[Dixielandjazz] Oliver and Armstrong - relative "loudness"

[Richard Broadie]

As James Lincoln Collier
has pointed out ("Louis Armstrong", 1983) Armstrong had been with the
Creole Jazz Band for some nine months when the recordings were made and it
is unlikely that he would not have learnt how to "measure" his playing to
Oliver's.


Hi Anton.  To me, the above is the most significant line in your discourse
re: the positioning of players for acoustic recordings.  Having been an
audio engineer and member of the Audio Engineering Society and similar
organizations for more than 40 years, I, long ago,  heard stories of how
musicians were positioned or how instruments were selected in accourdance to
their acoustical characteristics prior to 1926.    With experienced bands
who naturally established balance in their "live" performances, it was said
that positioning was far less crucil than with "pick up" bands where the
engineer had to establish relative loudness and then determine positioning
before the recording process could begin.   Of course bass drums and several
other instruments were pretty much precluded because the needle couldn't
physically stay in the groove.  I always wondered why they just didn't mute
the drum in some way to bring it into balance.  No matter what some claim, I
actually wasn't there in 1924 to witness the proces so will limit my claims
of expertise to the above.

Is it too late to get a patent on a drum mute?  Just think.  Don or Charlie
could have given Barrett Deems one for Christmas and their hearing could
have been saved.

In summary, I'm glad I started doing my engineering long after 1926 when the
electric microphone found its place in the industry.  I'd talk about today's
near field micing and mixing and the assocuated problems,  but I could fill
a book on that topic nad  don't even have enough energy to write the first
10 or so chapters today.

I appreciate your thoughtful posts on some interesting threads, Anton.  Keep
'em coming!  Dick