[ARSCLIST] 78rpm archaeology project

[Oliver Mueller-Heubach <ommuel@xxxxxx>]

Hello all- I'm finally back to work on my paper on the archaeological 78 
fragments. Just thought I'd post again- looking for information on matrix 
numbers. Say I handed you a fragment of 78 with a whole or partial matrix 
number.. What are some differences between how the different companies 
numbered discs- including the physical engraving/stamping font, placement, 
etc.? I am going through my shelf, measuring edges, recording space, etc. 
trying to come up with a trait list by brand, date range, etc. The audio recovery 
portion is rather 'dead in the water' at present. I have had several folks tell me 
that the digital restoration techniques are only set up to restore intact or near-
intact records. Also, there seems to be a consensus that no database exists that 
would allow an automatic search to match the sound chart from a fragment to 
digitized recordings. I tried my analog approach of physically cutting and 
pasting a fragment into a rough but intact disc. I actually got it to work once, 
albeit with a few skips (I had inserted a black label RCA Victor fragment into a 
thrashed RCA Victor donor disc).  I thought I could hear a horn and imagined a 
larger band in the rapid blurbs of sound. As this may have been an artifact of 
my knowing the source of the fragment (Guy Lombardo from the bottom of a 
sleeve in an auction box lot) I would have had to do a blind test. Unfortunately, I 
have not been able to repeat the success- aligning the pitch/spiral is much 
more difficult than I thought. At any rate, it is entirely too much of a nuisance to 
be applied in an archaeological lab environment. So, if anyone has any further 
suggestions on extracting audio, I would be very grateful! I'm afraid I'll have to 
stick to the trait lists and to recommendations for interpreting 78s vis-a-vis 
their find condition, location on a home-site, etc. Thanks again- happy 
holidays!
ollie