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Gang,

When I combined the Lateral and the hill and dale recording (Button Up your Overcoat) I was able to get excellent agreement between the two. I have compared alternative "takes" of the song with each other and you can hear a significant difference in the versions, so... The diamond disc and the needle type official version released to the public were from the same "take", however, no evidence exists as to one microphone with a spilt output or two separate ones.

Marc

Lenoirstreetguy wrote: Thu Aug 23, 2012 4:22 pm I found the article in the Amberola Graphic and it was indeed Ron Dethlefson's research . The pertinent entries were gleaned from the Cash books and the Booking Calendar for the New York studio in 1929. The note in the booking calender for August 15 reads Discontinued making direct recordings for " Diamond Disc" records except on special requests from Orange.
I've got one of these very late electrics , 52645 Why Can't You and Little Pal by B.A. Rolfe's Orchestra which was recorded on August 28 so would therefore be dubbed...

Sorry to revive this old thread, but just to clarify: the discontinuation statement is correct, but it means that NO recordings were made in Diamond Disc format after that date, dubbed or otherwise, only laterals. If the Truesound database is sorted by date, a handful of 85000 series (never issued, September 1) are the only items using the DD catalog numbers recorded after August 15, 1929. If intended for Diamond Discs, these selections would most likely have been dubbed, as the matrices are preceded by N, so they were only recorded laterally. Oddly, these selections are also listed as 12" records. The last E (Diamond Disc) matrices listed in Truesound, were recorded Aug 13, with only the lateral being released (14058). This was a Tuesday. By Thursday, the decision was handed down.

Unless in error, both sides of the DD cited (52645) are listed as being recorded July 26 by both DAHR and Truesound. It would appear that NO Diamond Discs were ever dubbed (from laterals or otherwise), as none were produced in this format after August 15. Therefore, any Diamond Disc releases in the last two months of production were from recordings made prior to August 15. Indeed, the last Diamond Disc release (52651) was recorded a year before, in September (and October for -L side retakes) of 1928!

From what I can glean from DAHR, it appears the latest released Diamond Disc recording was made in the studio on Aug 6, 1929 (52641). If anyone can find a source for a later recording date commercially released on Diamond Disc, I would appreciate the information.

In the last few months, Diamond Discs were, indeed, being phased out. If production had continued (economic downturn notwithstanding), Diamond Disc releases were apparently already slated to cease. Absent new material, I would suppose they would have been discontinued by the end of 1929. If dubbing had been carried out, I wonder what sort of matrix would be assigned, as each format was given its own matrix number (D or N).

Weren’t the Edison labs also working on long playing slow speed radio transcriptions? Wouldn’t those have been the Diamond Disc type of recording? I was under the impression this work continued on after the entertainment phonograph division was shut down. Of course the Ediphone division continued on also.

from what I have heard, needle cut press quality is somewhat low. There's a LOT more background noise, and so even if that means an improved electric recording, I'd take an electric DD any day over a needle type.