[78-L] recording sessions on lacquers began . . . ?

[Michael Biel]

The Victor ledgers state what the recordings were made on, wax, lacquer,
film, etc.  Cutting a Glenn Miller side directly on 78 lacquer as shown
in the film was probably the established procedure long before then.  I
gave Jack Myrtle a set of photocopies of the Spike Jone artist file of
Victor ledgers and I think that most of the discs were 78 lacquers, not
dubs from 33 safeties.  He might have misinterpreted the sheets.  There
are several dubbing sessions in the ledger sheets where new 78 lacquers
are cut from 78 lacquers to reduce the level of a gunshot or some other
problem.  It is quite true that Victors of that era are lousy.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com    


-------- Original Message --------
From: David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>

As I understand it, Columbia began recording 33RPM safeties alongside
the 78RPM 
masters in 1939, and then decided to use the 33RPMs as source material
soon 
thereafter. Decca bought World during the AFM ban and when it ended in
the fall 
of 1943, everything was being cut first at 33. There were definitely
other 
labels dubbing 78 masters from 33s..Varsity for one (check out the two
very 
different issues of "She Had To Go and Lose it at the Astor", which when

adjusted for speed differences are the same take, and a 45RPM issue of
Jan 
Peerce's "Vesti la Giubba" which is full of 33RPM surface noise).

As for Victor, Jack Mirtle in his Spike Jones book says that original
sessions 
began to be cut on 33RPM lacquers in 1944, but from the ghastly quality
of the 
issued records from this time, it sounds as if dubs were made and then 
re-dubbed and the original lacquers tossed or scrapped or recycled. I
think 
there's a note in a Koussevitzky discography (ARSC Journal) that refers
to 
33rpm safety copies in the late 40s. Anyone know for sure?

dl

On 4/21/2012 9:10 AM, Milan P Milovanovic wrote:
> And may I ask one further question: were master 78 rpm discs (that went
> later on electroplating) cut directly from the console output or these were
> dubs from 16" master/safety discs used for recording everything in studio
> during session?
>
> It is interesting that in "Orchestra Wives" (1942) Miller's band is
> portrayed while doing recording session on 78 rpm lacqer discs.
>
> Thank you.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Randy Watts"<rew1014 at yahoo.com>
> To: "78-L Mail List"<78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Sent: Saturday, April 21, 2012 3:24 AM
> Subject: [78-L] recording sessions on lacquers began . . . ?
>
>
> When did Victor and Columbia begin recording sessions onto 16-inch lacquers?
>
> Randy