[78-L] That Early 20s Okeh sound

[Erwin Kluwer]

Well for me they were best captured by Aeolian Vocalion, maybe a bit more
restricted in lower dynamics (as of the vertical cutting) but very
beautifully caught in the mid and high range,,, But alas these records are
hard to come by..
Erwin


On 11/25/08, Chris Zwarg <doctordisc at truesoundtransfers.de> wrote:
>
> 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
>
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