Paul's Posts — 11 June 2012
By Paul McGowan
In yesterday’s post we mentioned a Sheffield Direct To Disc recording and several readers asked me just what that was. It was the most direct method of recording possible before the advent of digital and interestingly enough it was a throwback to the original recording technique. Perhaps a bit of history is in order.
When the idea of recording first came into our society all recordings were “direct to disc” only there was no disc. Better said as “direct to cylinder”. The capturing of sound at the time used no electronics but rather a large acoustic amplifier (a horn) whose output had enough air movement to push a needle cutting a pattern into wax or tin foil wrapped onto a rotating cylinder. Once recorded all you had to do was change the needle type from a cutter to a player and reverse the process to hear it played back through the same acoustic amplifier – this time the needle following the cut grooves in the cylinder and moving the air so you can hear.
Thing was, whatever you wanted to record had to be performed live and without any mistakes. This was a real challenge for both the performers as well as the recordist as any errors would ruin the take and it had to be done again.
Enter the tape recorder that used electronics and magnetics to capture the sound with the advantage you could control the recording process and edit the performance making the life of the recordist and performer a whole lot easier. Problem was you had to transfer the recorded sound to the disc removing the listener away from the direct recording and adding a layer of sonic degradation – the first of many to follow.
As the high-end audio field gained in popularity it was natural enough to want better source materials and some lucky few were able to get copies of original master tapes to enjoy, but this was rather limited and expensive. Then came the idea of direct to disc recording once again that would eliminate the in-between tape recording and get the listener closer to the musicians.
The problems were the same as before – no mistakes in cutting or performance could be tolerated to make a great recording and once finished, only a limited number of copies could be made from the cut master so copies of these masterpieces were expensive and limited. But the results were amazing with a clarity and dynamic range that couldn’t possibly have been achieved any other way than digital which didn’t exist in popular form at the time.
I am sure some of you remember better than I but Sheffield and Crystal Clear records were the only labels that came to mind as I am writing this.
It surely was a magical time in the history of audio and I was glad to have been a part of it.
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hahax
I recall the 1st Sheffield record and how impressed I was with them. But I’d like to add a piece of audio trivia.
In the mid 60s I bought a test album from the Magazine Stereo Review. On the back were two examples of very good recording. In order to play the 2nd cut you had to lift the stylus and place it into a 2nd starter groove. I had forgotten about this for over a decade after buying the album. And one day I thought about it and read the info on the cover. It was a direct to disc recording years before the Sheffields. The reason you had to lift the arm was that on direct to disc you must record an entire cut from beginning to end. There’s no retakes other than to do the entire cut again. If you record an album side it’s one cut or you have to treat it almost like 2 sides.
Terry Franklin
I have two Sheffield Lab LPs. One is the Leinsdorf’s Stravinsky / Debussy. It states that it is “Direct disc recording from a single point stereo microphone.” It was recorded on April 29, 1985.
The second one is one of my favorite LPs period. It is the Chicago Symphony Winds’ recording of Mozart: Serenade No. 11 and Grieg: Four Lyric Pieces. On the front it indicates that it is a “Complete unedited live performance recorded direct to disc.”
On the back it contains the following information:
Produced by Lincoln Mayorga and Doug Sax
Engineered by Doug Sax
Recorded September 8, 9, 10, 1983 at Sheffield Lab Studios at MGM/UA Culver City, California
At the end it says, “This album was recorded with all tube electronics designed and built by Sheffield Lab. A single point stereo microphone was used to achieve a natural perspective.”
This illustrates the fact that tube electronics were big in the audiophile world in the 80s.
Make no mistake, I love this recording. But someone out there in engineering land please tell this old retired microbiologist/project manager how in the hell you can have a live unedited three day performance to record 38 minutes and 34 seconds worth of music? Do I smell a tape recorder in the mix here? What no restroom breaks?
ascott
Direct-to-Disc
Sheffield
Crystal Clear
M&K (For Duke)
Umbrella (Rob McConnell & the Boss Brass)
American Gramophone
RCA Japan – Direct Master Series, 45 rpm
JVC
East Wind (great small group jazz)
Nimbus (Complete Beethoven sonatas DtoD played by Bernard Roberts)
Nimbus also did a fascinating box set of 3 performances of the Hammerklavier sonata, recorded 3 ways: DtoD, analog tape, digital
Still have them, still play them.