[78-L] 78 "Restoration Challenge"!

[Antony Pepper]

Dear Chris,

>One suggestion: Could you add at least one *acoustic* track to your selection? I have often noticed that certain engineers do a splendid work on electrics but are stumped with acoustics, or (less frequently) vice versa.

Thanks. That's an excellent suggestion.

All,

I've dug around & found a vinyl pressing of a late acoustic Columbia
Bessie Smith. You've Been a Good Old Wagon features Louis commenting
on cornet (with Fred Longshaw, piano). Jan 1925.

www.historyanew.co.uk/78challenge/Bessie%20Smith%20-%20You%27ve%20Been%20a%20Good%20Old%20Wagon.zip

It's not worn particularly, but sadly it has been knocked about
rather, so there're plenty of ticks. Had to play it with a 2.5 -
nothing larger I have tracked reasonably through all the scratches (at
78)! This probably adds a little hiss compared with a larger tip.

Have to say it sounds pretty impressive naked, despite all that!

Best,
Antony


>Hello Antony,
>
>at this moment I'm downloading your samples and I'll see what I can do with them :o)
>
>
>Best,
>
>Chris Zwarg
>
>At 02:29 23.12.2008, you wrote:
>
>>Hello,
>>
>>Merry Christmas everyone.
>>
>>Recent talk on the list of differing restoration techniques, and a
>>possible challenge...
>>
>>I'm never sure if restoration is really the right word, but
>>"representation" might sound a bit posh... Whatever, it means doing
>>things like declicking, decrackling, derumbling, EQing and/or whatever
>>else takes your fancy to make the sound in your view more listenable,
>>I guess.
>>
>>Anyhow, I've uploaded four flat sample transfers to:-
>>
>>www.historyanew.co.uk/78challenge/
>>
>>All jazz. One vinyl pressing, and three shellacs. Armstrong's West End
>>Blues (1928) from an laminate Aussie Parlo, Duke's Braggin' in Brass
>>(1938) from a lam US Brunswick, Hawk's It Sends Me (1934) from a UK
>>Parlo (EMI crackle!), and Venuti & Lang's Doin' Things (1928) from
>>vinyl (and probably an alt take!!)...
>>
>>Files are 96/24, stereo, in WAV format and ZIPped to make them a bit
>>smaller. ~1/3 gig total.
>>
>>Together a nice batch of particular and general problems to overcome!
>>
>>So, if you have a little time over the holiday season, please feel
>>free to download one or more of them and work on them as you would and
>>then send me the result, saying a bit about what you did and whether
>>you want me to put it up on the page for others to listen to or not.
>>
>>Or post the result on your site, with a link to the above page, and
>>tell us about it here.
>>
>>I'd suggest high-rate MP3s (320kbps), but any reasonable format would
>>be okay (FLAC for example, if you want non-lossy). I would not suggest
>>a 96/24 WAV file for the final product as that would be huge of
>>course! And if your result is mono, please make the file mono too.
>>
>>I'll post my own versions of all four sides, after a short while (i.e.
>>when I've done them!), but don't wait for that.
>>
>>Finally, it's not a competition - no judging and no prizes! It's just
>>for fun... :-)
>>
>>Best,
>>Antony
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>
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