How were Victor Puzzle Records recorded?

Discussions on Records, Recording, & Artists
Post Reply
User avatar
barnettrp21122
Victor IV
Posts: 1610
Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2009 4:19 pm
Personal Text: "Did you ever stop to think that pleasure is a duty?" (Victor sales pamphlet)

How were Victor Puzzle Records recorded?

Post by barnettrp21122 »

I found my first Victor puzzle record, number 22745, with 6 pieces played by Ray Noble's Orchestra. Each side has three separate grooves, each having a different recorded tune. These records are described in Michael Sherman's collector's guide, but my question is this: Were each of the short pieces recorded direct-to-disc, or dubbed, for convenience's sake? Does anyone know for sure? Thanks!
Bob
victor puzzle record.jpg
"Comparison is the thief of joy" Theodore Roosevelt

His Master's Voice Automatic 1A Exponential Gramophone Demonstration:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi70G1Rzqpo

User avatar
Wolfe
Victor V
Posts: 2759
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2009 6:52 pm

Re: How were Victor Puzzle Records recorded?

Post by Wolfe »

They were dubbed. For sure.

estott
Victor Monarch
Posts: 4176
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2009 4:23 pm
Personal Text: I have good days...this might not be one of them
Location: Albany NY

Re: How were Victor Puzzle Records recorded?

Post by estott »

I believe they used special feed screws in the lathe- the cutter would make several passes, each time offset to a specific spot. I believe most if not all of the Victor issues were recorded by HMV. Columbia did some on their cheap labels in the 30's

User avatar
Wolfe
Victor V
Posts: 2759
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2009 6:52 pm

Re: How were Victor Puzzle Records recorded?

Post by Wolfe »

Some of the individual recordings that made up Victor "puzzle" records look to have been recorded in the U.S.


http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/m ... zle_record

http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/index

Lenoirstreetguy
Victor IV
Posts: 1183
Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2009 3:43 pm
Location: Toronto, Ontario

Re: How were Victor Puzzle Records recorded?

Post by Lenoirstreetguy »

Speaking of puzzle records I was looking for a blurb about them from early Berliner...which of course I can't find . I did find this , though. It's a scan from the Blue section ( not THAT kind of blue) which appeared in the Berliner /Victor record catalogue of 1918 . It touts yet another puzzle record...from HMV masters. The Blue section was dedicated to the recordings which were only issued in Canada. They came from the HMV studios in Britain and Berliner's own in Montreal.
Before Herbert Berliner left the company in 1921, Canadian buyers had the entire Victor catalogue available to them plus a substantial list of records from Montreal and London.

Jim
Attachments
IMG.jpg

User avatar
Curt A
Victor Monarch Special
Posts: 6866
Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:32 pm
Personal Text: Needle Tins are Addictive
Location: Belmont, North Carolina

Re: How were Victor Puzzle Records recorded?

Post by Curt A »

Bob,
Congratulations on your first puzzle record. My first was a 12" Victor called the Conundrum. Hopefully your find won't lead you to the excessive lengths that mine did... I now have approx. 50 different puzzle records on various labels...
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife

User avatar
Roaring20s
Victor V
Posts: 2787
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:55 am
Personal Text: Those who were seen dancing were thought insane by those who could not hear the music. Nietzsche
Location: Tucson, AZ

Re: How were Victor Puzzle Records recorded?

Post by Roaring20s »

Lenoirstreetguy wrote:Speaking of puzzle records I was looking for a blurb about them from early Berliner...which of course I can't find . I did find this , though. It's a scan from the Blue section ( not THAT kind of blue) which appeared in the Berliner /Victor record catalogue of 1918 . It touts yet another puzzle record...from HMV masters.
Jim
Jim, I do not know when a generic description of a record player evolved, but they tried to so in this catalog is amusing.
"Every owner of a disc sound producing instrument should procure one of these wonderful records."

James.

Lenoirstreetguy
Victor IV
Posts: 1183
Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2009 3:43 pm
Location: Toronto, Ontario

Re: How were Victor Puzzle Records recorded?

Post by Lenoirstreetguy »

James...I'm out of control now. Here's the scan I was looking for yesterday . This is from the 1915 Berliner Catalogue. " Disc sound producing instrument" is quite a mouthful.

Jim
Attachments
IMG.jpg

estott
Victor Monarch
Posts: 4176
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2009 4:23 pm
Personal Text: I have good days...this might not be one of them
Location: Albany NY

Re: How were Victor Puzzle Records recorded?

Post by estott »

I wonder how well that sold-those selections would only be patriotic in the UK & Canada.

User avatar
Curt A
Victor Monarch Special
Posts: 6866
Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:32 pm
Personal Text: Needle Tins are Addictive
Location: Belmont, North Carolina

Re: How were Victor Puzzle Records recorded?

Post by Curt A »

I have two different records with these same titles on different labels: the first, made in 1910 is a British Zonophone Puzzle Plate - the second is a Canadian Berliner puzzle record.
Attachments
Coronation.jpg
Coronation.jpg (32.9 KiB) Viewed 2150 times
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife

Post Reply