The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Is an exponential horn the best type of horn to make recordings with or are straight horns better? I've seen a few videos of people making recordings on brown wax with a straight horn but play it back with the cygnet horn. Wouldn't the superior shape of the cygnet horn record better? Or are the curves in it a source of distortion?

In that case, would you want a staight yet exponential horn?

Thanks,
Nicholas

P.S. here is a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoQRFgEZLjc

Some recording horns might have a flare to them; while others were simply conical. It depended on what sort of recording you were doing; I do not think that true exponential horns were ever used in acoustic recording....

Bill

Here is a self-caricature of Caruso recording into a horn of square section.
Hardly the ideal shape, but presumably he drew it from memory.

I have used lots of horns, and made lots of recording horns. If you look at the 4 minute era recording brochure, you will note that most of the recording in the manual is shown using a cygnet horn. I did not think it would work very well, however when I recorded at TEDX while we were in the hotel, we were trying different horns,and for Thomas Negovan for vocal and guitar, the cygnet horn (which is of an expo. style of horn) using a metal horn, the results were, clear, loud and lively, in fact much better results than using the standard 30"x6" horn.

Sorry about the late response. Thanks for all the input. What did Edison's last studio recording horns look like?

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