The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I recently required bunch of CDs from a Japanese collector I have known over the years - he has a nice collection of IRCC records in a pristine condition, and he sent me the whole Mapleson cylinder dubbings from 1938 to 1950. I actually had a IRCC Mapleson dubbing, the "Melba" Huguenots recording and even posted the recording on YT, but I sold it away later to this Japanese person.

The most astonishing thing about these dubbings are the quality of the sound - it is much more better than the NY public Library LP set or any other later transfers. Especially the Nordica recording of "Tristan und Isolde" duet and all of Jean de Reszke recordings. I wonder how they did the dubbing process. I rememeber reading somewhere that William Seltsam made some kind of device to dub a cylinder, consisted of an Edison Standard Model and an electric tone-arm which the needle tip was attached to the diaphragm of the Edison player, thus creating the electronic signals out of vibrations.

And there are several recordings appeared on so-called HMV Archive series from 1951, and RCA Victor's Deluxe Special "Heritage" series from 1947 to 1951. Not to mention lots of rarites appeared on IRCC/UHCA releases. While most of the stuffs appeared on these releases were pressed from original stampers, several of them are definitely dubbings. I am certain that they were not dubbed by using reel tapes or so, but I'm also sure that they never used Pantographic devices after 1920s.

Is there anyone who can provide any useful information about these early dubbing methods/skills? I also would be really grateful if you can also provide some photos related to this matter.

transformingArt wrote: reel tapes or so, but I'm also sure that they never used Pantographic devices after 1920s.

They could also simply play the source disc (shellac, lacquer or whatever) on a turntable and take the signal from that, routed through amplifier and associated electronics straight to the cutting lathe, and cut a new disc master.

That was done in the early days of vinyl LP's even. Before magnetic tape really arrived on the scene in 1949 or so. In that case, they had to have two turntables, alternating back an forth to maintain continuity while cutting the LP lacquer from the 78 rpm records, or, in the case of a company like Columbia, the 33 ⅓ rpm 16" lacquer sources that they had started using back in 1939.

The Seltsam contraption that you described may have been borne of necessity, to obtain an suitable electrical dub from a vertically cut cylinder. In a time of limited technological resources and desire to not cause any damage to Mapleson's fragile wax.