[Dixielandjazz] Who invented stereo?

Sun Jul 24 15:14:48 PDT 2005

I think it was Edison that experimented with it but right at this minute I
can't reference it.  I remember reading something about it but it's been a
long time.  He used two styli and two horns and cut two grooves.  As a
matter of fact he actually manufactured several one of which ended up in a
mid east potentates tent.

Who patents something isn't necessarily the one who invented it as A.G. Bell
who reached the patent office a day before the other guy from western
electric.  Who would have ever heard of A.G. Bell.  Unfortunately I just
can't remember where I got my info.  Probably American Heritage Magazine.  I
read a lot of history.

Multiple patents can be granted for the same thing especially if it's from
foreign governments. All you need here is an "improvement" on the old to get
a patent.  Edison patented almost everything he did but that would not have
kept someone from patenting a better way or since it was in a foreign
country there would have been no effect.  I'm not sure if at that time you
could get an international patent.

I remember the original Stereo experiments here in the 50's.  They broadcast
one track through KSD radio (AM) and KSD TV.  You put the radio on the left
(most radios were really big then) and the TV on the right.  They had the
St. Louis Symphony play which wasn't the best forum for stereo.  I think
most people went away wondering what all the fuss was about.  Imagine the
worst stereo recording (so far as directionality) that you have ever heard
and it was probably better.  Any HI-Fi at that time would wipe the floor
with that sound.  My brother actually had a 12" woofer and a tweeter on his
(oh baby) and it sounded pretty good.  People didn't have a clue as to how
to place or match speakers or what this new thing actually did.  In the
beginning stereo wasn't much to get excited about.

I bought a kit to build my first stereo amp. It was a Knight Kit that cost
about $30.  Since union scale was $12 in that local you can multiply today's
minimum in your area to figure out what this thing cost me in today's
musician money.  I got a stereo turntable (it would be considered a kids
phono now) and two 8" speakers.  The speakers were placed at the top of  8"
paper tubes facing toward the ceiling.  the tubes were about four ft long
and acted as resonators.  This is the precursor of Bose systems and worked
the same way.  Placed in the corners of a room to emphasize bass and up off
the floor.  Mine sat on music stand tripod bottoms.  The tubes were obtained
from a carpet store.  Elegant huh?  The sound wasn't too bad and the speaker
enclosures while very cheap worked well.  I think the amp was about 25 watts
or so and the whole outfit would be considered a bad joke today but in 1959
or 1960 it was pretty cool.  I actually had a record where different
instruments came out of different speakers (Whoo Baby!)
Sound wise these are the good old days!
Larry
St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stan Brager" <sbrager at socal.rr.com>
To: "LARRY'S Signs and Large Format Printing" <sign.guy at charter.net>; "Fr M
J (Mike) Logsdon" <mjl at ix.netcom.com>; "m - DJML"
<dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2005 11:02 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Question re Tommy Dorsey Stereo Film Clip

> Larry;
>
> I don't think that it was Edison who invented stereo. What you're
describing
> sounds like stereo but was invented in 1931. Here's more information:
>
> "The first 'binaural' recordings were made '33 by EMI, using separate
tracks
> on the record, a two-headed tone-arm playing both at once; but methods of
> cutting stereo grooves had been patented in England in 1931, invented by
> EMI's Alan Blumlein. Stereo records were made '32 but the process was not
> then commercially viable because of the noisy materials of which records
> were made."
>
> The source for this information is the following website:
>
> http://www.musicweb-international.com/encyclopaedia/r/R37.HTM
>
> Additional information can be found in the book "From Tin Foil To Stereo"
by
> Oliver Reed & Walter L. Welch on page 426.
>
> Stan
> Stan Brager
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "LARRY'S Signs and Large Format Printing" <sign.guy at charter.net>
> To: "Stan Brager" <sbrager at socal.rr.com>; "Fr M J (Mike) Logsdon"
> <mjl at ix.netcom.com>; "m - DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2005 7:32 PM
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Question re Tommy Dorsey Stereo Film Clip
>
>
> > Edison developed the first stereo recorder/player but didn't develop it
> > because it was impractical meaning he couldn't make any money from it.
I
> > believe it had a dual stylus that made two separate tracks in the wax.
> > Larry Walton
> > St. Louis
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Stan Brager" <sbrager at socal.rr.com>
> > To: "Fr M J (Mike) Logsdon" <mjl at ix.netcom.com>; "m - DJML"
> > <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> > Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2005 3:09 PM
> > Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Question re Tommy Dorsey Stereo Film Clip
> >
> >
> > > Mike;
> > >
> > > There are 2 ways that this could have happened:
> > >
> > > 1) Some have suggested that the sound could have been caught by two
mics
> > > going into 2 recorders. This would enable the movie's actors to move
> while
> > > the sound would approximate what he would be hearing. I discount this
> > > theory. All that the sound engineer would have to do is to lower the
> > volume
> > > as the camera moves away from the bandstand. A stereo signal would be
of
> > > little use to movie houses of that day - 1943 to 1946 or so.
> > >
> > > 2) It would be easy to create a "stereo effect" for today's market
using
> > > techniques developed by DJML member Richard Broadie,  Robert Parker
> and/or
> > > others.
> > >
> > > Either theory or others could be what has really happened.
> > >
> > > Stan
> > > Stan Brager
> > > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > > From: "Fr M J (Mike) Logsdon" <mjl at ix.netcom.com>
> > > To: "m - DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> > > Sent: Friday, July 22, 2005 10:07 PM
> > > Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Question re Tommy Dorsey Stereo Film Clip
> > >
> > >
> > > > Please forgive my ignorance, but I'm uncertain about something.  The
> > > > 1943 film was, of course, in mono.  But when was the stereo track
> > > > recorded?  1943?  If not, how was a stereo track so many years later
> so
> > > > perfectly matched to a 1943 film (solos, tempo, etc)?,
> > > > -- 
> > > > Etc,
> > > >
> > > > Fr M J "Mike" Logsdon
> > > > Special Assistant to the Presiding Archbishop
> > > > North American Old Roman Catholic Church (Utrecht Succession)
> > > > www.naorc.org
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Dixielandjazz mailing list
> > > Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> > > http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
> >