Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2007 20:28:52 -0600
From: Jeffrey Kane <jeffkane@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] 78rpm archaeology project
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Regarding extracting audio... sounds like a job for IRENE if it were to
work
at all.
http://irene.lbl.gov/
As to the rest; I'll be very interested to see the responses. Given how
difficult it can be to track such characteristics when dealing with
unbroken
artifacts the mind boggles at attempting to do the same for a mass of
fragments!
-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Oliver Mueller-Heubach
Sent: Friday, December 21, 2007 7:12 PM
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ARSCLIST] 78rpm archaeology project
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