Music Sound Quality from 35mm mag film?*

I know nothing of The Moles but the cover of the album clearly came from an Everest's classical record.

 

As others have noted in this thread, there was a brief resurgence of interest in 35mm recording around this period -- Mercury Rev recorded some songs this way, etc. As to why, I assume just because they had the opportunity. Same way acts like Chris Butler and They Might Be Giants recorded songs on Edison wax cylinders in the 1990s: because they could.

 

Wow, this thread is a blast from the plast! Glad I didn't remove it from my watched threads.

I wish Krips' performances here were as good as his Mozart. The recording quality on this cycle is really great.

Edit: I would not have some of the opinions on sound quality, I posted about in this thread 10 years ago.

 

I was reading up thread about the various pressing problems and I wonder anyone has since checked out the Analogue Productions 45rpm reissue of Villa-Lobos: The Little Train Of The Caipira? Maybe there are better recordings/pressings of that piece? Thanks.

 

Turned to dust? No but acetate-base film can deteriorate and shrink, and this could be a problem when trying to play back sprocketed film stock.

I always thought magnetic film was a bad idea for sound recording since using teeth to advance the film presumably caused flutter (which is why movie projectors wrap the film around a drum connected to a flywheel at the point where the optical track is reproduced in order to dampen sprocket variations, which is good enough for movie sound but maybe not for critical audio recording, since your flywheel introduces speed fluctuations of its own.)

Maybe I'm wrong about this, and the recorders they used in the 35-audio heyday had some clever way to moot this potential sticking point.

 

That company never used it. UK Decca/London never did 35 mm magnetic film recording.

 

Mercury had Ampex build them a custom 3 track, 1/2" tape machine in 1956. The first one. Mono was recorded with the Ampex mono and Fairchild mono machines, usually taken from the center microphone from what I have heard.

 

Matt,

To amplify your post. In Germany, Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft/Polydor had the rights to issue Command Records. They used the old Gray label, I have seen and owned several copies of these records (I currently have Roman Guitars). They have all used USA mastered stampers. Some of these also use USA outer sleeves if gatefold. Stickered with the German catalog number.

I have one Command LP which is Canadian, on Sparton/Command, it too uses USA mastered stampers. I have one UK Pye/Command Classics title, it is a UK Pye Records mastering locally done from safety copy tape. EMI later acquired the rights to Command Records when ABC-Paramount Records purchased the label in 1964. I don't know if the UK EMI-Command Records issues are locally mastered or not, with EMI I suspect they mastered these records from dub tapes ABC/Paramount supplied.

 

It is the Mercury house microphone choices and placement to blame. Not 35mm magnetic film. I have heard and owned this on USA Mercury Living Presence Stereo LP, the Dutch Mercury Golden Imports LP (mastered and pressed by Philips, in Baarn, The Netherlands) and on Mercury Living Presence CD. My favorite sonically was the Mercury Golden Imports LP or the Mercury Living Presence CD.