Re: [ARSCLIST] Modern Cylinder Phonograph

[Aaron Z Snyder <azs@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List 
> [mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Steven Smolian
> Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 9:55 PM
> To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Modern Cylinder Phonograph
> 
> Yes, this was Walter Welch's idea.  I heard it in person.  I 
> didn't like it then, and the passage of time and recent 
> digital developments haven't improved my opinion.  Just my 
> opinion, of course.

And it's a good opinion, too! The true archeological material is the
recording itself. Imposing another archeological layer on top of that (i.e.
a period reproducer, with all of its deficiencies) is as perverse as
reburying an artifact so that it can be studied in detail. Unless the
listener is interested only in what period listeners heard, it's an
extremely limiting method of research.

Rather than obscure what's in the grooves, one should attempt to extract as
much as possible from the grooves in an attempt to hear what the performers
heard.

AZS