEREO SOUNDTRACKS FROM 1940 ARE GREAT TO HEAR...NOW EVERYTHING IS DIGITAL...

[@jeenkzk5919]

Thanks for following up! I was curious about that format! I love music from this era! Prozoot is a great channel to listen to! He records off the 78s from the 20s 30s and 40s. He cleans up any pops he can

[@stephenjerome4135]

Wow, considering the condition of that record and its age that didn't sound too bad actually.

[@Recordology]

Great video! Learned a lot!

[@NJRoadfan]

Much to my surprise, there actually appears to be some sort of equalization curve applied to these early pre-LP 33 1/3 disc recordings.

[@clydesight]

Great video, and really nice sound from the recording in spite of the dings! Love your videos. Thanks!

[@bf0189]

Wow that Ted Weems record sounds excellent for being recorded in the early 30s. Also prohibition probably played a part as well. You couldn’t really have a party and jockey your records with no booze so everyone went out to the speakeasies and there was often live music which gave way to swing and such. Thanks for the video!

[@Musicradio77Network]

The audio quality was clean for a 1930’s recording. That was back when there were no tape recorders, just to cut a record at a recording studio at the Victor Studios in Camden NJ or possibly another location somewhere.

[@Trance88]

Sounds pretty good for an 87 year old record! Pretty wild to think that 33 1/3 actually existed before microgroove technology.

[@nbntelevision1]

I've wanted to hear one of these for AGES! Thank you.

[@mikepokorny2835]

This all in one unit really does enhance certain types of records. As you said, once the styles get upgraded these types of record players do have a right to be there. Most of them won't cost you much and nearly all of them come with 78rpm option. Great video!

[@Joe-KN4IFI]

The Mikado. An opera by Gilbert and Sullivan. One of my all time favorites.

[@dizzym9554]

That was beautiful and I'm really glad I got a chance to hear it. Thank you.

[@glennriquito381]

RCA sold special chrome-plated steel needles to play these, and those needles were very abrasive. The groove of an RCA program transcription like this is actually slightly narrower than a standard "78"; specifically, the correct playback stylus is 2.5 mil versus 3 mil. That is also true of radio transcription discs. I have a few of these. One is 12". I picked them up at an antique shop for about $1 each, along with some 78s. Most antique dealers assume they're ordinary 78s.

[@neldinsky]

Wow....this really sounds incredible. This is haunting and timeless. Thank you. NB

[@hyzercreek]

This "failed format" was not a failed format at all, but was merely an attempt to sell to the public a format called Vitaphone, the first sound system for motion pictures. The first talking movie was The Jazz Singer of 1927, and the sound format was RCA Victor's 33⅓ records. In 1927 they used shellac, but RCA invented vinyl a couple years later. The sound-on-disc system had no competition until sound-on-film took over in the early 30s

[@hyzercreek]

The point of making the Vitaphone records out of vinyl is because the movie theatres were trying to play the shellac 16 inch records for the movie soundtrack and the records were breaking all the time. That's why RCA developed victrolac, because it didn't break, and 33 RPM to contain soundtrack for a whole reel of the movie. Trying to sell the format to home record players was a side line, it failed because of the depression.

[@erwindewit4073]

Wow, this really does sound like something from a different age at almost 88 years old... Not quite my cup of tea, but really cool still....

[@ronniepirtlejr2606]

The KZbin AI copyright computer didn't know what to think on this! lol :-) Sounds amazing, thank you!

[@hakemon]

I knew it! I knew you'd come out with a video to be a companion to techmoan. For some reason out of all people I figured you'd probably have it.

[@dougr.8653]

Thank you very much for this video. Cheers!

[@neilmansfield8329]

I did not know the first lp records were made in. 1930. The sound is so good

[@radionicpowers5938]

that 33 disc sounds really dynamic !

[@joanbecenti8938]

The music and sound remind me of those MGM musicals in the early 1930's.

[@filipbarski6990]

Important thing about Program Transcription records is that most of them were dubbed from 78s, I know that Stokowski's records were mastered on RCA PT for sure but many other were just some compilations to go on the new record changers. I have 2 "victrolac" Stokowski records but they are badly worn

[@manidig]

Many of them were dubbed from 78s but not all. They used the same master number series as the 78s. All references to them was purged from the Victor files long ago. In the card files the master numbers are there but not all of the issues in the L- series were notated. Several dance bands (Waring's Pennsylvanians, George Olsen, Isham Jones in particular) made extended medleys that were cut right to 33-- and the only reference to them in many of the discographies is "Experimental Record"

[@8_Bit]

EEEEPS!

