Great Sound from Good Records
Our trusty JVC QL Y5F
Every week, In the Mood meets the challenge of getting great audio from a huge collection of very old recordings. We have about 10,000 discs (and cylinders) in the World's Greatest Record Library, and none of them were made in this century. Obviously, the 78s are mostly original issues of the Big Band hits from the 1930s and 40s. 78s were pretty much phased out by the major US record labels by 1958, and they present their own specific set of challenges. But for this blog post, we're going to concentrate on how we pull great audio from the LP section of the collection.
LP records were introduced by Columbia in 1948. LP stands for Long-Playing, to differentiate these new discs from the standard 78 records, which were mainly singles with one song on each side. The original LP records were 10 inch discs like the old 78 format, but they contained four songs on each side instead of just one. This expanded recording time was achieved by a combination of two factors: narrower grooves and slower turntable speed. Recording studios, radio stations and record labels had been using 33.3 rpm discs since the early 1930s. Generally used for mastering, archiving and industrial purposes, such as the audio tracks for Vitaphone movies, these records were for internal uses and were never made available to the general public. Some were pressed on shellac, but most were pressed on vinyl, yielding longer record times and less surface noise. But all were cut using the same 0.03" groove size as 78 records. When Columbia came out with the LP record, it turned at 33.3 rpm, but it had a much narrower 0.007" groove, or microgroove. The sound quality was noticeably better, with higher highs, lower lows, and a much quieter surface.
Within a year, Columbia was leasing out its new technology to other record labels, and the new format began to proliferate. Almost immediately, Columbia and Victor began digging into their vaults, re-processing and re-releasing material from the 1930s and early 40s in the new format.
By the mid-1960s, the labels were employing an arsenal of new and improved tools to make new and old recordings sound better than ever before. Sophisticated equalization circuits had been developed, allowing for correction and re-balancing of the tonal quality of older recordings. RCA had developed the compression amplifier in the late 40s, and its presence can be heard on their new recordings of 1948-49, offering a smoother sound, fuller bass response and a higher average volume level without distortion. All of these advancements lent new life to the re-releases of older recordings.
One particularly important new technique developed by RCA in the late 1950s brought us The Great Band Era, a landmark box set of LPs chock-full of re-processed Big Band hits from the 1930s and 40s with surprisingly excellent sound quality. This was achieved by going back to the original metal molds used to press the 78 records of those days, cleaning them carefully, and making brand-new pressings of these recordings on high quality vinyl. These new 78 pressings were then tracked and recorded on tape, where engineers re-balanced the tonal characteristics, and even used razor blades and splicing tape to literally "cut out" the small pops and clicks that were inherent in even the most pristine recordings from that era. Using these steps, RCA was able to achieve new heights in audio quality for these old recordings. They partnered with Readers' Digest to market a slew of these box sets to the public, including The Great Band Era, The Swing Years, In the Groove with the Kings of Swing, and many others.These box sets were made available in original mono with just a slight dab of added reverb, and in a version that was literally ruined with fake stereo effects. We've successfully gathered together a group of excellent mono copies of these box sets in the World's Greatest Record Library, and all have been digitized and sanitized for use on the show. Of course, a lot of what we play on the show was recorded in the 1950s Hi Fi Era, and some even in the post-1957 Stereo Era.
It's our job to get the cleanest, most original sound from all of these recordings. And here's how we do it. First and foremost, we have to start with a clean record. The newest records we play on the show date back 50 to 60 years. Over that span of time, all kinds of trash can be expected to find its way onto the record surface and into the grooves. Even carefully-handled records of that age are generally filthy at the microscopic level of stylus and groove. Vinyl records often hold a static charge, literally making them a dust magnet. Then, there's the cigarette smoke, household dust, pet dander, chicken grease, newsprint, sweat, and every other kind of grease and grime people have on their hands. It's all there on their records. Now, add a half-century to let it all solidify, and you've got a genuine challenge to deal with.
Obviously, we don't want to play any of that stuff; we just want to hear the record. When that needle comes down, we want it touching nothing but vinyl. And so, we've developed a simple, affordable and effective way to remove the garbage from the record without damaging the surface.
Record collectors have come up with a lot of ways to do this over the years. Here's the method I use.
***NOTICE*** This method is recommended for vinyl records ONLY. Shellac 78s may be irreparably damaged by this method. We'll cover 78 cleaning methods in an upcoming post.
Get a clean, new spray bottle and rinse it with distilled water. In the bottle, make a mixture of 10 parts distilled water, 4 parts 91% rubbing alcohol and a few drops of liquid Jet Dry. Mix well. Spray both sides of the record with the mixture and wipe it into the grooves with a microfiber cloth or painting pad. I've used a clean, dry wash cloth with excellent results. Wipe the solution thoroughly into the record surface, and then rinse with a second spray bottle filled with distilled water only. Dry the record thoroughly with a clean, dry towel. I just use a terrycloth towel that's been laundered without fabric softener. it's very important to remove all the water from the surface. Try to avoid letting any water evaporate off the surface, as even distilled water can leave an unwanted deposit, which you will clearly hear when playing the record.
This is an aggressive process, and should be necessary only once or maybe twice in a record's life. After you've performed this process, you should be able to keep the record pristine with a Discwasher or other standard record-dusting system.
I'll go into detail about the stylus and cartridge I use, plus the digital tools I routinely use to enhance the original quality of these antique recordings next week. But, if nothing else, this post will get you well on your way to playing clean records from now on.
This week's show is a doozie, with the hot, swinging trumpet work of the great Bunny Berigan and the extra-danceable arrangements of Ralph Flanagan in the Swingin' Spotlight. You'll hear these features at the beginning of each hour of the show. In addition, we'll hear from the great bands of Jimmie Lunceford, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Artie Shaw, and more. That skinny kid Frank Sinatra will swing one with the Tommy Dorsey band. And we'll even hear Cut 1 from Side 1 of the very first modern (1958) LP from Ray Conniff and his orchestra. Billie Holiday will sing one with Teddy Wilson, Jack Teagarden will sing and take a tram-bone coda, and we even reunite Jimmy Durante with his old pals Eddie Jackson and Lou Clayton for this week's unforgettable Wayback feature.
Call a young musician or band student this week and invite them to listen to the show with you. Believe me, they NEED to hear this music, and they need to know that you support them.
As always, we'd love to hear from you with a comment or request, either here or on our Facebook Page. Above all, be kind to one another this week, and
Keep Swinging!
Scott
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