[ARSCLIST] FW: [ARSCLIST] 1937 disc recordings from the field

[David Lewis <davlew@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well Angie, here's mine.

Dave Lewis

-----Original Message-----
From: David Lewis [mailto:davlew@xxxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: 17 March 2005 14:49
To: ipngs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: Prentice, Will
Subject: RE: [ARSCLIST] 1937 disc recordings from the field

Don,

Someone will doubtless get to you with more detail, but in short, Fairchild
was the main manufacturer of home-disc cutting equipment before 1938, when
Presto introduced coated aluminum blanks and took the field. I'm assuming
that these are uncoated aluminum records. They are very soft, so you will
need a source of fibre needles to play them with, or they will wear out very
fast - a skip is "forever." Presto's coated blanks were more durable, but
the Fairchild blanks were still in use for a couple of more years. Patrick
Feaster and I once discovered a set of records made of debates held at the
University of Kentucky in 1939 which were recorded on 16" uncoated Aluminum
blanks as you describe. 

Prior to the introduction of the Fairchild around 1932, cylinders were by
far the most recording equipment used for field recording. In a photograph
on the RCA Victor 78 rpm album set called "Sounds of the Jungle" (issued in
the 40s, but recorded earlier) enthnomusicologist Laura Boulton is seen
using a Fairchild cutter and uncoated aluminum blanks to record African
tribal ceremonies.     

David N. Lewis
Assistant Classical Editor, All Music Guide
1168 Oak Valley Dr.
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
734 887 8145
 
"Tallis is dead, and music dies." - William Byrd, 1585


-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Prentice, Will
Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2005 6:03 AM
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ARSCLIST] 1937 disc recordings from the field

Colleagues

The request for info below is copied with consent from the IASA list. Please
respond to the sender directly at ipngs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx as he's not an ARSC
list member.
Thanks



>Hello all,
>
>There is a collection of aluminium discs recorded in Papua New Guinea in
>1937. As I have a copy of the invoice, I know exactly what machine was
>used: "VHANZ - Model F-29 Double Turntable Fairchild-Proctor Recorder",
>supplied by Fairchild Aerial Camera Corporation (New York). The cost for
>the recorder and a multitude of replacement parts was over USD 1500, which
>must have been quite expensive at the time.
>
>This was one of the first (if not THE first) collection made here using
>microphones and a separate power supply. Although the expedition that used
>it collapsed after only a month, 34 discs (10", 12", and mostly 16")
>survive.
>
>My questions: are any of you familiar with this company (Fairchild) or the
>equipment used? Was the equipment at all common at this time? Were
>aluminium discs a very popular medium for field work? There are more
>questions, but first I'd like to find someone familiar with this.
>
>Thanks for your help.
>
>Don Niles
>Head & Senior Ethnomusicologist
>Music Department
>Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies
>P.O. Box 1432
>Boroko 111
>PAPUA NEW GUINEA
>
>tel.:   [675] 325-4644
>fax:    [675] 325-0531
>email:  ipngs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx



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