[78-L] Stereo half-track tapes

[Michael Biel]

 From: "Robert M. Bratcher Jr." <bratcher at pdq.net>
> None of the 2 track tapes I own or have dubs of are fake stereo
> however I haven't heard your concerto so perhaps it is fake stereo. 

No, it's real stereo, all right.  It is rather famous because it was out
of print on LP by the time stereo discs came out, so RCA didn't bother
putting it out on a stereo LP at the time.  The other thing to remember
is that nobody did fake stereo until the three Toscanini LME LPs.  They
did add fake reverb and echo in the 50s to both mono and stereo, but
there was such a backlog of things they had stereo masters of that they
didn't start with fake stereo until after the era of 2-track
pre-recorded tape was over.  I do think the Toscanini LMEs were put out
on 4-track open reel. 

>From David Lennick
>>I have often found that RCA's mono versions are sonically
>> superior to their stereo counterparts. One particular
>> example which comes to mind is the 1954 Also Spach
>> Zarathustra by Reiner and CSO.

There were many critics in the early stereo LP years which commented on
the superior fidelity of some mono releases -- something that the
vinylphools don't like being told about.  Remember that the early
pre-1957 stereo was largely experimental at RCA and many of the other
labels.  John Pfeiffer ran the stereo equipment separately from the mono
as just an afterthought.  Again I highly recommend the 2-CD set The Age
of Living Stereo: A Tribute to John Pfeiffer, 09026-68524-2.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com