The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

On this day in 1925, Victor Talking Machine Co introduced its new range of Orthophonic Victrolas, and also began publicising that their records were now made electrically ('Orthophonic Recording'). (The first electric Victor matrices had been recorded on 26 February 1925 experimentally with regular electric recording starting on 16 March that year. Some facilities 'went electric' later than others, but AFAIK acoustic recording was discontinued by early summer.)

I shall be sure to raise a glass in celebration of such an august occasion! To the Victor Talking Machine Company, the Western Electric Company, James Clerk Maxwell, Messers. Maxfield & Harrison and their 'Theory of Matched Impedance'! Here! Here!

Anyone know when "Brunswick" day was

Woo-hoo! An even better excuse to play the Credenza and others this evening!

Sean

gramophoneshane wrote:Anyone know when "Brunswick" day was

According to R. Wakeman (and which you probably already know):

It is not possible to date a Brunswick phonograph from its serial number and it may never be possible, but the earliest production model likely dates to the year 1916. About twenty years ago the original Brunswick files were discarded by the Japanese firm which purchased the rights to the Brunswick label. They were sure no one would want such old information. Thus we do not have actual production numbers or years of production for a given model.

The best we can hope for is a "Brunswick year," which would appear to be 1916.

I should have been clearer, but what I meant was, when did Brunswick make their big announcement about electrical recordings
I think I read somewhere ages ago that Brunswick were the first to develop electrical recordings and machines to play them, but whether they beat Victor to announcing the new system/s, I cant remember..

gramophoneshane wrote:I should have been clearer, but what I meant was, when did Brunswick make their big announcement about electrical recordings
I think I read somewhere ages ago that Brunswick were the first to develop electrical recordings and machines to play them, but whether they beat Victor to announcing the new system/s, I cant remember..

Ahhh... my mistake

Looks like something new for me to research!

gramophoneshane wrote:I should have been clearer, but what I meant was, when did Brunswick make their big announcement about electrical recordings
I think I read somewhere ages ago that Brunswick were the first to develop electrical recordings and machines to play them, but whether they beat Victor to announcing the new system/s, I cant remember..

Okie dokey... here you go.

Taken from "Brunswick Records: A Discography of Recordings, 1916-1931:"

gramophoneshane wrote:I should have been clearer, but what I meant was, when did Brunswick make their big announcement about electrical recordings
I think I read somewhere ages ago that Brunswick were the first to develop electrical recordings and machines to play them, but whether they beat Victor to announcing the new system/s, I cant remember..

Orlando Marsh's Autograph records would probably deserve distinction as the first electrical records, pre-dating Victor, Columbia, Brunswick or anybody else.

Also, Brunswick didn't have use the of Western Electric system, rather, their infamous Light Ray process, which you may know produced highly variable results and was eventually scrapped. I think Brunswick was eventually able to license WE, and the quality of their electrical records then improves dramatically.

The Brunswick Panatrope (electrical phonograph)came pretty close on the heels of Victor's unveiling of the Orthophonic, not before. Though tt may have been the first electrical player put on sale, I'm not sure.

There was an experimental electric recording made on 11 November 1920 at Westminster Abbey of the burial of the unknown soldier. Lionel Guest and Horace Merriman used 4 carbon mikes to record the service, which later was released on records by Columbia in the UK.

Here is a portion of it, the hymn 'Abide with me'.