[78-L] Groove spacing - groove width

[Ron L'Herault]

I suspect that since acoustics didn't have much bass, whatever improvement
that came via Orthophonic playback was considered phenomenal. 

Ron L

-----Original Message-----
From: Ron [mailto:roscoer at verizon.net] 
Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2016 10:18 AM
To: '78-L Mail List'
Cc: MOCAPS-L at yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [78-L] Groove spacing - groove width

Weren't the first Vitaphone movie discs issued in 1926?  I believe the first
Vitaphone movies were shorts, but that in 1926 "Don Juan" was a silent film
issued with a Vitaphone sound track comprised only of music and sound
effects, no dialogue.

Also, if some sort of low frequency attenuation wasn't used, then the
amplitudes of low frequencies would have required their attenuation to keep
the groove spacing down.  I believe that they saw their options in 1925 as
either 1. attenuate the bass or 2. provide a constantly wide groove that
would have accommodated the lowest frequency on the new Orthophonic records
[50 Hz].  The constant wide groove would have required a 12" diameter disc
to hold what was previously held on a 10" acoustic disc.
So the attenuation won out.

I personally have been very amazed that no corresponding bass boost on
playback was ever provided in the earliest electrical playback equipment
such as the Victrola 10-51 electrically amplified record changer.