Very well done! Those are Richards laboratories blanks that you are using. He has done quite a deal of research on his method. I have actually been at his house several times and we have had blank molding bees. We shop talk all the time, a very nice fellow. Your recording technique works, and sounds good.. Enjoy very much the video.
Cheers from the Texas Music Museum here in Austin. I just showed someone this video after they asked some questions about our cylinders here. Thanks! Stop by sometime!
Your recording came out sounding so authentic...if not even better than an original 19th century recording because you knew what you were doing. It sucks that alot of original phonograph owners did`nt get the hang of making homemade records back then, or they would have came out as good as yours. And you`re also a fine musician. Maybe one day .........you might tackle one of those really difficult cornet solos where the performer did some triple tongue playing.
Thank you for a very nice, instructional video. I have just purchased an Edison Standard B with 4 minute playing time. I am anxious to hear my first cylinder. My long term goals is to record my barbershop quartet. I truly love when two interests overlap.
Hello. Very interesting demonstration. I would like to add a cautionary comment re. acquiring original cylinders specifically to use as recording cylinders. Be absolutely sure that you have done your research as to the content of the cylinder you are about to shave. As someone reputable, i.e. someone knowledgeable as regards early cylinders/artists/ etc. whether the cylinder is rare, significant as to artist and/or content before shaving it - - you don't want to permanently erase the only known recording of Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stove or Queen Victoria. A comment re. the recording process: recording artists ca. 1896-1906 would often move towards or away from the recording horn so as to reduce blasting on certain notes. Some ca. 1904 prima-donnas were shocked to have a recording technician pull them back from the recording horn on high notes or notes sung at a volume level too loud for the delicate recording stylus to handle when cutting a wax master disc or cylinder. Only experimentation will guide the performer as to what notes are too much for a cutting stylus to properly record. I recorded "Mary had a little lamb" over 45 years ago on a brown wax cylinder - - so be forewarned - if found, it is definitely not Thomas A. Edison. Best -
Hi Colin you made a fantastic instructional video on how to record on wax cylinder very well presented you made it look so easy your playback was a excellent result very loud and clear your gifted at playing solo cornet I loved the way you slow motion shouting into brass horn one of the best acoustic recordings I have seen I'm a collector of phonographs do voice recordings not perfect but we will keep Thomas Edison alive through he's Phonograph Machines he will live on forever through your videos and mine and everyone else who admires him kind Regards Troupee from Ireland....
COLIN, THIS WAS AN EXCELLENT TUTORIAL, CLEAR AND CONCISE, I HAVE NO DOUBT OTHERS WILL THINK SO AS WELL. THE RECORDING IS QUITE GOOD AND YOU MADE IT LOOK QUITE EASY. AS TO SHAVERS, I MUCH PREFER THE COLUMBIA DICTAPHONE SHAVER OVER THE EDISON MACHINE. THE EDISON SHAVER IS MORE COMPLEX THAN IT NEEDS TO BE, AND OFFERS NO ADVANTAGE OVER THE COLUMBIA MACHINE WHICH IS SIMPLE AND STRAIGHT FORWARD, A VERY FUNCTIONAL MACHINE AT 1/3 OF THE COST. EXCELLENT VIDEO !!
Oh, I did overlook those! I guess I could have been a tad more specific, but since this is quick beginner's instructional video I wasn't. Maybe next time though! Thanks for the heads up!
Things to experiment with for better fidelity: Wrap the horn with cloth, tape, rubber, or combinations of to reduce resonances. Coat the cutting diaphragm with Vaseline to reduce resonances and to balance response. Use a diaphragm that flexes mostly at its edge, and isn't a glass or mica disc, as the nature of their flexing distorts recording and reproduction. The diaphragm should really move as a unit, except at its flexible edge. That the entire diaphragm flexes leads to tonally distorted audio (harmonic distortion--non-linear recording and reproduction). Ideally the diaphragm, cutting needle, and reproducing needle should be as lightweight as possible to move resonances up out of the human hearing range. With mechanical methods of reproduction, this might not be possible. Aluminum is a good material for these purposes, though. A glass disc with a flexible rubber edge might also be considered, but the flexible edge must, of course, be stiff enough to prevent being thrown out of alignment by the forces of the needle during tracking.
Thank you for the subscription and positive comments! It's great that you're enthusiastic about recording. My recorder is from 1905 with a glass diaphragm. My standard is from 1906. The horn I used was built in 1904.
It definitely adds a lot to the experience! You should check out some of my other videos if you're in to the surface noise/ antique aspect of the recordings! Thanks for the comment
I looked up how these are recorded because I'm currently reading Dracula. Now I'm Imaging John Seward explaining the horrors of vampires whilst his face is right inside on the horn. Looking like he's sticking his head in a tuba.
hello Sir, great work of bringing back to life the great sound of the past. Congratulations! I am planning on following your steps and searching now for the tools I'll need to buy. Would the phonograph amberola 70 work for the recording purposes as well as your standard model? Those cylinders vary from the earlier models, and I am wondering about the shaving differences as well if there would be any. I want to go for the longest possible recordings, and I know that the blue amberol cylinders go up to around 4 and a half minute that's why I am asking about the amberola models. Greetings!
Hi, good job!!! Please, a question: " the external ( air ) temperature ( C° ) is very important during the recording?" What do You think about?? Thanks a lot. Bye - Francesco ( Italy )
Very impressed! I collect these machines in private. None are on my channel. I am having trouble finding a functional recording head. All the ones currently on Ebay are incomplete. Do you have a source?
By the way, can you share the whole recording of the cylinder separately? You posted the whole thing, of course, but the sound of the portion you used at the end of this video is far much clearer than the one in the playback part, so I am wondering if you have a separate sound file. Hope you can share it here as well.
I`m going to subscribe to your channel and watch all of your videos....and maybe take out my Standard and try to make my own recording. I don`t play an instrument, but I could just make a recording of my voice for posterity. I have the early recorder head with the glass diaphragm, which Edison recorder head do you own, the early model or later one?
The diamond b reproducer is indeed one of the best sounding reproducers made by Edison, however it CANNOT be used to play wax cylinders. It will immediately destroy them as the weight is far too heavy for the soft wax records! Only records made of celluloid can be played with the diamond series reproducers.
The sound recording at the end was just the playback of the cylinder recorded with a microphone being put directly in front of the horn. I can send you the recording if you want, as well as many others i've done, but you'll need to give me your email.
sana may electrical recording din sa ganyang phonograph cylinder, mai-cut din ang mga kanta ni Mandy Moore... AND THERE YOU HAVE, THE MANDY MOORE PHONOGRAPH CYLINDERS!!!
jan sa video na iyan, yan ang tinatawag nating ACOUSTICAL Cutting jan sa phonograph cylinder, pati na rin sa mga disc gramophone 33/45/78 rpm records. Kaya dapat, pati sa mga cylinder, may ELECTRICAL Recording na rin!
