Sound Made Solid

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 46, 30 May 1930, Page 8

Sound Made Solid

How Music is Recorded

N our quarter of the world it is diffi‘eult to get first-hand information on how records are made. That it is an involved and interesting process is cet-tain-but how? In an article in a recent number of the "Wireless Magazine," Mr, Kenneth Ullyett tells how he went to a recording studio and what he saw there. We shall let him tell his own story :- THIS story of a record, so far as I am concerned, is. a personal one, inasmuch as a few days ago I went to the studios and recording rooms of a prominent gramophone record concern, and saw records made, and effected a recording myself. Trial Records. O begin absolutely at the beginning, I was asked some time ago to make a trial recording of a few piano solos (a hobby of mine) for the Metropole people, and, anxious to compare the making of a record ,with the making of a broadcast programme, an appointment was made for a time when some well-known broadcasters would be recording.

re HE main Metropole studio is equipped in like fashion. Indeed, in view of the fact that modern gramophone records are almost invariably electrically recorded, it is inevitable that the studio arrangements and the whole procedure should closely resemble broadcast practice. And so I found it.

The main room is draped with thick, cottonish grey-colour material, the draping extending practically to the full height of: the walls. Across the ceiling run cords along which further draping can be drawn by means of a system of wires and pulleys. In this way the degree of echo can be controlled, for the actual roof is a good deal higher than the ceiling drap- i ing, and when this is pulled right back, the effective height of the room is increased. Heavy matting covers the floor. The sound of a piano being played in any studio such as this (and, strangly, more noticeably in a gramophone studio than in a B.B.C. studio) always reminds me of a garden party, or an outdoor concert at the seaside! It is not so much that there is a complete absence of echo, but rather that the echo period is so different from normal that one immediately notices the unusual effect. Rather Disturbing. performers accustomed to ordinary work this, frankly, is rather disturbing. Of course, recording sys-

tems differ, and one may need more echo than others, But I noticed recently, when at the Blatter talking-film and colour-fi studios that, although one of the giat) rooms is entirely padded with felt, and ventilation has to be varried out with enormous motor-driven fans, the effect is entirely different. There, in the film studio, there is a deathly Stillness and quite an appreciable echo. When preparing broadcast programmes the timing does not have to be accurate to seconds; but it has to be done several weeks in advance; just the reverse is the case with gramophone recording, however. I played through one or two pieces, and each was accurately timed with 2 stop-watch. Then the duration was checked with that of standard ten and twelve-inch records, both of which have, for commercial and manufacturing reasons, a definite maximum and minimum time limit. Little Time Latitude. "[THERD is, unfortunately, not a great deal of latitude; this is one of the

" Recording for the Gramophone (Continued from previous page.)

: e Objections to the present disc records. Frequently cuts or repeats have to be '\ made in music. (particularly dance music) in order to comply with -the time limits. The tempo of playing, too, has to be varied in order to make up for slight deficiencies. This work often occupies a deat of time, and the Metropole folk -in common with all other .gramophone companies-employ several "tame" musicians to arrange scores where vitally necessary, to comply with the commercial time limits! an Repeats and Cuts. NOWING this, play one or two records over on your gramo-radio . outfit, and see if you ean detect in ‘ what way repeats or cuts have been \--made to get the piece into the allotted time. Ten to one you won’t be able to detect any snags, for the work has to be done skilfully. Records are not elastic. The outside diameter is standard, for ten and twelve inch, the width of groove is standard, and the inner diameter is reasonably standard. In one make of record the inner diameter is always constant, too, in order that the self-stop mechanism shall function automatically without the need for separating setting for each record. Well, to cut a long story ‘short, the time test of my little playings was completed and then the engineers appéared on the scene, carrying the microphone, a complicated-looking’ microphone stand, and a bank of dry batteries for the microphone excitation. The "mike" was hung up in situ, the batteries were connected up, and a length of cable was taken to a plug outside the door of the "holy of holies" -the room containing te recording apparatus. Entrance "Verboten." FRNTRANCE to this room is . absolutely verboten while a recording is in progress. And, incidentally, it is entirely sound-insulated from the studio, so that no direct sound can enter which might upset the delicate wax." A "wax"’-the master blank record about to be engraved-was placed on to the "stone," the "cutter" was held ready, and the "juice" turned on. Here we seem to be delving into technichalities; let me explain. The "wax" is a soft, round composition cake, about an inch thick in __ most cases, and the stone is the rigidsupported turntable which drives

it, similar in appearance to an ordinary electric gramophone, ‘ The sole difference is that the stone turns at an absolutely constant rate, and the whole mounting is rigid-in some instances supported on concrete blocks and iron frames-so that no vibration can alter the-speed of rotation or weset the setting of the wax. The cutter is a kind of pick-up working backwards! It is operated by the microphone current, after amplification, and the armature supports a stylus which engraves the wave form in the wax. Usually the cutter armature does not vibrate freely, but is very heavily damped with rubbermuch more so than the most heavilydamped pick-ups on the market.

