I am now capable of recording 5" cylinders.

[edisonphonoworks]

I now have abilities to record 5" cylinder records. I am astonished at how easy it is to get a great recording on 5" cylinders compared to standard size cylinders. I will buy blanks from Paul Morris, however I am gearing up to make my own mold soon, I want, of course a double spiral mould to produce, historically accurate blanks. I have both a restored winged later style Edison standard recorder, That records with very studio like clarity and depth of cut. A standard speaker style recorder, and a studio recording attachment (I am also working on an electrical recorder as well.) I would like to do some live 5" cylinder sessions if anyone would like to try.

[donniej]

That's very exciting. Would you mind sharing any of the details on how you plan to make the electric cutting head? I tried once or twice with a speaker driver but just didn't have the time to commit to it.

[edisonphonoworks]

I am hoping to make several different kinds, one with a piezoelectric disc, another with the Fair-child lathe head mounted on a tone, arm with advance ball, and brass cutting stylus chuck, it will be long to permit the stylus bar to go past the large, rubber dampeners, mounted on it's own custom carriage. I have always got cylinders that sounded similar to a good 1960's 45rpm recording on the cylinders, with all sibilants, cymbals, bass guitar, clear guitar picking sounds, air on the voice in fact playback sounded like a vinyl record. I demonstrated cylinders recorded with this head driving a standard speaker style cutter, kind of like an electrical pant-O-Graph, where the electric cutter mimicked a master cylinder record, in 2001 at Union on the Archeophone, maybe some on the group remembered what those sounded like.

[WDC]

I clearly recall your hifi cylinder recordings, they were quite impressive. I recall they were more impossible to be played acoustically but with an electric pickup it was a real treat.

[edisonphonoworks]

Yes, some of them certainly were too loud and wide for acoustical playback. I have found that I sometimes prefer acoustical dubbing, as it automatically tailored to the response of the machines. I have a led Zepplin cylinder that you can hear all the symbols, and is punchy, even though recorded with a standard speaker recorder.