[@TheRailroad99]

the way he said it really made my laugh... :D

[@JacGoudsmit]

I watched and listened to this while I was working, and I think I got about a week's work done in less than 25 minutes. :-)

[@robturner3065]

Love this vid, came here from format wars- you can see from the edge fracture and hear from the reproduction that 'Victrolac' is just shellac with finer filler, hence the inability to resist wear. Some 78s used this fine stock and they wear like crazy. If they had used the Columbia/Okeh laminated construction these could have sounded pretty decent. Tungstyle needles did indeed play 200 sides- they had a tungsten wire inside a soft metal outer (like a pencil that constantly re-sharpened itself) they would play until they were too short to use destroying every record that passed under them...

[@vwestlife]

Like I said in the video, I believe the 10-inch Program Transcription records were made from ordinary shellac. Only the 12-inch discs were made of Victrolac.

[@robturner3065]

@@vwestlife Hi thanks for the reply, my point is that there seems to be some confusion surrounding 'victrolac' which was certainly used for demonstration, broadcast and cinema discs but was it ever actually issued for domestic consumption? These early gold label discs all seem to be shellac.... if anyone reading this has a 12" retail victrolac disc I would love to know about it. BTW I too was very impressed with your recording :-)

[@stefvanmeel1]

Beautiful recording and a great operate

[@AMDRADEONRUBY]

Nice video Kevin love that kind of videos

[@Agamemnon2]

For a fan of The Mikado, this was especially a treat. As it happens, the oldest record in my collection (from 1942) is Webster Booth singing "A Wand'ring Minstrel I". I've no way to listen to it at present, but I hope to one day.

[@Longeno55]

Very interesting. The sound quality of the “Big Band” tune you played on that RCA Victor 78 sounded amazing. I have about sixty or so 78 RPM records all in the classical genre, and with only minor wear. Would anyone maybe you be interested? I would be thrilled to get 5 or 10 bucks a piece.

[@tiffanyaa]

@@bluebird6039 Anything is worth decent if it's in good condition

[@CARLiCON]

Wow the way they sing that opera music reminds me of the Wizard of Oz soundtrack. It's amazing how much better the sound quality is compared to the tinny 78s I've heard. If it's the same size disc but moving slower the grooves have to be thinner, right? Seems like there'd be less information which would mean lower fidelity, but it sounds great. Maybe it's your Pops & bass boost?

[@chrisa2735-h3z]

I had a 12" 78 of the first song on the record!! I haven't heard it in many years!

[@chuckdieselkicksdisks2380]

Cool I have a 12" 78 of Frank Sinatra somewhere...def different

[@brenthooton3412]

The high frequencies seem to be missing especially on the chorus sections... all you can hear are vowels!! It almost seems like going back 10 or 20 years in terms of audio fidelity. The contrast with the 1932 hi-fi record (approximately the same year) is astounding. I wonder how much of that is a limitation of the 1930s 33-1/3 technology and/or its use on wider-groove shellac records. I can see where a wider groove might have trouble reproducing high frequencies at lower speeds.

[@darrencolt5955]

I have over 40 Program Transcription "Singles", and a half dozen album sets. The Mikido is a very poor example of the quality of the best Program Transcriptions. . By mid - 1932 the sound quality of the PT's was just a shade less than their 78 RPM counterparts.

[@robfriedrich2822]

The same person, who made the first 33 rpm consumer record to a "success" was part of the company, who made after WW2 the 33 rpm vinyl LP.

[@fromthesidelines]

RCA made a mistake in trying to tie these "long playing" records in with their expensive Victrola radio/phonograph combinations [$250 and up]- as that was the ONLY way you could play them. By 1933, they tried to market a cheaper "attachment" which played 78's and the "33" Program Transcription records, and could plug into any radio.....but the Great Depression had taken its toll on the record business in general, as more people were listening to radios than playing records, and the industry almost collapsed. That's when RCA decided to "pull the plug" on their "33" discs- even though they continued to manufacture Victrolas which could play them for another year.

[@jhonwask]

It actually sounded so good, that i downloaded it to listen on my Hi-Fi.

[@pe1etr]

Interesting that this early American record featured a work by two British composers W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. This style was known as "Operetta", which was a less high-brow form of opera. It was often performed in Schools by school pupils (students), including at mine.

[@danieldaniels7571]

That record was really enjoyable. Thanks for sharing. It reminds me a lot of the music used in cartoons of the era

[@omegasalmonfish]

You should cross post this as a rare mikado recording, might access a whole new audience

[@firecatfly]

What a wonderful performance! Thank you SO much for playing the whole record!

