Presto
Issue: 1925 2045 - Page 25
23
PRESTO
October 3, 1925.
COINOLAS
FOR
RESTAURANTS, CAFES and
A M U S E M E N T CENTERS
Style C-2
FROM THE BIGGEST
ORCHESTRION
Tiny Coinola
THE SMALLEST
KEYLESS
Manufactured by
The Operators Piano Co.
715-721 N. Kedzie Ave.
CHICAGO
the number of horns used, the average being from
two to four.
The Richmond laboratory expert has seventy-five
or more horns in stock. These are used with the
greatest care in recording. Sometimes a day's time
is necessary for the making of two numbers. Austin
C. Lescarboura wrote as follows some time ago in
the "Scientific American," concerning recording:
"The most bizarre feature of this laboratory scene
is, no doubt, the seating arrangement. In order that
each instrument will 'focus' on the horn without in-
terference of any sort, the musicians are seated on
chairs of various heights, with the lowest ones near-
est the horn and the highest ones—six feet tall, in
some cases—at the rear of the semi-circle. The music
stands in turn are suspended from the ceiling, by an
arrangement of overhead rails and hangers.
burrs and other slight imperfections of electrotyping
are removed with a miniature chisel. All the while,
however, due care must be taken not to remove or
damage the 'music' at the bottom of the groove.
Electrotypes are delicately polished on high-speed
spindles with soft rags and cleaning fluids.
The Ultimate Product.
"The ultimate product of this studio is the sample
record which is molded from the matrix. When this
sample or file record passes a most exacting test, the
matrix is approved of and sent to the factory, where
the records are turned out in large numbers for the
phonographs of the world."
The Starr Piano Co. has a laboratory for Gennett
records in New York City where eastern artists make
recordings. Local recordings are made mostly by
talent from Chicago and cities of the Middle West.
The Difficulties.
F. D. Wiggins, sales manager of the record de-
"Certain instruments, such as horns, must be kept partment, when asked how the company endeavors
in the background, while others, the violin, for in- to feel the pulse of the public regarding their favorite
kind of records, replied that the days of national hits
stance, are placed in the front row. In the case of
brass instruments, where the horn is behind the have passed and that now favorites are local propo-
player, a queer situation arises. The sound must be sitions. Records that are good sellers in some terri-
directed toward the horn yet the musician must fol- tories are spurned in others. A record that sells in
low the orchestra leader. Fortunately, with a large Chicago doesn't sell in San Francisco. "The latest
mirror mounted on an adjustable stand, the musician record craze is the new Charleston dance time.
can sit with his back to the horn and the leader, while Through the South and even in some northern states
the old mountain tunes, played by ignorant moun-
observing both through the mirror in front of him.
"When everything is in readiness, the musicians taineers, are great favorites."
wait for the buzzer signal, which indicates that the
J. O. Prestcott is the chief technician of the record-
recording apparatus has started and that every sound ing department. A record is composed of thirty-
is being recorded. With the sound of the first buz- seven ingredients, the wax disk containing eighteen
zer signal, silence reigns.
different ingredients. All the wax is made at the
"A few seconds later a second buzzer signal indi- local plant under Mr. Prestcott's direction.
cates that the selection can begin, since the requisite
The Richmond laboratory was originally started as
number of blank grooves have been cut at the start a personal recording laboratory where people could
of the record. It is these blank grooves which permit make records and sell them on their own initiative.
the turntable of the home phonograph to come to Five years ago the system was changed. Practically
speed before the selection begins."
one-half of the recordings made by the Starr Piano
A discordant note ruins the wax record, thus neces- Co. now are catalogued by the company.
sitating doing the work again. Everything must be
perfect. The wax must be smooth and flat and free
from any imperfection. Before they are used they
are kept in an electrically heated cabinet which main-
tains a constant temperature.
More About Record Making.
Mr. Lescaboura's description of record making is
so concise that it is further given as follows:
"When a selection is to be recorded, the wax disk,
measuring a half-inch or more in thickness by the
usual diameter of the standard record, is placed on
the turntable. The gravity motor is started and the
producer tool placed the proper distance in from the
edge. The buzzer signal is given to the orchestra
leader at this time, and with the cutting of the re-
quired number of blank grooves the second or 'start'
signal is given.
"The first wax record is a so-called test record and
corresponds to a printer's proof. As it is played, the
director, with the musical score in his hands, follows
the selection, pointing out a loud note which must
be subdued, or the weakness of the accompaniment,
or criticizing the enunciation of a word. He thus
'reads' the record, just as the editor proof reads and
revises a page before the reader sees it.
