A lot of comments speak about the amount of labor and craftsmanship involved in producing records in that era. What's often missed is the fact that the musicians themselves had to be high caliber indeed - making a master directly from the microphone to the master disc cutter meant no editing, no second takes. Errors, off-key, etc. could not be edited out. In short, you had to have talent if you wanted to make a record. I think very few of the 'artists' today would make the cut, if you'll pardon the pun.
Yep, the multi-track tape technology (which is universally praised) actually lowered the quality of musicianship by a magnitude of ten, and having to do 20 "takes" of something is considered normal today. Back then you were expected to be perfect on one take. Second takes were done just in case the master was damaged, not because the artist needed a second take.
Wow on this day I just realized how stupid I really am. We are a mere plug & play generation. There were God-like geniuses who lived long before us, who had to invent stuff from scratch. I salute them all.
Wow! What a process. It kept Americans employed for sure. I wonder how many times one of those master discs hit the floor before it was copied and the band was told they had to come back to the studio and re-record the record!
You can still see the RCA building with it's stained glass dog and gramophone logo when riding the PATCO commuter trains across the Delaware river from Philadelphia to Camden NJ. The massive stained glass window was renovated when the building was saved from the wrecking ball at the last minute by conversion to condominiums.
The members of the NBC Symphony seen in this film conducted by Charles O'Connell included players like Robert Bloom and William Primrose, both of whom left the orchestra for solo careers in about 1941, while O'Connell resigned from Victor in 1944, so that dates this film to about 1939-40.
This is the same film as available elsewhere on UA-cam, but a better print. It was made in about 1939 or 1940. The pickup orchestra is members of the NBC Symphony, and the conductor is Charles O'Connell, Victor's A7R director for classical music at that time (1930-44).
+Don Drewecki This film should have been produced in late 1944 or early 1945 due to both versions of the RCA "meatball" can be seen in the opening of the film. The earlier version was replaced with the later, a more straight (horizontally) "lightning bolt" under the letters sometime in 1944.
Cool! I grew up with 33 1/3 rd Records and 45s. I did have a few 78s now andthen. someone gave Me a Used Record Player for My Birthday once that Played all 3. Sometimes You could buy old Records in used Furniture Stores and places. When I was 10, it was 99 Cents for a 45, Used to have to save up to get One! I remember i had only maybe 2 Albums at that Time, They were Expensive, or I would get them for Christmas. I think some of the 78s I had at a time would be Collectors Items Now.
That was a lot of hard and tough work though. I'm so glad they still make record discs and record players but they don't make hand crank record players no more (I don't think).
I find it quite amazing the technology they had back then. Today, the only new thing we have come up with is making music into a worthless digital file.
Those things will last forever. If go there in the archive today it will be shining new as in this video. I wonder how will digital media be conserved for further generations. Blockchain style?
I am not much into vinyl personally, I am more of a magnetic tabpe and optical disc proponent; however, I can appreciate this fine manufacturing process. It's nice to see vinyl resurgence, but I'd be more than happy to see analog tape, DAT, and optical disc (analog Laser Disc, as well as CD) to also stay strong, which unfortunately it isn't, due to overwhelming number of consumers preferring data compressed audio. I believe Sony's push for DSD nowadays is a move in a good direction. Still, it'd be nice to have some physical media available with proper cover work, booklets with instruments and credits listed. iTunes don't even list credits of the equipment and people involved in making the recordings. That's very lame I think. I understand that cutting cost of production is desirable to certain point, but when it reaches the point where piracy is easily obtainable and all the artists and producers being ripped off, that's not a move in the right direction.
Andrew Piatek To me, I find the whole lack of credits on downloadable files to be a disappointment. I can't speak for Apple's AAC files, but the ID3 tags used by MP3s for metadata should allow for all of the credits for the album to be included with the downloaded file. At worst, all of the information could be included in the Comments tag.
when they start recording the band at about 3:20 onto the wax how do they get the video footage of the band on the wax with the sound? why don't they tell us about that?
Ya gotta love how the guy at the beginning just takes out the master disc and puts his fingers all over it...
A lot of comments speak about the amount of labor and craftsmanship involved in producing records in that era. What's often missed is the fact that the musicians themselves had to be high caliber indeed - making a master directly from the microphone to the master disc cutter meant no editing, no second takes. Errors, off-key, etc. could not be edited out. In short, you had to have talent if you wanted to make a record. I think very few of the 'artists' today would make the cut, if you'll pardon the pun.
There were second takes but each take had to be played all the way through to cut a record side.
True! The vast majority of recording "artists" today are useless incompetents that could not make a jingle without autotune and a computer to edit on.
Yep, the multi-track tape technology (which is universally praised) actually lowered the quality of musicianship by a magnitude of ten, and having to do 20 "takes" of something is considered normal today. Back then you were expected to be perfect on one take. Second takes were done just in case the master was damaged, not because the artist needed a second take.
Wow on this day I just realized how stupid I really am. We are a mere plug & play generation. There were God-like geniuses who lived long before us, who had to invent stuff from scratch. I salute them all.
Wow! What a process. It kept Americans employed for sure. I wonder how many times one of those master discs hit the floor before it was copied and the band was told they had to come back to the studio and re-record the record!
Holy cow man... so many baths!
Every time when I saw any genius invention I always wanna ask how can people invent this and what are the thinking processes.
