[78-L] A question about Decca speeds

David Lennick dlennick at sympatico.ca
Fri Oct 14 14:10:21 PDT 2011


Is the later one in "Theme Songs"? I remember that as being much inferior to 
the older one.

And then there was Thornhill's "Portrait of a Guinea Farm", which was NEVER 
re-cut and which even on lp sounded dubbed from a bad 78..sometimes I wonder if 
Columbia's original glass masters got broken and there were no safeties of the 
safeties.

dl

On 10/14/2011 4:39 PM, Royal Pemberton wrote:
> I've heard Claude Thornhill's 'Snowfall' on both Columbia 36268 and the
> later 37271.  Same original master and take but different dubbings and
> vastly different sound quality.  The original actually has bass in it, the
> later one is rolled off below about 120 Hz.
>
> On Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 9:15 PM, David Lennick<dlennick at sympatico.ca>wrote:
>
>> New York Deccas almost always need to be played about 2.4% up through 1948,
>> but
>> I've generally found that Los Angeles Deccas play pretty close to 78. Some
>> mid
>> 30s NY and Chicago Deccas need to go up close to 4%.
>>
>> As for EQ on Columbias, a lot of them after 1944 just sound DULLSVILLE,
>> man.
>> Remove some mid-range and you'll hear a lot more clarity. I'm convinced
>> that
>> Columbia and Victor equalized their records so that each would sound rotten
>> on
>> the machines made by the other company. All Columbias from early 1940 on
>> (maybe
>> slightly earlier) are dubs from 16-inch 33rpm originals. With all due
>> respect
>> to the authors of the book on EQ curves, which states that Columbia didn't
>> alter its curve between 1939 and 1955, horsefedders..they altered the curve
>> every time they cut a new master from an old source. I have a 2-disc set
>> with 3
>> different curves (Enesco's Rumanian Rhapsody #1, Stock/Chicago, each side
>> cut
>> at a different time in the 40s as stampers wore out).
>>
>> dl
>>
>> On 10/14/2011 4:08 PM, Iñigo Cubillo wrote:
>>> I’ve also been surprised to discover that many blue Deccas (again the
>> 2000-4000 range, I’m very fond of Bing) if DLA matrixes, seem to be
>> recorded at 80-81rpm! Anyone knows if it’s true or it’s my poor brain?
>>> _______________________________________________
>>>
>> On 10/14/2011 4:06 PM, Iñigo Cubillo wrote:
>>> I’ve been lately worried with a question. How is the right EQ for US
>> blue Deccas in the 2000-4000 range? I’ve read at some EQ charts (WAMS,
>> Elliot and others) that a treble rollof of up to –12db shall be applied,
>> but they sound great to my ears with a flat treble (RIAA eliminated).
>>>
>>> And also I played just yesternight the Sinatra red Co 36947 (full moon
>> and empty arms (rachmaninoff's concerto), co 35441 2 (w) // you are too
>> beautiful, hco 1522 1a (w)) and I was surprised by the strange EQ of the HCO
>> side; much killed treble at flat position and thin bass. It is like a poor
>> dubbing. Anyone knows the reason?
>>> _________________________________


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