The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Steve wrote: Sun Jun 06, 2021 4:39 am
I've never made a video but maybe now's the time to figure out how. Presumably I need to upload it to YouTube?

Yes indeed, YouTube is the place. I use a ten year old palm-held Sony camera but nowadays it is pretty simple using a phone too. YouTube, to me, is one the greatest inventions ever to grace this earth.

Very interesting machine, Steve! it shows that there is much more to look for beyond HMVs and Experts. It would be nice if you could post a video of it in action.

Thank you, Carlos. Yes, I certainly agree there are many more interesting makers out there besides just HMV and EMG/Expert.

Apart from my Apollo and Decca machines (incidentally I still maintain the Decca 130 is the best portable made by anyone), I have quite a large Pathé collection, several Columbia, Parlophone and Zonophone machines etc but the most interesting arguably come from the small independent makers.

As Chunny said the Apollo gramophones are generally overlooked and under-rated by many people.

I will attempt a video. Watch this space!

Video now available. Apologies for the quality and sound but this is my first video!

https://youtu.be/JW651uI9XzY

Thank you for sharing, Steve. That was an excellent video, and the machine plays wonderfully to my ears.
And what a beautiful mahogany cabinet, it looks pristine.
(My mind of course wanders to the unlucky oak HMV 156 I am striving with at the moment, today I will try attack the feet on that machine. )

Very nice machine and video! It looks new and sounds great, is it the original soundbox? As I posted on the You Tube video, it is the first machine I see with the record container placed in the back of the machine, quite unique.

The soundbox in use appears to be a Meltrope I or II. You can see the original lying on the motor board with a Meltrope III and an Orchorsol. The machine looks like new, and Steve has nothing to apologise for about the quality of the video. I look forward to seeing more of his machines in action.

Congratulations Steve, what a fine and fascinating machine, and as already said, the video is just great!

As an aside, chasing top sound quality from acoustic gramophones in videos can become a frustrating rabbit hole, as it can never hope to do justice to the actual sound in the room, and Youtube adds its own sound processing anyway. I just vaguely aim for reasonably good sound and leave it at that.

I've managed to get good sound on videos yt with my mobile phone, but using the old one (huawei) that hasn't the automatic volume control, which is a damn thing. The latest ones I uploaded in my channel, with the hmv127 are bad due to my mobile phone (xiaomi) volume control, that I don't know how to deactivate. I should repeat these videos using my old huawei phone, which recorded very very well.

Thank you to everyone first of all for all the kind and positive feedback regarding my first foray into filming!

Just to follow up on a few comments I'd wish to add that the novel record compartment is so positioned to optimise the use of space at the rear of the cabinet just above the first bend in the horn away from the bell. It is ingenious use of space. They wasted very little in the design of these.

Roger is quite correct that I'm using a Meltrope II in the video because a) as Chunny rightly pointed out, the original soundbox is the weakest link here b) the original doesn't have the capacity for fibre needles, although in the video I'm using steel for this particular record which is a little worn and c) the Meltropes are better anyway.

The cabinet is in fine original condition as has been pointed out by a few of you.

Finally I feel encouraged to have a go making further videos of some of the lesser known or uncommon machines in my collection. With this in mind, can someone please advise me roughly how long does it take to upload a typical 3 - 4 minute video? It took a very long time for my video to upload so I'm not sure if my settings are optimised for this purpose.

Thank you all again!