[78-L] That Early 20s Okeh sound

[Chris Zwarg]

At 07:03 25.11.2008, you wrote:
>I have read that engineer Charles Hibbard was the man responsible for the great sound of the acoustical OKehs.  If true, he's the same genius who set up the Original Dixieland Jazz Band for their first Victor session in February, 1917, with such perfect results. 

You must have heard other ODJBs than ever came my way! I find them (like most band/orchestral Victors of the period) suffering from a very restricted response badly lacking in lower midrange and bass, made worse by the typical "tinny" ambience of the Camden studio with its short but heavy "bathroom" reverberation. None of the clear and open treble of a typical Diamond Disc either. Musically disappointing as they may be, the few ODJB Columbias win hands down in terms of fidelity.

>thoughts about OKeh's odd, lengthy transition from acoustic to electric?  Victor and Columbia switched from acoustic to Western Electric almost overnight, ca. March, 1925. 

Not quite - Victor continued occasionally recording acoustically until July 25 IIRC, and Columbia made many acoustic sides for its budget "Harmony" label during several years afterwards. Remember that OKeh recorded in several locations, probably with portable equipment, which might have made it more difficult to switch to electric at short notice. Certainly other internationally-operating companies, like HMV and DGA/Polydor, were still using acoustic in remote locations (Balcan countries, East Asia) in 1927, two years after their main studios had gone electric.

Chris Zwarg