[78-L] whats the fate of blank cds..Marconi recording blanks..

[Michael Biel]

From: "Steve Williams" <jazzhunter at collector.org>

> I have a fully functional Marconi Recordio but of course no Wilcox-Gay
> blanks... (The Wilcox-Gay radio-recorders were assembled and branded by
> Marconi in Canada.) I had read online that with moderately high weight
> optical blanks could be used for needle cuts on home disc cutters. So I
> clamped a rotted CD-r (I'll have to make a spindle adaptor) and recorded a
> minute of AM radio, and sure enough the results are excellent. The disc
> will play back fine on my Thorens TD-124 with V15MkIII 78 stylus. In fact
> it's very quiet though a bit wowwy. I'll make a YouTube video of the
> process.. Talk about retro-functionality!

I did this about ten or so years ago at the same ARSC presentation that
Lennick mentioned Graham Newton recording my presentation on lacquer
discs.  I took a Columbia CD single and at home  recorded an edit of one
of the Columbia Double-Disc Record demos with a Presto disc cutter on
the CD, being careful not to damage the CD music at the very center.  At
the end of my presentation on the history of instantaneous disc
recording I first had the techie play a few seconds of the CD in the CD
player.  I then put the same CD on a Victrola Ten which I had brought up
for the occasion.  IT PLAYED!!  A DOUBLE-DISC RECORD!!!!!!!  A combo
CD/Acoustical record!!!

I predict that your cutting stylus might last for a total of 15 minutes
recording if you are lucky.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbielcom