PLEASANT SOUNDS

Radio Record, Volume VII, Issue 46, 24 May 1935, Page 5

PLEASANT SOUNDS

THE quality and reproduction of the sounds that ° come over the air are exercising the minds of wireless experts the world over, and the following article, written by Filson Young:-for the "Radio Times" (London) may prove of interest:Let me clear the air by setting down in order of, meril the sounds that seem to me to lend themselves best to faithful reproduction by broadeasting. Many people would make quite a different selection. but thix is mine :- The humap speaking voice. (2) The flute. (3 The brass band. (4) The orchestr: (5) The voeal octet (e.g., the Wireless Singers). (6) Boy's voice in song. (7) String quartet. (8) Man’s voice in song. (9) Woman’s voice in song. . If you look at this table you will see that it has a certain logical sequence. Teaving aside the human speaking voice. and confining oneself to musical expression. the ‘tone that IT consider the micronhone and loudspeaker distort ‘least is that of the flute-a wind instrument without reed. In reproduction. such wind instruments are better than strings, and strings better than reed instruments. T put the orchestra low down because the‘reproduction one gets of it’ is, at best. a faithful miniature. and the quality and character of its music is bound to suffer through the reduction of dynamie volume. The vocal octet and the bov's voice bave both something of the pure tonal quality of the flute, with an almost ecomplete absence of harmonies. The orchestra and the organ and every large combination, are. on the other hand. full of harmonies, which are apt to heeome uncontroHable in merhanieal reproduction-in practice. if not in theory. The string quartet, on the other hand. although rich in harmonies, is horhogeneous in character and its component parts ean ‘be followed and distinguished. But when we eome ta the singing voice of © man ar woman. we are eorfronted with someth*ng quite different. hoth from the variety of the sneaking yoier. and fom the purity of the tubular wind instrument. Rut the Peet remains. you have a humen voieo giving expression to Ivrieqdl or nassionate emotions that are very apt to caricature the real thing when heard through the danble removes af the microphone and the loudspeaker, and this partienlarly applies to the fomade soprann voiee, especially if it has the faintest suspicion of tremolo.