You gents will appreciate this

Curt Palme

Well-Known Member
Jan 25, 2012
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1
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I recently sold two Studer machines to the University of Santa Barbara's library. I was heading down to LA anyway, so I dropped the machines off. What I found there amazed me. They are one of about 5 locations in North America that preserves RTR tapes, 78s and Edison cylinders by transferring them to computer, then carefully storing the originals. While I knew what an Edison cylinder was, I'd never seen one in person. The USB has over 16,000 in stock! They inherit collections, but will also buy them if the material is rare enough.

The pix of the small filing drawers are full of Edison cylinders, the rest are the 78s, all in new sleeves. The RTR tapes that I saw being transferred are all USB lectures. One Scotch 111 box was from April 1959. The output of the modern day Edison player is a belt drive quartz locked variable pitch unit, with a magnetic tonearm and Shure cartridge with a 78 needle on it. The output is then sent to a digital processor, which removes much of the hiss and pops and clicks. The end result is sound quality close to that of a dictaphone machine from the 70s. Not hifi, but very clear, considering the recordings on them are 90+ years old.

I can add more info if you wish, but I figured I'd just post the pix. Enjoy!
 

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Curt Palme

Well-Known Member
Jan 25, 2012
86
1
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Part 2
 

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Curt Palme

Well-Known Member
Jan 25, 2012
86
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Part 3
 

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Curt Palme

Well-Known Member
Jan 25, 2012
86
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Part 4- the label below is the backside of the single sided record shown above.
 

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c1ferrari

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 15, 2010
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Very cool, Curt...thanks for posting pics. :cool:
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
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Seattle, WA
That is absolutely fascinating Curt! Thanks for posting them. It is fantastic that they are archiving such material for eternity to access.
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
0
Seattle, WA
Thanks. Listened to the "cylinder of the day," Russian kamarinskaja. I was initially turned off by the pitch variation but the power of music is such that I got into it and listened to the whole thing! Something about it is eerie to be listening to such an old recording. And what a miracle must have been at the time to listeners when this was created. Forever man had been able to capture and playback what the eye saw through paintings and such. But not the sound.
 

kach22i

WBF Founding Member
Apr 21, 2010
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210
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Ann Arbor, Michigan
www.kachadoorian.com
Way cool thread.

Have you guys ever seen the video where a curator is hold an Edison Cylinder in an interview, and it crumbles in his hand just as he's describing how delicate they are at that age?

Horrifying and funny at the same time.
 

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