[78-L] Removal of hiss on 78 transfers

[Glenn Longwell]

Check this out.
 
http://www.kqed.org/quest/television/how-edison-got-his-groove-back
 
Glenn

--- On Fri, 2/5/10, DAVID BURNHAM <burnhamd at rogers.com> wrote:


From: DAVID BURNHAM <burnhamd at rogers.com>
Subject: [78-L] Removal of hiss on 78 transfers
To: 78-L at 78online.com
Date: Friday, February 5, 2010, 5:54 PM


This is one of those issues which will never be resolved to everyone's satisfaction.  Some listeners are disturbed, as pointed out on 78L, by the removal of noise from 78s.  I personally like the look, feel, smell and sound of a 78.  I also like the music but that's another matter.  Although I am equipped to make pretty fair copies of 78s, when I'm constantly monitoring to make sure my noise reduction techniques are not audibly affecting the music, I don't really make copies for my own use.  I like to see the record turning with a new steel needle drawing the music from the soul of the shellac, (or on a more modern player with a lightly tracking diamond capturing the notes).

In a posting I submitted several months ago, (and which was shot down at the time by Dr. Biel), I stated that I have believed for many years that it is technically feasible, (if not already possible), to capture the music completely intact from the grooves of a 78 without any noise whatsoever.  The procedure I visualize would not involve playing the record but would extract the signal by laterally scanning the groove with a laser and thereby establishing the exact position of the cutting stylus with each scan while ignoring any surface noise causing aberrations such as dirt or wear.  This process would not even need a disc in pristine condition since even a worn disc contains enough information to find the stylus position, (otherwise there would be no music at all coming from the disc when played).  The system, as I see it, would require a first generation disc in at least fair condition because the procedure would be so perfect that, if a second
generation pressing is used, the noise of the disc in hand would be completely removed while the noise of the source disc would remain completely intact, (not even the best CEDAR system can do that).

If such a mastering system became a reality, would its product be acceptable to 78 collectors?  Obviously it would to some but not to others and in my case, I'd probably enjoy the music from the new mastering while keeping the 78s as well because I like the look, smell, etc. etc.  One virture of surface noise on 78s is that it can appear to restore some missing high frequencies.  The surface noise from pre-1936 American pressings or any British or European pressings is, in the hf range, pretty close to white noise, (equal energy at all frequencies).  Some of those energy elements are going to be identical in frequency and amplitude to the missing harmonics of the original performance, therefore, to some extent, filling those harmonics in and psychologically giving the impression that these harmonics are being reproduced.  Similar, but not identical, to the phenomenon of "false bass" where a bass fundamental which was present at the original source
but wasn't recorded is restored during playback as a result of the harmonics which were recorded.

db
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