[78-L] Light-Ray?

[Michael Biel]

To make a simple explanation of the Brunswick Light Ray Recording
process, it was part of the Pallophotophone sound-on-film process
developed for General Electric by Charles Hoxie in 1922.  The Panatrope
Light Ray Microphone had a tiny mirror connected to the diaphragm.  For
sound-on-film this mirror vibrated light onto the film.  For regular use
as a microphone, such as for disc recording, the light hit a
photo-electric cell and this varying electrical current would be sent to
the cutter head, also invented by Hoxie.


From: David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>
> True..Brunswick's earliest electricals were worse than their acousticals.
> dl

It is hard to know what to blame this on, the light-ray microphone or
the cutter head.  I am not sure if they continued to use the Hoxie
cutter head after switching to normal microphones.

And by the way, the lightning Brunswick label (NOT called Electrobeam
because that was the Gennett label name) was not an indicator of Light
Ray Recording.  That label was mainly for their country music series.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com  


>>
>> On 17/04/12 20:27, David Lennick wrote:
>>> Brunswick's Light Ray process, which wasn't Western Electric's (nor nearly as
>>> good).
>>>
>>> dl
>>>
>>> On 4/17/2012 3:22 PM, Milan P Milovanovic wrote:
>>>> Dear members,
>>>>
>>>> At the beginning of this video
>>>> http://youtu.be/bvqJUxM4C4g
>>>> (Fletcher Henderson Orchestra playing "Sensation", Vocalion B 1092)
>>>> there is frame showing original label of this record.
>>>> I wonder what "Light-Ray" in front of words Elec(trical) Rec(ording) stands for?