[Dixielandjazz] Copying 78s (was Digitizing Vinyl)

[Anton Crouch]

Hello Ron and Dan

The absence of the 78 rpm speed on a turntable is not a fatal flaw.

I copy 78s by using the 45 rpm speed and then using an audio editor to
re-sample (re-pitch) to the correct speed. The process has pluses and
minuses - the 78s track better at 45 rpm but there is a shift of the
(usually RIAA) equalisation curve. I correct for the shift but I have to
say that I can't hear any difference between the corrected and
uncorrected results.

Having to correct the speed is actually a good thing - it makes you
think about the speed at which the record was made. There was wide
variation in speeds during the acoustic era (roughly 72 to 82) and even
after the adoption of the 78 standard with the introduction of
electrical recording, there was variation - eg, English Columbias which
ran at 80 rpm.

MOST importantly, don't forget to use a coarse groove (78 rpm) stylus
:-)  Also, don't forget to increase the playing weight to at or near the
  maximum (usually ~ 3 grams) given by the stylus manufacturer.

All the best
Anton