| Posted by Steve L. | October 17, 2012 - 06:56 pm |
| Hi Robert, I was curious and from a brief Web search, was able to glean the following details about the 35mm recording medium used by Command (quotations): The 35mm recorders were built by Westrex and had three tracks, which were somewhat wider than existing two and three track tape machines. Used in the early 60's, it was sprocket driven and ran at 18ips. The large film reels held about 22 minutes of media. The large Westrex machines weren't designed for all the starts and stops tape machines could tolerate; apparently their use in recording, editing and mastering was very hard on them. Labels which used the machines included: Command, Mercury, Everest and London FFRR. The actual tracks were 1/4" wide with a goodly amount of guard band. Special low impedance heads were used. This system was pioneered by the late Bert Whyte and Harry Belock of Everest Records fame. After Everest left the recording field, the system was purchased by C. Robert Fine of Fine Recording Studios and used on Mercury Records sessions and Command Records sessions. A superb system which was the finest sounding available and had superb transient response, low distortion, and wide frequency range. Fell out of use due to expense as it was an expensive system to use. Refs: audiokarma.com, www.stevehoffman.tv. There is an excellent article (with photos of the machines) at http://www.preservationsound.com/?p=3939 |
| Posted by Robert from NJ | October 17, 2012 - 05:14 pm |
| Hi Steve. As best as I can find out, Command was the only label that used 35mm film (they never referred to it as tape). I still am not sure what 35mm magnetic film is...a proprietary format??? Command explained that it used the 35mm film to eliminate flutter and print-thru. Does anyone have any info on this recording medium??? Who made the machines??? Command was a relatively small label, originally a sub-label of Grand Award Records. They had nowhere near the resources for R&D like RCA. They did alot to advance recording science for a small company. Any insight from others here that are more knowledgeable would be appreciated. |
| Posted by Steve L. | October 17, 2012 - 04:55 pm |
| Hi again Robert -- I imagine that your daughter would be the best way but if you're feeling frisky, you would basically take the tape out from your stereo and connect it into the (blue) line input mini-phone jack on your PC. Then you just need to use Windows Sound Recorder (WSR) or the free Audacity program like you would a tape deck. (Has a record button.) I understand that WSR may be hobbled to one-minute segments. That might suffice, though. Thanks for the intro to eBay vinyl. Those do sound interesting. I remember my big brother cherished his Command recordings. As a kid, I marveled at the special 35mm tape recorders, which they touted for the masters... |
| Posted by Robert from NJ | October 17, 2012 - 11:16 am |
| Hi Steve. Your kind comments are much appreciated. Thank you. I recently hit a bonanza on ebay...a 6-record boxed set of dynagroove records that were never played...for $10.00!!! It was a Reader's Digest issue that has numerous artists, mostly the typical easy listening genre popular in the mid-60's...Peter Nero, Chet Atkins, Marty Gold Orch., Al Hirt, etc. I will try to get my computer-savvy college grad daughter to help me make some inner-groove recordings to MP3 files...I don't know how to do it myself...if it isn't reel-to-reel or cassette, I'm helpless!! There are literally hundreds of Dynagroove, Command, and London Phase 4 records on ebay for anywhere from $1. to $25. My personal favorite recording for sound dynamics and great horns/woodwinds is the Si Zentner 1965 rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon" which was included in an RCA Dynagroove demonstration album titled "Sounds Fantastic" that was released in 1965 to RCA dealers to promote their line of home stereo units. The records were designed with showroom-auditions of stereo consoles(floor-models) in mind. The record is very impressive. Available on ebay for around $1-$10, depending on condition. I would like to add that many non-Dynagroove records were released by RCA during the same time period, most notably, and in the largest numbers, those by Elvis Presley. The sound quality on those LP's is very good, and even excellent...clean, full-range, and dimensional(good L-R channel separation), but definitely not having the enhanced dynamics of the Dynagroove records. A great topic for serious vinyl audiophiles. |
| Posted by Steve L. | October 22, 2014 - 08:28 am |
| Hi Robert, I appreciate the fascinating comparison of playing Dynagroove with conical and elliptical styli. It is interesting that you found the conical playback to be cleaner. Ordinarily, one would expect the elliptical to be cleaner (with ordinary records). Of course, this doesn't answer the question of whether Dynagroove played with an elliptical stylus is better or worse than an ordinary recording played with elliptical. Nevertheless, it is a useful part of the puzzle. May I ask, would it be at all possible for you to record MP3 files of a sample from the inner grooves, played with the two different styli? I would love to post them with the article, for comparison. If you are able to, you can reach me at [see homepage ABOUT]. Thank you for the great posting. |
| Posted by Robert from NJ | October 16, 2012 - 06:07 pm |
| I have a collection of RCA Victor Dynagroove recordings that I play on a fairly high-end, albeit vintage, 1970's system. I was never aware of the Dynagroove records as being optimized for use with a .7 mil conical stylus until I researched the topic on the web several years ago. I purchased an additional headshell and installed an Audio-Technica .7 mil round stylus cartridge for exclusive use with my Dynagroove albums. I can honestly say that there is a cleaner sound using this setup as compared to using my Shure M110E setup. Aside from the technical aspects of the Dynagroove process, the musical content, arrangements, and artists were of very high caliber, in my opinion. The sound of these records when played back on a decent system stands up very well in this age of digital audio. I would also feel negligent if I didn't mention the very fine audiophile recordings released on the Command label from 1959 to approx. 1966(before Enoch Light founded Project 3 Records). The sound of these records can be very impressive if one has well cared-for copies. The dynamics and dimensional effects are in my opinion, breathtaking. Just the humble opinion of a vinyl-lover. |