[BC] Turntables (WAS:Achieving good S/N)

[Robert Orban]

At 01:14 PM 1/7/2006, you wrote:
>From: Rich Wood <richwood at pobox.com>
>Subject: Re: [BC] Turntables (WAS:Achieving good S/N)
>To: Broadcast Radio Mailing List <broadcast at radiolists.net>
>Message-ID: <7.0.0.16.2.20060107144111.046e7730 at yahoo.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
>
>------ At 02:21 AM 1/7/2006, Robert Orban wrote: -------
>
>
> >There is a lot of literature about stereophonic miking techniques
> >around for those who want to search it out. Suffice it to say that
> >the "classic" work in the field was done WAY before Columbia or RCA
> >Living Stereo (based on the Bell Labs techniques), both of which
> >date from the late '50s.
>
>Which company used the binaural approach with mics positioned on a
>dummy head? From what I've read here recently, the dummy heads took over.

The dummy head technique was never considered a stereophonic technique 
because the effect didn't work on loudspeakers. It required headphones, and 
even then, there was a problem getting the virtual image to appear in front 
of the listener because of differences in pinnae between the dummy head and 
the actual listener.

I believe that NPR has done a number of binaural productions over the 
years. As far a vinyl goes, there were very few such recording released. 
Audio Fidelity is one label that comes to mind that might have released 
something, but I don't remember accurately.

Emory Cook's eccentric audiophile label, Cook, released a few experimental 
binaural recordings that predated the Westrex 45/45 stereo system. The Cook 
records had two cuts, one for the left channel and one for the right, and 
required a special double-headed tone arm with two mono cartridges to play 
it.  This probably would have been around 1955.

Bob Orban