"After the wax record is completed, the wax is
allowed to set or become hard. The test record is
thrown out after having served its purpose, as the
grooves of soft wax have been more or less ruined
by the steel needle of..the reproducer.
The Wax Master.
"The wax master is carefully covered with fine
powdered graphite which is brushed evenly into every
groove and hollow. It is then suspended in an
electro-plating tank and subjected to a weak electric
current for a period of forty-five to fifty hours. The
weak current necessitates a long immersion in the
plating bath, and the deposit, in consequence, is ex-
tremely fine grained. The thin shell of copper de-
posited on the graphite wax, carrying every groove
and variation of the master, is stripped from its sup-
port and soldered on a heavy brass disk, after which
it is nickelplated to harden its surface. This electro-
type to give it the proper name, is the 'master.'
"A second electrotype operation now follows. The
nickel-plated master is treated with acid to prevent
the next copper plating from sticking, and it is placed
in an electrotyping tank for a period of fifty hours.
The thin copper shell is then removed and mounted
on metal, and the electrotype thus obtained is called
the 'mother.' The mother is nickel-plated, treated
with acid, and placed in the electroplating tank in
order to produce still another electrotype, which is
known as the 'matrix' and from which the commercial
records are molded.
Process Calls for Care.
"Every step in electrotyping must be carefully done,,
for like a chain the finished record is no better than
the poorest work (the weakest link) of any depart-
ment. Expert engravers examine the electrotypes,
starting at one end of a groove and tracing it some
half mile or more to the very end, armed with a pow-
erful magnifying glass and an engraver's tool. Little
P
e e r 1 e s s
Player Actions
Embody Five Cardinal Features;
DURABILITY
SIMPLICITY
ACCESSIBILITY
SOLIDARITY
GUARANTEE
Write for Prices and Territory
We Have Something of Interest for You
Peerless Pneumatic Piano Action
Co., Inc.
TOLBERT F. CHEEK Preeident
469-485 East 133d Street
NEW YORK
A Pneumatic Action bearing the name
STRAUCH BROS.
i« your guide for unfailing quality.
The high quality which has characterized
the Strauch Bros. Piano Actions and Ham-
mers for almost sixty years, distinguishes
our latest product, the
STRAUCH BROS.
PNEUMATIC ACTIONS
Simple wi construction they are
depencUble in every particular.
STRAUCH BROS., INC
327 Wahut Art.
New York City
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
PRESTO
October 3, 1925.
COINOLAS
FOR
RESTAURANTS, CAFES and
A M U S E M E N T CENTERS
Style C-2
FROM THE BIGGEST
ORCHESTRION
Tiny Coinola
THE SMALLEST
KEYLESS
Manufactured by
The Operators Piano Co.
715-721 N. Kedzie Ave.
CHICAGO
the number of horns used, the average being from
two to four.
The Richmond laboratory expert has seventy-five
or more horns in stock. These are used with the
greatest care in recording. Sometimes a day's time
is necessary for the making of two numbers. Austin
C. Lescarboura wrote as follows some time ago in
the "Scientific American," concerning recording:
"The most bizarre feature of this laboratory scene
is, no doubt, the seating arrangement. In order that
each instrument will 'focus' on the horn without in-
terference of any sort, the musicians are seated on
chairs of various heights, with the lowest ones near-
est the horn and the highest ones—six feet tall, in
some cases—at the rear of the semi-circle. The music
stands in turn are suspended from the ceiling, by an
arrangement of overhead rails and hangers.
burrs and other slight imperfections of electrotyping
are removed with a miniature chisel. All the while,
however, due care must be taken not to remove or
damage the 'music' at the bottom of the groove.
Electrotypes are delicately polished on high-speed
spindles with soft rags and cleaning fluids.
The Ultimate Product.
"The ultimate product of this studio is the sample
record which is molded from the matrix. When this
sample or file record passes a most exacting test, the
matrix is approved of and sent to the factory, where
the records are turned out in large numbers for the
phonographs of the world."
The Starr Piano Co. has a laboratory for Gennett
records in New York City where eastern artists make
recordings. Local recordings are made mostly by
talent from Chicago and cities of the Middle West.
The Difficulties.
F. D. Wiggins, sales manager of the record de-
"Certain instruments, such as horns, must be kept partment, when asked how the company endeavors
in the background, while others, the violin, for in- to feel the pulse of the public regarding their favorite
kind of records, replied that the days of national hits
stance, are placed in the front row. In the case of
brass instruments, where the horn is behind the have passed and that now favorites are local propo-
player, a queer situation arises. The sound must be sitions. Records that are good sellers in some terri-
directed toward the horn yet the musician must fol- tories are spurned in others. A record that sells in
low the orchestra leader. Fortunately, with a large Chicago doesn't sell in San Francisco. "The latest
mirror mounted on an adjustable stand, the musician record craze is the new Charleston dance time.
can sit with his back to the horn and the leader, while Through the South and even in some northern states
the old mountain tunes, played by ignorant moun-
observing both through the mirror in front of him.
