Columbia Records Remote Recording Manual 1930

[3rd&4thT]

CHARM: Columbia Graphophone Company: Recording Expeditions Instructions

Have fun,
3rd&4thT

[RichS]

I guess "loudness wars" existed back in the 30's! Check out item number 21 and 22 on page six.

[NorseHorse]

22 - In some cases an Agent may insist on certain records being made extraodinarily loud, or attempt in other ways to alter the technique, taking upon himself the responsibility of the finished recording. In such cases the Agent should be required at the time to sign the Weekly Report to that effect.

[hurd300403]

with such rigid rules i find myself wondering how record labels were ever able to create art. ever.



very interesting read though!

[3rd&4thT]

They had different symptoms for overloading then.

Not only would you generate audible blasting by goosing the volume, but the disc would wear out faster, creating disgruntled customers (imagine spending five bucks for a single), and the needle might even fly off the 78 due to mistracking.

They were afraid of overloading the grooves long before microphones, in the acoustic era before 1925. There's a distance test of Dame Nellie Melba preserved from around 1909 (?), singing the same passage over and over at different distances from the recording horn. She sounds wonderful up close, but it wouldn't track, and the furthest distance with the dimmest sound wound up being the one used.

Aside from questions about loudness and groove geometry, some other points that impressed me about the manual were

1) Japan and Indonesia? For London-based engineers in 1930? Wow!

2) the sheer physical laboriousness of carting around the world vulnerable wax blanks, heating cabinets and ceiling-mounted weights for driving the turntable, and then shipping them all home again. We complain about carpal tunnel - think about their backs and knees!

3) rectangular shaped rooms? Why should rooms with curved walls be avoided?

3rd&4thT

[klaukholm]

Originally Posted by 3rd&4thT

3) rectangular shaped rooms? Why should rooms with curved walls be avoided?

3rd&4thT

Curved walls are acoustically risky in a concerthall. This is not to say it cannot sound good, but a classic shoebox is less risky to work with.

Often in competitions for designing concerthalls you will have to provide a physical model to be measured if the design incorporates curved walls. Otherwise it can usually be handed in in a standard digital format.

What they are saying is pick a good hall for your recording and here are some red flags to look for.

[David Spearritt]

The section (10) on "Cables" was funny.

[MarkRB]

Wow!

What a fantastic find. Thanks for posting that.

It's amazing how much of that rings true today. Except the "2 recording sessions of 3 hours each is regarded as a satisfactory day's work" bit, sadly.

[3rd&4thT]

Originally Posted by MarkRB

Wow!

What a fantastic find. Thanks for posting that.

It's amazing how much of that rings true today. Except the "2 recording sessions of 3 hours each is regarded as a satisfactory day's work" bit, sadly.

Heh , I don't think that's testimony to anything other than the arduousness of the recording process.

If you had a good take, you could not play it back for confirmation, because even one playing would spoil the wax. That's why there's such an emphasis on tests. And tests eat up the day.

Plus we don't have to crank a 100-pound weight up to the ceiling each time we want to record.

Given the described dimensions of this rugged "portable" equipment, it all sounds quite exhausting.

No gym memberships here - these burly lads came by their bulging biceps naturally.

Cheers,
3rd&4thT

[klaukholm]

Originally Posted by MarkRB

Wow!

What a fantastic find. Thanks for posting that.

It's amazing how much of that rings true today. Except the "2 recording sessions of 3 hours each is regarded as a satisfactory day's work" bit, sadly.

I am not sure what you mean, but it generally not a good idea to do more work than that when working with orchestras.

[David Spearritt]

Yes, I agree. Two 3 hr sessions is all we can stand per day, when reading scores, recording and producing. After that, concentration, hearing, discrimination all goes downhill to everyone's detriment.

[klaukholm]

Getting an orchestra that sounds still performs at is best after about 5hrs is rare.
chances are better with two services split with a good amount of time in between and then the limit is about 6hrs even with a top london orchestra.
(those are the hardest working orchestras in the world and they are used to triple services on a regular basis) A friend of mine in the philharmonia orchestra showed me next months scedule and they do in a month and a half what we do in a season and still kick our ass any day.

[MarkRB]

Originally Posted by klaukholm

I am not sure what you mean, but it generally not a good idea to do more work than that when working with orchestras.

I'll use smiley's next time I attempt a lame joke.



Move along, nothing to see here........

[klaukholm]

As you can tell from my posts, Norwegians do not have a sense of humour.
Much like texas (where I lived for many years) Norway tried to purchase a sense of humour with oil money, but alas...

[Remoteness]

Fascinating.

Thanks for sharing this wonderful find.

Originally Posted by 3rd&4thT

CHARM: Columbia Graphophone Company: Recording Expeditions Instructions

Have fun,
3rd&4thT

[3rd&4thT]

Originally Posted by Remoteness

Fascinating.

Thanks for sharing this wonderful find.

Glad you enjoyed it. I couldn't believe it when I ran across it.

I suspect that a lot of these 1930 remote sessions may very well have been of standard repertoire in Central Europe, but those in Egypt or Indonesia or Japan were probably not of a full 80-piece orchestra playing Brahms.

Operatic arias backed by a half-sized orchestra, art or traditional song titles with piano or chamber ensemble, or a folk group of international ethnographic interest would also qualify for remote recording.

I don't know, how long can a gamelan ensemble play before their gongs get exhausted?

3rd&4thT

[clownjuggles]

I would make an addition as to how caruso himself saw recording music back during those early days of the profession!