Re: Marconi Velvet Tone Records?
Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2018 4:54 pm
With all the discussion on these records I decided to look up my one and only copy of a Marconi record. I had never played it before and bought it originally because I wanted the label. It was really dirty and it took 5 cleanings to get all the dirt off. It looks pretty good visually but I can't say it has a very velvety surface. Being more than 100 years old who knows what it has been played on through the years.
I had more trouble than usual transferring this record. My normal process of digitizing created all kinds of horrible new sounds and digital artifacts I had never heard before. I finally opted for a very minimal processing with Audacity and no other tools. There is kind of a high pitched whoosh sound especially at the beginning during the very worn announcement. I suspect that is what confused the tools. It sounds almost electronic, but I am sure it is simply from the condition of the soft surface. Obviously it can't be anything electronic in that time period.
In any case, the cornet sounds very realistic and once you get past the noisy start of the record you can hear nice sound through the surface noise. Interestingly enough this record sounds the best and most natural at 78 rpm. A rare thing among early records in my experience.
[youtubehd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf42C0AtJDQ[/youtubehd]
https://youtu.be/nf42C0AtJDQ
In the following picture you can see that on the edges there is some missing record surface. It is only on the outside and not inside the raised line.
I had more trouble than usual transferring this record. My normal process of digitizing created all kinds of horrible new sounds and digital artifacts I had never heard before. I finally opted for a very minimal processing with Audacity and no other tools. There is kind of a high pitched whoosh sound especially at the beginning during the very worn announcement. I suspect that is what confused the tools. It sounds almost electronic, but I am sure it is simply from the condition of the soft surface. Obviously it can't be anything electronic in that time period.
In any case, the cornet sounds very realistic and once you get past the noisy start of the record you can hear nice sound through the surface noise. Interestingly enough this record sounds the best and most natural at 78 rpm. A rare thing among early records in my experience.
[youtubehd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf42C0AtJDQ[/youtubehd]
https://youtu.be/nf42C0AtJDQ
In the following picture you can see that on the edges there is some missing record surface. It is only on the outside and not inside the raised line.