Has anyone done their own Home Recording?

[estott]

I may add that, while recordists usually assume a speed of 160 r.p.m. as used by most manufacturers from about 1902 onward, I personally feel there is very little lost by reducing this to the pre-1901 standard of 120 r.p.m. which allows just over three minutes' playing time on a standard cylinder; if a phonograph 'flutters' at 120 it will still do so at 160. However, I repeat that I am not an authority.

Oliver Mundy.

For a spoken word recording a slower speed is fine - dictation machines ran slower to increase the record capacity. For music faster is better.

[Chuck]

Home recording is fun! At first, don't expect
great results. It does take some practice.

Start out with spoken word tests.
A good recording horn if none is available
can be made from some thin cardboard such as bristol
board or some manilla folders.

Try rolling up some thin cardboard into a straight
tapered shape being about 30 inches long, and 3 inches
in diameter at the large end. Make the small end
about the same size as the Edison recorder or reproducer
neck so your short piece of rubber hose will fit over
it. Roll this up, then tape it with scotch tape.

When speaking into this horn, I find that talking
"across" it, with a hand cupped to direct the voice
into the horn works great for me.

If you make a few test recordings like that, pretty
soon you'll get some that have very visible indentations
in the grooves when you take it off to clean off
the swarf and have a look before you play it.

As you learn more, pretty soon you'll be able to
see your results and know which recordings are loud
and crisp before you play them!

Chuck