You can still see the RCA building with it's stained glass dog and gramophone logo when riding the PATCO commuter trains across the Delaware river from Philadelphia to Camden NJ. The massive stained glass window was renovated when the building was saved from the wrecking ball at the last minute by conversion to condominiums.
History of vinyl begins with shellac
and then the were the blue, brown, gold, pink, etc wax cylinders.
What a rigmarole, how did anyone even think up this complicated process? Glad they did though, fantastic!
The members of the NBC Symphony seen in this film conducted by Charles O'Connell included players like Robert Bloom and William Primrose, both of whom left the orchestra for solo careers in about 1941, while O'Connell resigned from Victor in 1944, so that dates this film to about 1939-40.
What great video from the shellac era!! No wonder they were so expensive!! A dollar or even 75 cents for a record was a lot of money in the 1930's.
The miracle of mechanical sound recording. I am happy to re-watch this, thanks for sharing.
Love the secret slot to the recording room :-))
What a great historic piece!
That man has a good voice.
This is the same film as available elsewhere on UA-cam, but a better print. It was made in about 1939 or 1940. The pickup orchestra is members of the NBC Symphony, and the conductor is Charles O'Connell, Victor's A7R director for classical music at that time (1930-44).
+Don Drewecki This film should have been produced in late 1944 or early 1945 due to both versions of the RCA "meatball" can be seen in the opening of the film. The earlier version was replaced with the later, a more straight (horizontally) "lightning bolt" under the letters sometime in 1944.
Great interesting video. It was a very complex process. That turn table at the end has a very interesting change mechanism.
great history..people who pirates the album with digital technology will aware of the preciousness of making an album if see this video
Thankyou for uploading these!
Most of those master discs were thrown in the Atlantic Ocean when Camden closed down.
Cool! I grew up with 33 1/3 rd Records and 45s. I did have a few 78s now andthen. someone gave Me a Used Record Player for My Birthday once that Played all 3. Sometimes You could buy old Records in used Furniture Stores and places. When I was 10, it was 99 Cents for a 45, Used to have to save up to get One! I remember i had only maybe 2 Albums at that Time, They were Expensive, or I would get them for Christmas. I think some of the 78s I had at a time would be Collectors Items Now.
Milton Cross was famous for being the host of the Saturday afternoon Metropolitan Opera broadcasts......
That was a lot of hard and tough work though. I'm so glad they still make record discs and record players but they don't make hand crank record players no more (I don't think).
I've though for years, how cool it would be if bands today would release some of their songs on 78 without the need to play it using electricity?
Beautiful and informative video !
Superb Channel +BJ's Records & Nostalgia👋
A fine craft and long may it live.
Looks like these workers were exposed to some nasty chemicals.
You betcha and very little was done to protect them.
So cool and deserve respect!
EXCELLENT. THANK YOU.
Thats some really high tech stuff
Rca victor records rules!
Good doc. Thanks for ULing.
At 4:23 I realized I have that song on a shellac record from 1946 and on other record I have that are even older
good ol days will live forever, in our memory :)
no wonder they quit making them. what a labor instensive process
and yet still... they are alive today and getting their popularity back :)
never stopped being made mate..i only buy vinyl
Marty is right, they stopped making 78 RPM records a long time ago. But LPs ARE still being made
Fascinating! I wonder what's happened to all those matter matrices...
I find it quite amazing the technology they had back then. Today, the only new thing we have come up with is making music into a worthless digital file.
Records are made differently these days - no wax
Those things will last forever. If go there in the archive today it will be shining new as in this video. I wonder how will digital media be conserved for further generations. Blockchain style?
I am not much into vinyl personally, I am more of a magnetic tabpe and optical disc proponent; however, I can appreciate this fine manufacturing process. It's nice to see vinyl resurgence, but I'd be more than happy to see analog tape, DAT, and optical disc (analog Laser Disc, as well as CD) to also stay strong, which unfortunately it isn't, due to overwhelming number of consumers preferring data compressed audio. I believe Sony's push for DSD nowadays is a move in a good direction. Still, it'd be nice to have some physical media available with proper cover work, booklets with instruments and credits listed. iTunes don't even list credits of the equipment and people involved in making the recordings. That's very lame I think. I understand that cutting cost of production is desirable to certain point, but when it reaches the point where piracy is easily obtainable and all the artists and producers being ripped off, that's not a move in the right direction.
Andrew Piatek To me, I find the whole lack of credits on downloadable files to be a disappointment. I can't speak for Apple's AAC files, but the ID3 tags used by MP3s for metadata should allow for all of the credits for the album to be included with the downloaded file. At worst, all of the information could be included in the Comments tag.
I own the 78 @ 1:35....played
on memorial day
When I'll buy 78rpm disc for my gramophone, I'll think that every detail, edges or labels were assembled by one of these people partially manual...
great
when they start recording the band at about 3:20 onto the wax how do they get the video footage of the band on the wax with the sound? why don't they tell us about that?
and yet you know at the end the young girl wants to be listening to the Andrews sisters instead.
I know still make 33s and 45s but do they make 78s? They actually still make cassette tapes too.
64bitmad in the USA the last manufactured 78s were in 1960 but in foreign countries they continue to make them
It's surprising that so many women were involved. It looked like the entire pressing plant as well as the packing dept. were women.
The men were off to war I suppose.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmm biscuits.
How beautiful and feminine women used to look back then (sighs)...
2:50 "Special slot"? What's so special about that?
"with infinite accuracy on dead center" americans.....