Generally the stylus is mechanically connected to a long rubber "buffer" which it has to twist slightly as it vibrates. This damping can be accurate-ly-measured, and, what is more important, ean be adjusted for each recording to be made. The amplifier used, in the case of the Metropole apparatus which I saw, never includes more than three R.C. stages. With all three in use it is possible to pick-up and record a whisper at the far end of the studio! Two stages are usually ample, and a most efficient volume control is fitted at which an operator sits all the time a record is being made. Resistance coupling is used between the yalves, although iron is present in the microphone and stylus coupling. Indicating Light. {OR my part, I sat ready to play, heard the bell indicating silence, and watehed for the indicating light which is the signal to start. Simultaneous with the appearance of this light, as I found out afterward, other lights come on in the building, and particularly outside the studio door. A careless person barging into the studio with an ill-chosen remark would spoil a recording, and "waxes" -and engineers’ time-are expensive! But more of this anon.

I completed my session. More Xr will not say, except to emphasise the fact .that, in my opinion, once one gets accustomed to the stillness of the studio, the effect is beneficial. It is just the same with broadcasting. I think any artist who has a real, art in his work will learn to appreciate the absolute privacy and "aloneness" of the draped studio. It is uncanny at first, but a great help when one gets used to it. A well-known dauce band was next to make a few records, and, anxious to see how other folk underwent the ordeal, I waited through the next session. : Making Comparisons. HE band was one well known to listeners, and it is not long since I saw a very similar combination performing at Savoy Hill. Therefore I was able to make comparisons regarding recording conditions. . Let. me say here, that the "highbrowness" of the B.B.C. must extend to its artists, for very often they turn up in full evening dress! But this band at the studio consisted of gentlemen in lounge suits, gentlemen in plus-fours, and-later, when work became strenuous, gentlemen in shirt sleeves! This may sound irrelevant, but surely a man can give of his best when he is most comfortable. The B.B.C. might note this.

Recording Formation. AN accompanying sketch shows how the combination was arranged, and those who know something of ordinary dance band formation (and who does not nowadays?) will see how the microphone has to be pandered to. Note the harp, which was used chiefly for accompanying vocalists. It gives a brilliant tone well suited to microphone reeording. Before electrical recording came into vogue it was even more difficult to ensure an even recording from all instruments. A large trumpet projected from one side of the studio and the folk at the outer ring of the orchestra had to sit on high stools-sometimes facing away from the trumpet! The "mike" places the greatest reliance on distance. For instance, at a given cue, the vocalist stood up and almost cuddled the microphone, and sang his chorus. From where I was sitting, just outside the orchestra circle, he was almost inaudible, and yet, when we heard a "play-back" his voice came out with the accompaniment in the proper proportion. Use of "Play-backs." A "PLAY-BACK," as you will gather from the name, is simply a rapid reproduction of the recording. The Metropole people have a system whereby a play-back can be made almost instantaneously, and this is a great advantage, because if for any reason there is doubt as to a recording being done satisfactorily, it can be played over, through an amplifier and a cone-type speaker, and a check made. This is always done in a first recording, though wheri a band has been "balanced up" properly the play-back is sometimes considered to take up too much time. . Also, the members of the

band fidget uneasily on their chairs while listening to the ghosts of their former selves! The play-back is really rather a poor reproduction, and it is used only as a guide, and not as an accurate criterion of quality! Artists always-have to be told, in diplomatic fashion, that they "really don’t sound like the play-back hid What a pity that the B.B.C. cannot offer artists a "play-back’ of their broadcast! Knowing the artifices which have to be employed in order to get the best effect from a band when recordling, it is really very fortunate that things do not go wrong in broadcasting, where, of course, one can’t "do it again!" © In this connection, as I have not told you the name of the band, I can tell of the following rather amusing little incident. One of the pieces played needed a fair amount of playing and re-playing to get the right effect. And when all the members of the orchestra were itching to get on to the next piece a final recording was made. Just at the end-in the last bar, in fact, one of the players sitting close to the microphone accidentally touched a wrong string. HB last chord sounded, and with a sigh of relief the unlucky player said-well, just what you might have gaid! The warning light was still on, und his little piece of blasphemy was faithfully recorded at the end of the piece. So they had to do it again!