[78-L] Acoustic disc playback speed?

[Taylor Bowie]

I have one of those direct drive turntables.  How do I translate the 
plus-and-minus percentages into actual revolutions?

I had no idea that the olde-time Victors were that slow...less than 72rpm?


Taylor


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Lennick" <dlennick at sympatico.ca>
To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2011 12:53 PM
Subject: Re: [78-L] Acoustic disc playback speed?


> One thing I've found over decades of doing transfers is that there are no
> absolutes. Your best bet is to use a good pitchpipe and try and adjust the
> playing speed to existing keys. E Flat, F, G, B Flat and C are probably 
> the
> most commonly used in popular music. Some Columbias like Frank Crumit's 
> "Lena
> from Palesteena" play just fine at 78.
>
> dl
>
> On 1/25/2011 3:44 PM, Dave at Audio Tech Transfer wrote:
>> Greetings from Wyoming,
>>
>> One of my biggest frustrations with playing acoustic discs is trying to 
>> determine correct playback speed.  I'm aware of the advice to listen for 
>> certain notes, judge whether they're sharp or flat and adjust 
>> accordingly.  Which doesn't help as I'm not a trained musician and I 
>> don't have a clue.  I think I can get pretty close with recordings that 
>> have singing or voices, but instrumentals are a real challenge.
>>
>> In doing research on various websites devoted to 78s, I've found advice 
>> (which varies) but often cites these guidelines:
>>
>> Victor (early acoustics to 1909)          71.29 RPM
>> Victor (later acoustics 1909-1925)      76.59 RPM
>> Columbia (acoustic)                          80.00 RPM
>>
>> The general consensus seems to be that Edison DD are 80 RPM and they do 
>> sound correct at that speed.
>>
>> I'm just not sure about the Victors and Columbias though, and I don't 
>> trust my ears completely.  I'm currently transferring a large number of 
>> my 78s to WAV files in preparation for a radio show I'll be doing at a 
>> local college station.  So I'm understandably concerned about accuracy. 
>> I also have the occasional customer bring old acoustic discs for transfer 
>> to digital, so customer needs are a consideration as well.
>>
>> Any tips on arriving at correct speed would be appreciated.  I'm using 
>> Technics direct drive turntables for playback, so I've got capability to 
>> adjust pitch within a +/- 9.9% range.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Dave aka Cactus Cowboy
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