Double-tracking.

[emgcr]

I recently posted a recording issued by HMV in about 1938 sung by Elisabeth Schumann where she is accompanying herself. This begs the question as to when such technology first became available ? I am aware that some of Caruso's recordings were "augmented" in the early nineteen-thirties presumably with similar technical requirements ?

Thoughts appreciated...............

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g18U4UO ... 1614AaABAg

[Orchorsol]

I recently posted a recording issued by HMV in about 1938 sung by Elisabeth Schumann where she is accompanying herself. This begs the question as to when such technology first became available ? I am aware that some of Caruso's recordings were "augmented" in the early nineteen-thirties presumably with similar technical requirements ?

Thoughts appreciated...............

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g18U4UO ... 1614AaABAg

Thank you Graham. I too would love to know how this was done, although presumably it would have been a relatively simple matter of mixing the audio signals of a disc being played with the microphone source(s)s of the voice or orchestra being added. I'd also love to hear of other early examples. Later, of course, Les Paul did the same thing, bouncing from a recorded disc to another with an added guitar or vocal part, then started to use tape recorders with multi-channel heads, so giving birth to multi-track recording.

Were there any similar attempts in the acoustic era to add a second signal from a horn whilst pantographing from an existing disc or cylinder, I wonder?

[epigramophone]

I am aware that some of Caruso's recordings were "augmented" in the early nineteen-thirties presumably with similar technical requirements ?
Thoughts appreciated...............
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g18U4UO ... 1614AaABAg

In an attempt to keep Caruso's recordings before the public, experiments using electrical recording were begun by Victor in 1927. They involved superimposing an electrically recorded orchestra over the acoustic original. For reasons unknown, these 1927 recordings under Rosario Bourdon were not published at the time but have since been issued as part of a 2 CD compilation on Pearl GEMM CDS 9030.
The conductor wore headphones through which he could hear the original recording, and had to make the orchestra follow it exactly. It was a difficult process, not only for the conductor, but also for the orchestra and the recording engineers.

The first "Re-Creations" as they were called were issued in 1932. The conductor was Nathaniel Shilkret until 1935, when Victor handed over the process to HMV and their chosen conductor Laurence Collingwood.

EMI made a short promotional film, viewable on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Tu6YYjCJvs , of Tetrazzini listening to Caruso singing "M'Appari" on DB1802. She cannot resist joining in, and this may have prompted EMI to "Re-Create" one of her records "Una voce poco fa" coupled with "Caro nome" on DB1979.

There the process ended. No further "Re-Creations" of Tetrazzini or any other singers were made.

[phonogfp]

There is a ca. 1895 cylinder of Russell Hunting performing Casey and His Phonograph, which is a rather spectacular example of early "double tracking." (I'm not aware of an earlier example.) Hunting (as Casey) is listening to himself singing Sweet Marie and offering commentary ("Aw...that's beautiful..."). The record can be heard on the CD that accompanies The Talking Machine Compendium by Fabrizio & Paul.

George P.