[78-L] experimental Victor electric?

Malcolm Rockwell malcolm at 78data.com.invalid
Mon Feb 2 08:47:25 PST 2015


I don't know if Gennett "had to go back to acoustical a few times" but 
they recorded both electric and acoustic versions of a number of tunes 
and were definitely A/B'ing during Sept. 1926 thru Jan. 1927 (in NYC) 
and c. Nov. 1926 - Feb. 1927 (in Richmond), with a block of electrics 
recorded in Chicago from January until April, 1927, while the Richmond 
studio geared up for electrical recording.
There is also a batch of recordings made in Richmond, but using the NY 
matrix series numbers (GEX 937 - GEX 1023) in November and December 
1927. Why, I do not know. Yet.
Malcolm

*******

On 2/1/2015 5:54 PM, David Lennick wrote:
> Brunswick, OKeh and any labels without access to Western Electric made lousy
> electricals when they first converted. Gennett had so much trouble with the new
> equipment they had to go back to acoustical a few times, and the early Marsh
> stuff is unbelievably rotten. I have no particular affection for Victor
> acousticals...played it too safe. Columbias seemed to have a much fuller sound.
>
> dl
>
> On 2/1/2015 10:29 PM, Rodger Holtin wrote:
>> Almost agree with your list David, but I've always thought every early electric Victor or Columbia was head and shoulders above any acoustic I ever heard.  The sonic range may not be all the much greater but the fine details of the fainter sounds sure seem to be registered much better; the sibilance of singers or the bite of a fiddle bow, fr'instance.  Just my opinion.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: 78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com [mailto:78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com] On Behalf Of DAVID BURNHAM
>> Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2015 12:30 AM
>> To: 78-L Mail List
>> Subject: Re: [78-L] experimental Victor electric?
>>
>>
>> I think you'll find that almost every step forward in audio technology has been prefaced by a step backwards - the first electrics weren't as good as the best accoustics, the first LPs not as good as the best 78s, the first stereos not as good as the best monos and the first digitals not as good as the best analogs, (especially direct to disc analogs).
>> db
>>
>>
>>
>



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