"When everything is in readiness, the musicians taineers, are great favorites."
wait for the buzzer signal, which indicates that the
J. O. Prestcott is the chief technician of the record-
recording apparatus has started and that every sound ing department. A record is composed of thirty-
is being recorded. With the sound of the first buz- seven ingredients, the wax disk containing eighteen
zer signal, silence reigns.
different ingredients. All the wax is made at the
"A few seconds later a second buzzer signal indi- local plant under Mr. Prestcott's direction.
cates that the selection can begin, since the requisite
The Richmond laboratory was originally started as
number of blank grooves have been cut at the start a personal recording laboratory where people could
of the record. It is these blank grooves which permit make records and sell them on their own initiative.
the turntable of the home phonograph to come to Five years ago the system was changed. Practically
speed before the selection begins."
one-half of the recordings made by the Starr Piano
A discordant note ruins the wax record, thus neces- Co. now are catalogued by the company.
sitating doing the work again. Everything must be
perfect. The wax must be smooth and flat and free
from any imperfection. Before they are used they
are kept in an electrically heated cabinet which main-
tains a constant temperature.
More About Record Making.
Mr. Lescaboura's description of record making is
so concise that it is further given as follows:
"When a selection is to be recorded, the wax disk,
measuring a half-inch or more in thickness by the
usual diameter of the standard record, is placed on
the turntable. The gravity motor is started and the
producer tool placed the proper distance in from the
edge. The buzzer signal is given to the orchestra
leader at this time, and with the cutting of the re-
quired number of blank grooves the second or 'start'
signal is given.
"The first wax record is a so-called test record and
corresponds to a printer's proof. As it is played, the
director, with the musical score in his hands, follows
the selection, pointing out a loud note which must
be subdued, or the weakness of the accompaniment,
or criticizing the enunciation of a word. He thus
'reads' the record, just as the editor proof reads and
revises a page before the reader sees it.
"After the wax record is completed, the wax is
allowed to set or become hard. The test record is
thrown out after having served its purpose, as the
grooves of soft wax have been more or less ruined
by the steel needle of..the reproducer.
The Wax Master.
"The wax master is carefully covered with fine
powdered graphite which is brushed evenly into every
groove and hollow. It is then suspended in an
electro-plating tank and subjected to a weak electric
current for a period of forty-five to fifty hours. The
weak current necessitates a long immersion in the
plating bath, and the deposit, in consequence, is ex-
tremely fine grained. The thin shell of copper de-
posited on the graphite wax, carrying every groove
and variation of the master, is stripped from its sup-
port and soldered on a heavy brass disk, after which
it is nickelplated to harden its surface. This electro-
type to give it the proper name, is the 'master.'
"A second electrotype operation now follows. The
nickel-plated master is treated with acid to prevent
the next copper plating from sticking, and it is placed
in an electrotyping tank for a period of fifty hours.
The thin copper shell is then removed and mounted
on metal, and the electrotype thus obtained is called
the 'mother.' The mother is nickel-plated, treated
with acid, and placed in the electroplating tank in
order to produce still another electrotype, which is
known as the 'matrix' and from which the commercial
records are molded.
Process Calls for Care.
"Every step in electrotyping must be carefully done,,
for like a chain the finished record is no better than
the poorest work (the weakest link) of any depart-
ment. Expert engravers examine the electrotypes,
starting at one end of a groove and tracing it some
half mile or more to the very end, armed with a pow-
erful magnifying glass and an engraver's tool. Little
P
e e r 1 e s s
Player Actions
Embody Five Cardinal Features;
DURABILITY
SIMPLICITY
ACCESSIBILITY
SOLIDARITY
GUARANTEE
Write for Prices and Territory
We Have Something of Interest for You
Peerless Pneumatic Piano Action
Co., Inc.
TOLBERT F. CHEEK Preeident
469-485 East 133d Street
NEW YORK
A Pneumatic Action bearing the name
STRAUCH BROS.
i« your guide for unfailing quality.
The high quality which has characterized
the Strauch Bros. Piano Actions and Ham-
mers for almost sixty years, distinguishes
our latest product, the
STRAUCH BROS.
PNEUMATIC ACTIONS
Simple wi construction they are
depencUble in every particular.
STRAUCH BROS., INC
327 Wahut Art.
New York City
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).