[78-L] Fwd: Violin 78 acousticals

[AllenAmet at aol.com]

FYI:  Fwd:
 
Greetings.

I have  been asked by a representative of the Violin Society of America to 
assist with  an experimental acoustical research project involving the 
musical-instrument  collection of the United States Library of Congress.

Our goal is to make  a high-resolution digital recording of an excellent 
violinist playing the 1742  Guarneri del Gèsu violin that was once the concert 
instrument of Fritz  Kreisler.

In addition, the principal investigator hopes to make an  acoustically-cut 
78 rpm recording, which could then be played back on a  Victrola, and that 
sound would then be recorded in high-definition digital  sound. We would then 
hope to derive the transfer function of the acoustical  recording process, 
end-to-end.

Our reason for wishing for this is that  Fritz Kreisler himself believed 
that the recording process that was most true to  his tone was the acoustical 
process, and that after the advent of electrical  recording, things got 
worse and not better.

Right now, our difficulty is  that while there are many well-preserved 
Edison Cylinder recorders, we have been  unable to locate a working 78 rpm disc 
recorder, master lathe, or whatever the  proper term is. We hope that you 
will be able to assist us in this  regard.

My tentative explanation is that upon the development of  electrical 
recording, the existing acoustical disc recorders were converted,  because their 
turntables and motors were the same.

In any event, we will  appreciate any help you can give us.

Cordially,

John  Marks

Senior Contributing Editor and Columnist, Stereophile magazine  
www.stereophile.com 
Audio Columnist,  Listen magazine www.listenmusicmag.com
Record Producer, www.jmrcds.com  
Hear my two minutes of NPR “All Things Considered”  fame,
www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17035346  
Visit my YouTube Channel, www.youtube.com/user/cremonaguy