[78-L] 16 2/3 RPM

David Lennick dlennick at sympatico.ca
Mon Aug 5 11:07:33 PDT 2013


16 2/3 was used for spoken word recordings as well as for some really 
long-playing jazz and popular albums from about 1952 (even some classical, I 
think) but certainly not for radio transcriptions. However, Victor recorded a 
few discs at 16 in the early 30s, and these are in the ARSC discography of 
33rpm masters. So the speed must have existed at the time. The Talking Books of 
the 30s played at 33rpm although England cut them at 24.

dl

On 8/5/2013 1:09 PM, Sammy Jones wrote:
> Somebody over on the International Jack Benn Fan Club Facebook page asked me if I had any radio transcriptions cut at 16 RPM.  I told him I did not, and that 16 would be a pretty uncommon speed for radio recordings.
>
> He said when he worked at a radio station they had Gates turntables that could play at 16, and the speed was marked "transcriptions."  What would have been the purpose of that?  Compatability for recorded books for the blind?
>
> I'm reminded that there were records intended for in-car use cut at 16 2/3...
>
> DL, were those Sherlock Holmes radio shows/talking books from the early '30s cut at 16 2/3?
>
> Sammy Jones


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