[78-L] Acoustic disc playback speed?

[neechevoneeznayou at gmail.com]

And that's not even considering that they may change considerably 
between start and finish

joe salerno


On 1/25/2011 3:08 PM, Jim Shulman wrote:
> Unfortunately, Victors are all over the map--it's not possible to pin them
> down to a specific era for a uniform speed.  The best results come from your
> own ear and pitching.
>
> Jim Shulman
> Wynnewood, PA
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: 78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com
> [mailto:78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com] On Behalf Of Dave at Audio Tech
> Transfer
> Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2011 3:45 PM
> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> Subject: [78-L] Acoustic disc playback speed?
>
> 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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