[@larryboysen5911]

In my collection, I have a RCA Victor Duo, from 1933. AM radio and the Duo Ejector Changer. This unit plays both standard 78 RPM records and these 331/3 "Program Transcription" discs. This foray into the 331/3 format was a commercial failure...came too early at the wrong time [Great Depression]. As it turned out almost all these Program Transcriptions were merely dubbings of existing 78 masters! The tone arm had a slip on weight which fitted to the rear of the arm to reduce weight on the needle tracking, as some of these 33's were pressed of an early vinyl material...similar to radio transcription discs.

[@jimrick6632]

SOUND IS WONDERFUL FOR 1931....TO BAD IT TOOK SO LONG TO FINALLY GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER....I MARVEL AT A 331/3 ALBUM I FOUND THAT HAD THE SOUNDTRACKS OF TWO GLENN MILLER FILMS ON IT.....THEY TRANSFERED THE STEREO FILM TRACKS DIRECTLY TO THE RECORDS AND THE SOUND WAS AMAZING..AND IN 1941 STEREO.......PLAYING THAT RECORD AND COMPARING THE SOUND TO THE OLD COMMERCIAL RECORDINGS GLENN MILLER DID FOR 78 RECORDS WAS 100% BETTER....BUT IT TOOK TILL THE LATE FORTIES AND BING CROSBY PROMOTING THE CHANGE FROM 78'S TO LP AND 45 RPM RECORDS THAT REAL HIGH FIDELITY SOUND WAS DEVELOPED...AND THEN OF COURSE STEREO RECORDING...FASCINATING...THANKS FOR THE DOWNLOAD....

[@robfriedrich2822]

When you play, one can notice a lack in brilliance. A 78 rpm has frequencies up to 8 kHz, later ones up to 10 kHz.

[@robfriedrich2822]

@Andrew Battersby The Columbia LP could show, that the sound is much better, than a 78 rpm shellac. Well, a 78 rpm vinyl disc could sound much better, but they wanted records cheaper. The records before were possibly 9 minute music, the long play 45 minutes. So duplication was faster. And also storage and transport... an album was one 12" record in a simpler sleeve, instead 5 or 5 records in a book.

[@dwsh1]

ONE HUNDRED FORTY-ONE GRAMS? GODDAM!

[@CARLiCON]

Speaking of vinyl formulations, have you heard of antistatic ingredient 317x? It's in one of my RCA Victor albums from the early 60s. The cover notes claim it helps keep them clean & prevents surface noise. Comparing it to other albums I have from that era, it actually does work & still sounds very good.

[@vwestlife]

Yes, I've heard of it.

[@pcallas66]

Where there's a lot of midrange in the vocals, that part sounds worn to me, but overall, it sounds a lot better than I thought it would. It sounds like Hot Mikado. It played better from the gouge than I expected, too. Thank you for sharing.

[@bigbeef2654]

I am always amazed how the audio quality improves from 1877 wax recordings to vinyl.

[@SpeakerFreak95]

Hope you make videos on that AM stereo processor!

[@jinjunmei]

That was very interesting, thank you.

[@jhonwask]

Glad you did this video. Thanks.

[@dansettemajor]

Brilliant. Fascinating insight into gramophone history and the development of records. Thank you.

[@Musicradio77Network]

If you want to hear the RCA Victor demonstration record of the failed format, here it is. Side 1 has the “Victor Artists Party”. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nmGqkISefKybnpI Side 2 also has the “Victor Music Festival”. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXeQk2V8fsporsU These features announcements at the end where they mentioned about the RCA Victor 33 1/3 RPM long playing record from 1930. This never caught on until Columbia introduced it in 1948, and then RCA Victor re-launched the long playing record by 1950 which was a year after the launch of the 45 RPM format and a 45 RPM player in 1949.

[@CPorter]

really nice looking and listening to one of these, I haven't heard a new one in years.

[@vinylcity1599]

Very interesting piece of history!

[@djmhyde]

4:47 i'm not a native english speaker, so i'm very surpised to know that they called the needle "stylus" since the 30's, i though this was a recent thing, that came with the revival of vinyl.

[@olik136]

In German it was always called the equivalent of needle- scanning needle to be precise

[@MrDuncl]

I have always thought of needles being from the days of 78s as on the wind up record players they looked very similar. The term Stylus came in with LPs and 45s as those looked nothing like a needle and it sounded more scientific.

[@Mike-fi5se]

Nice, well thought out presentation, sadly marred by the use of a less than perfect transcribing device. I immensely enjoyed your video, and learned more on the history of analog recorded sound.

