Testing Radio Voices

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 42, 1 May 1931, Page 5

Testing Radio Voices

New American Scheme STUDIO equipment that permits a singer to hear herself as others hear'her over the radio has been installed by station WGY. at Schenectady, in' the United States. Every singer, before she is permitted to broadcast, must give an audition, and it is customary at such auditions for the musical director to listen to the voice as reproduced by a loudspeaker. In this way it becomes possible to judge the voice, not for real quality, but for its-suitability for broadcasting. Dxperience has shown that an excellent concert voice may be a complete failure after it has passed from transmitters to receivers and loudspeakers. Some singers, when told that their voices are not suitable for radio, accept the decision with good grace, Others regard this explanation as.a polite way of refusing: them an opportunity to be heard by wireless. Station WGY has solved this difficulty by installing a film sound recorder as part of the studio equipment. When this film is reproduced through a loudspeaker the voice is heard exactly as it would be heard through a loudspeaker after it has been picked up from "the air." When a singer appears at WGY for an audition, and if there is any doubt about the suitability of her voice for radio, a film record is made ag she sings. The recorder is in another room, connected to the microphone by wire. If, after hearing the film record, the ' radio oritic finds it necessary to let her

hear the record, invariably the singer accepts the evidence of her own sense and thanks the management of the station for saving her from a performance which must have been below her standard, and which might result in loss of concert engagements instead of increasing professional prestige. The film sound record also proves valuable in training announcers. The announcer’s voice is recorded, and he, hearing the reproduction, has a chance to correct faulty speech, over-emphasis, or wrong inflection. The director of the orchestra is afforded an incomparable medium to experiment with the placing of instruments with respect to the microphone. The same group may play the same selection two or three times, changing the position of the instruments each time. Unusual effects may thus be produced. ° The equipment also permits the recording of mixed programmes during rehearsal. The director, listening to the reproduction, may find. imperfections which escaped notice in the studio.