The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

So far, would you say this "studio" recorder is producing superior results to the normal home recorders you have been using?

Even with my rudimentary setup, I certainly have been getting better results than the home recorder, however that early home recorder is pretty darn good (the standard speaker style.) I will be making some stepped micas by ordering both reproduction C micas, and victor exhibition, as the recorder will accept the exhibition size mica.

Do we know that all the studio recorders pictured in a few previous posts are actual artifacts from the EDISON labs? There were many other recording studios in the early years..Lambert, Indestructible, Columbia, etc., not to mention the European studios. I'm sure all of them used similar looking cutters.

You need to compare the recorder with the recorders in the article Jerry Fabris wrote for In The Groove. And also in The Fabrizio Paul Book there is photos of the Edison studio heads and a recording lathe. The same carriage that Aaron has, is also on the machines at the Edison site. Remember there was Columbia Street at West Orange, and recording was done at 79, 5th Avenue New York. I have seen a photo of the Pathé' recorder, yes very similar, but I have never seen documentation about Columbia, Lambert,US, Albany indestructible. Beings it came from N.J. it is a safe bet they are Edison recorders. Does anyone know for certain? I doubt any collector could prove or disprove where they came from.

There is indeed very little doubt that these are all genuine Edison studio recorders. What I can say is, that the previous owner had held a collection specialized in Edison artifacts, thus giving almost full certainty.

If indeed they are true EDISON studio recorder types, then the quality of audio, when everyone figures out how to set them up as they were used originally, should be stellar. Many of the late 2m and all the Blue Amberol original recordings are very good.

Of course, there is a difference between cutting a cylinder for direct play back, and cutting a master that will be plated to make many duplicates.

I wonder what techniques the current makers of resin moulded cylinders use to cut their masters?

For my 'from scratch' selections, I use an electric recorder I built myself. Cutting stylus is about 1% oversize to compensate for the resin shrinkage when curing. Original Edison Wax Masters I think were 4% oversize as the wax shrinkage was about 2%. (the finished records were made from sub-masters, so shrinkage was x2). My recorder uses an advance ball as well. You can hear the results of some of my early test recordings on Chuck Richards site (using some of his blanks).
electric playback in the 4th video from the top, acoustic in video's 3 & 5. On the electric playback a little warble from the home phonograph's motor needing a tuneup.

http://www.richardslaboratories.com/ind ... ser-videos


Thanks,
Rob
Edisonia Records
http://www.edisonia.com

Even with the use of a studio recorder you will only get close to the terms of a real Edison studio recording. So many additional variables are subject to change, such as the cutting stylus, the mounting of the cutter, the exact size and thickness of the diaphragm, the diaphragm material, the sealing, the recording blank's wax composition, wax temperature, size and shape of recording horn as well as its material, etc. up to the actual recording studio room and its very own reflections of the walls.

I am pretty certain, that no one is able to align all the stars properly. But this does not mean that these modern acoustic recordings are inferior, they just have their own characteristics.

Depending on what to cut, I am also very pleased by using an electric recorder, especially for reproduction purposes of old recordings. With the right configuration you can achive a highly realistic quality all way the down to the original surface noise, which has been just implemented in my last brown wax reproduction cylinder.

However, it always depends on your goal of sonic achievement of what will suit your requirements best.

Is there any indication whatsoever that the Edison (or any other cutter) actually used Mica as the diaphragm material for a studio cutter?

At ENHP There is some with 2 stepped mica diaphragms. I do not think any of them have cutters installed, however. Later on I believe some had Cellulose domes, shaped similar to a tweeter diaphragm coated with Xanthate ROH + CS2 + KOH → ROCS2K + H2O . I have made some dome and cone diaphragm shapes in my recent tests with results similar to the good flat end Blue Amberol recordings, similar to the sound on Humphry's Blue and the Grey quality, and which is very clear and articulate and what I am after for a sound.