[78-L] inter-aural level differences

[J. E. Knox]

Greetings from FixitLand!

Steven C. Barr wrote:

> There is a common 78 which proves interesting facts about sound
> recording...!Pull out (I hope you own it!)..."Freshie" by Waring's
> Pennsylvanians...! Virtually ALL Victor records were recorded in
> studios with ANY vestige of reverberation eliminated; however,
> "Freshie" was audibly "live" studio....snd the result is a recording
> with an "almost stereo" sound...!

"Live" doesn't begin to describe that aural disaster-piece-theatre!!  
Those first electrical sides recorded in Los Angeles suffered  
terribly from the acoustics, and they have a strong tendency to  
shrill blasting. Have you read Harry Sooy's memoirs regarding those  
sessions? Here ya go:

> August 28th, 1925: I left Oakland for Los Angeles to determine what  
> could be done in the latter city, arriving in Los Angeles August 29th.
>
> It seemed advisable and I deemed it might be beneficial to take a  
> chance outside of our home Laboratory, therefore, wired Linderman  
> and Green to come to Los Angeles immediately with the Equipment.  
> They arrived September 1st.
>
> We were quartered, at the Alexandria Hotel, and this Hotel not  
> having sufficient rooms in which to do our recording, we rented  
> Symphony Hall in the Music Art Studio Building, 232 South Hill  
> Street. This Symphony Hall has a seating capacity of about 450. We  
> rented this Hall for a week during the day @ $25.00 per day) but we  
> found it should have been rented exclusively because it was also  
> rented evenings, and in which, we learned, they were holding a  
> Spiritualistic Convention. This, we found detrimental as we could  
> not fix the room up for acoustic purposes, as we should have had  
> the privilege of doing. However, we did make a number of selections  
> of Waring’s Orchestra, Don Clark’s Orchestra, Glen Oswald’s  
> Orchestra and four Hawaiian selections.
>
> These records made in Los Angeles did not make a howling success,  
> but we did get a lot of valuable information.

Now, Steven, you know *exactly* where these Los Angeles sides were  
made! "Freshie" by Waring's Pennsylvanians was cut 5 September 1925  
(issued on Victor 19784-A; PBVE 141-4) "Feelin' Kind O' Blue" by Glen  
Oswald's Serenaders was cut the previous day (Victor 19809-B; PBVE  
135-2) and had only marginally better sound (that ain't sayin' much).  
But "Hay Foot, Straw Foot" (Victor 19814-B; 2 September 1925; PBVE  
131-2) doesn't come off too bad with careful equalization. (Oh, and  
for what it's worth, I find these play on-pitch at 77.00 rpm.)

I wonder how fiddly that early Western Electric gear really was? Or  
are we talking "operator error" here? By September, Victor had been  
working with WE gear in earnest about six months, and should have had  
sufficient experience with it to deal with unexpected situations like  
a performance hall they couldn't "fix up for acoustic purposes."

"Hey, Freshie! Where did you get that stuff?
Drop that cigarette! Don't be smokin' yet!
Guess you think you're tough? HUH?
Wipe that smile off your face!
Get those ears in place!
Pull in your neck! Don't try to object!
We're HARD BOILED SOPHOMORES!"

Take care,


Joe
--
"MMEEOOWW!!"--Douglas Fur and Kimberly Fur