[78-L] 78rpm speed
Michael Biel
mbiel at mbiel.com
Thu Feb 25 11:01:06 PST 2010
David Lennick wrote:
> Standard seems to have started up in '34. I don't know about World and
> Thesaurus. And MacGregor (with or without Solly, dat guy is alvays late) must
> have been earlier than that.
>
> dl
>
>
Those are just the music library services. World was doing recorded
programs back in1929. Same with MacGregor and Ingram.
Mike Biel mbiel at mbiel.com
> Michael Biel wrote:
>
>> In 1929 E.C. Raynor's Bureau of Broadcasting advertised comparisons of
>> their 16-inch 33 ETs with the other companies' 78s. I don't know where
>> Joe got the 1934 date from except from the introduction of the Presto
>> Disc in that year.
>>
>> Mike Biel mbiel at mbiel.com
>>
>> David Lennick wrote:
>>
>>> 33RPM ETs date from at least 1931..I've had several. I think the Philco
>>> Symphony Orchestra programs date from 1930 and these are 16-inch, running only
>>> 9-10 minutes a side (same length as soundtrack discs).
>>>
>>> The ARSC Journals online list a lot of 33RPM discs cut by Victor between 1931
>>> and '34, and even 3 discs cut at 16RPM. Educational, promotional, radio use as
>>> well as the issued PTs.
>>>
>>> dl
>>>
>>> neechevoneeznayou at gmail.com wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> Thanks Mike. Interesting, b'cast tables were 2 speeds from the early
>>>> 30s, which pre-dates ETs (1934 I believe, which I would call mid-30s).
>>>> Why a 33 speed in the early 30s, assuming you mean 1930-1933? Would
>>>> there have been a reason to play a soundtrack on the air?
>>>>
>>>> joe salerno
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Michael Biel wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Broadcast turntables were dual speed from the early 30s, and there were
>>>>> some dual speed tables for home use when the Program Transcription came
>>>>> out at that same time, and there were some school use of ETs in the late
>>>>> 30 thru the 40s so there were dual speed tables in schools as well. (I
>>>>> have the ETs that were still in my high school when I was on the AV
>>>>> squad in the early 60s. I asked for them as soon as they threw out the
>>>>> only 16-inch player!) But I think the terminology was usually
>>>>> "Standard" and either LP or ET, when referring to the Program
>>>>> Transcriptions or Electrical Transcriptions. Of course, short
>>>>> recordings were sometimes cut on ETs at 78, so perhaps broadcasters
>>>>> would call them "78 ETs". When the Columbia Lp and the 45 came out,
>>>>> this was the first time broadcasters also had to worry about stylus size
>>>>> as well as speed, so "microgroove 33s" or "ET 33s" might have entered
>>>>> their lingo. When Decca started to issue records and albums on all
>>>>> three speeds, the number was the designator on the sleeves, on the back
>>>>> of the jackets, and in the catalog. RCA emphasized "45" immediately
>>>>> from the very beginning. They were always called "forty-fives". They
>>>>> could have been called "Standard", "forty-five", and "Long playing", but
>>>>> I bet that once RCA ALWAYS used the designation of the speed number,
>>>>> that was the clincher for 78, 45, and 33. In looking thru a lot of
>>>>> original publications from the mid 30s to early 40s, I don't recall any
>>>>> mention of 78 or 78s. But as I write my script I will now make careful
>>>>> note for you of any time I might see these designations.
>>>>>
>>>>> Mike Biel mbiel at mbiel.com
>>>>>
>>>>> neechevoneeznayou at gmail.com wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> True, there were other speeds, but did the average home user of
>>>>>> phonograph records know about radio transcriptions and movie
>>>>>> soundtracks? I doubt that the average record buyer knew that Edison had
>>>>>> attempted an LP format at 300 or whateveritwas LPI. I think that most
>>>>>> likely, as stated, records were either standard (what we call a "78") or
>>>>>> something else, like the early LP attempts, which go back to cylinder
>>>>>> days. "Long playing" options would be the variation from the norm, but
>>>>>> even this is not correct. Motion pic soundtracks were only, to my
>>>>>> knowledge, recorded at 33 1/3, so that was the norm for that format. I
>>>>>> believe I've seen some ETs that were produced for classroom use, or
>>>>>> maybe could be used for either broadcast or classroom use. Or maybe they
>>>>>> repurposed ETs for distribution to classrooms to make more money. Home
>>>>>> recordings and ETs would be the place to find different speeds
>>>>>> available. So rephrasing the question, when did home players with 2
>>>>>> speeds (78 & 33) become common enough to be recognized by the consumer
>>>>>> for what they were? Late 40s to my knowledge. When did 33.3 become
>>>>>> common enough to be used in classrooms for audio visual presentations
>>>>>> (assuming my premise to be correct)? Can someone point to a catalog and
>>>>>> say 'this is the first example of a classroom record player with 33
>>>>>> speed on it'. Again, for consumer awareness, I'm thinking late '40s.
>>>>>> Maybe Mike Biel can answer this. (I assume that players for radio
>>>>>> stations had 2 speeds from the beginning of the ET era).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> joe salerno
>>>>>>
>>>>>> David Lennick wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> But since the slow speed (33 1/3 RPM) was in use as early as 1926 for sync
>>>>>>> soundtrack discs and radio stations were playing discs of both speeds after
>>>>>>> 1931 and 33RPM "Program Transcriptions" were marketed by RCA Victor that same
>>>>>>> year, the answer has to be a lot earlier, even if the general public didn't
>>>>>>> have reason to refer to "78s" till 1948..even then, the term "standard"
>>>>>>> remained popular for quite a while. The introduction of the "45" probably
>>>>>>> heralded the general use of speed designations. Lacquer discs, both studio and
>>>>>>> for home use, usually had boxes to check "78" and "33" on the labels.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> dl
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Royal Pemberton wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I'd say following the advent of the LP and the 45, so circa 1948/1949.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On Wed, Feb 24, 2010 at 3:34 AM, <L78rpm at aol.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> When, please, were the objects primarily associated with this list first
>>>>>>>>> called "78s"? This seems a reasonable question, I believe, given the
>>>>>>>>> adjustable speed mechanisms on early disc machines, and the suggestion
>>>>>>>>> that some
>>>>>>>>> brands should be played at 80rpms (or something other than 78).
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Paul Charosh
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
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