RE: [AV Media Matters] Pre grooved disks from Art Shifrin

[Jim Lindner <jim@vidipax.com>]

Moderators Comment: From Art Shifrin.

Hi Ken,

The RCA pre-gooved disks were extremely different form the stuff Lomax
used at the Library of Congress & other field recorfdings.  In this
case, they're made of plastic and, literally, pregrooved.  The
undulations representing the sound recordings were embossed by the
recording system so that they were added to the grooves. This method
resulted in below par quality even for that time, but enabled a system
with a less mechancially sophisticated design than a true "cutter" would
entail.  In the later case, a lead gear propelled the cutter across the
blank, grooveless disks and, depending upon the microphone, recording
circuitry, quality of blank and other factors, coul;d make recordigns
ranging from tolerable to astonishingly clean.  In any event, Im very
experienced in dealing with disks and cylinders of all groove types and
have a library of many differently sized shaped and sized styli that can
be used to extract the maximal possible fidelity from the old grooves.

I suspect that the writer meant recorder acquired or provided to me
etc., because the recorders for the pre-grooved disks were sold to the
public (those few who could buy them during the worst years of the
depression) commencing around 1931.  I can send you a sample transfer
from this, and other other media if you'd like to hear same.

Best Regards,
Art Shifrin
Vidipax
1-800-653-8434 ext 112.

my E mail at work is Art@VidiPax.com