[@Narayan_1996]

Amazing video, a wonderful gift of Christmas and New Year, Thank you ^^ ♥♥♥♥♥

[@nicememe9450]

6:58 E E P S

[@kfl611]

Once the radio was purchased or payed for (on credit) the music was free, records were not free. The record industry thought they were going to go out of business, sales were so low. I think on side 1, someone dropped one of those 1930's heavy tonearms on it, and gouged out a spot on the album.

[@Bobrogers99]

It actually sounds pretty good! Although radio was becoming the big thing in the 1930s, most of what was aired was not recorded, which is a shame.

[@zorkikat]

"I've Got A Little List," one of the funniest and perhaps most famous numbers in The Mikado is missing from this transcription. When this opera is staged, this song is often given a new text, which in turn usually lists people in the contemporary scene "which no one would miss." :)

[@KayvonJavid]

LP, vinyl, albums, etc I will even through in vinyls because that is definitely proper English

[@williamjones4483]

Tonal quality of this recording is quite good actually. I cannot fathom placing 1/3 of a pound weight as tracking force though.

[@TralfazConstruction]

My uncle and my father were proprietors of an estate buyout business and (primarily an) auction. I was pretty young when I'd work like a field hand for my uncle (chuckling as I think of it now) for _hours_ setting-up the Saturday Night Auction then be rewarded a portrait of President Abraham Lincoln on a $5 bill. The things that passed through that auction! There were stacks of old records each one as thick as two nickels stacked one on the other. Another perk of this gig I had was free hot dogs w/sauerkraut and _one_ complimentary 12 oz. can of Pepsi. My metabolism was revving high in those days and I'd burn-off every calorie I'd taken-in that day and then some. I rarely stuck around for the actual auction because Saturday night _was_ date night and I had a $5 bill burning a hole in my pocket.

[@radionoakmont7756]

i hav over 455 78's of varying music types mostly waltz and foxtrots i love em nice n scratchy i even have about 30 Seeburg's 16 speed records 1077 45's mounds of 33's, me and my mom loved repairing the old players and radios im glad they switched to diamond needles the steel would tear into the record and ruin it at any speed yes I've been listening to records for 45 years straight and plan to keep on forever more.

[@PaulLea]

Great clip there VWestlife, I watched that Techmoan clip the other day too, very very interesting, just like your clip. Now that I have your info I must go through my 78 collection and see what's there. My 78's were from my parents and grandparents collections. I was the only one in our family that wanted them.

[@jhonwask]

Sounds amazingly good. What was the actual frequency response of the record. This is pre-RIAA, correct?

[@bobskie321]

Despite they are using a wide 78 RPM grooves and played on a 3 mil stylus, at 33⅓ the inner groove distortion is not that bad.

[@utub1473]

Doesn't Ortofon have a cartridge made just for 78s?

[@bobskie321]

@@utub1473 They have Ortofon gray for 78s.

[@schwarzalben88]

Bar the tenor singing Nanki Pooh ( who is atrocious and frequently sharp) it was quite interesting to hear this recording, who’s existance I was aware of but had never heard.( I don’t think these Victor LP,s ever made it to the UK) the tungsten Long playing needles did, they were known as Tungstyle needles here. In General as far as Shellac recordings are concerned, especially surface noise etc, USA pressings were always better quality than the same disc pressed in the UK. This was down to the ratio of Shellac to filler. I have some Victor recordings of Richard Wagner’s Siegfried. And duplicates on HMV and the Victor pressings are superior. The best pressings were evidently Indian, so I’m reliably informed which of course is where Shellac originates.

[@nickwallette6201]

4:04 Streaming media is killing record sales! 😁

[@robfriedrich2822]

A record company brought back the 33 rpm shellac in the 1950's. One guess they wanted to get rid the shellac plastic. The records were EPs with 4 songs.

[@Gregor7677]

A great piece of reproduction history. Thank you.

[@neilmansfield8329]

This is a great record and good new teac record player. This record should be nreleased on remastered vinyl and CD. It is a great opera record. Love it

[@chuckdieselkicksdisks2380]

Used to have this stereo cool. Don't remember it having 78rpm on it

[@mm-xu5df]

FINALY A RECORD THAT PLAYS,LONGER THAN 2 SECONDS ON KZbin !!!

[@pauldavies6037]

Amazingly good sound quality I would be interested if anybody knew how they were recorded how many mics a simple mixer straight into what sort of disc cutter equipment ?

[@IndiePulseMusic]

I recently came across a store here in Santa Maria, CA that did not know the value, I scored about 50 different 78 and early 331/3, some like this for less that 1.00 each, later,I found they literally tossed several boxes in the trash because they could not sell them fast enough, very sad.. but I found some real gems in Mint / as good as new condition.

[@dogsbody49]

The Mikado was first performed in the USA by the D'Oyle Carte opera Company in August 1885