------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2008 : Issue 222
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
video tape for recording [ Steve Dillie <sjdillie@[removed]; ]
Re: Recording OTR onto Video Tape [ <georgewagner@[removed]; ]
Recording OTR on VHS videocassettes [ KENPILETIC@[removed] ]
VCR recording [ mmartini@[removed] ]
Re: Audio on Video Tape [ Don Shenbarger <donslistmail@sbcglo ]
Re: Vanishing [removed] [ Peter Boe <boe5650@[removed]; ]
9-20 births/deaths [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
This week in radio history 21-27 Sep [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
Eddie Green on the Fleischmann's Yea [ "jazmaan@[removed]" <dmf273@yahoo ]
Royal Visit 1939 [ Jandpgardner@[removed] ]
Re: The Vanishing OTR Generation [ Jordan Young <jordanyoung50@sbcglob ]
Re: Videotape for OTR recording [ Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed]; ]
audio on VHS tape [ Dan Hughes <danhughes@[removed]; ]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:04:09 -0400
From: Steve Dillie <sjdillie@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: video tape for recording
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I've used video tape to record radio shows. I could tape two of Chuck
Schaden's Those Were The Days Shows on one eight hour tape. This was handy for
recording when on vacation or just running erands and not wanting to miss a
show. Now the show is available online so I can listen later. If I want to
record it I use Audacity.
As far as quality goes, I'm listening to a tape now from 1991 and it sounds
good.
Regards,Steve Dillie1614 Hadley [removed] C1Wheeling, IL
60090sjdillie@[removed]
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------------------------------
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:04:21 -0400
From: <georgewagner@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Recording OTR onto Video Tape
Let me add that when I recorded OTR onto Video Tape I ran a patch cord
into the "video in" jack, the other end of that cord connected to NOTHING.
This gave me a blank screen.
Sincerely,
George Wagner
georgewagner@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:04:52 -0400
From: KENPILETIC@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Recording OTR on VHS videocassettes
Hi Gang
In issue 218, Ron Sayles inquired about recording OTR on videotape. I
recorded many hours of radio programs on videocassettes, not exclusive to
OTR.
There are two things to remember when recording audio on VHS videocassettes.
First, the PLAYBACK must be considered. Second, the HI-FI format should be
used because in HI-FI the sound is recorded on the VIDEO TRACK as well as
being
backed-up on the linear (audio) track.
Ron asked how to make the recording. Simply plug the audio source into the
audio input jack(s). Most VHS VCRs were designed to record Stereo Sound, so
both Left and Right channels should be used, even when recording a monaural
source. Use a "Y" adapter.
You should also record a VIDEO signal by connecting a Video source to the
video input. The reason for
this is to be certain that the tape can be played back on any machine, not
only the one that recorded it. The playback speed is determined by the sync
pulses on the video track on many machines. If there is no video signal, the
audio playback may have "wow", or might not be present at all.
Set the machine to record the "Line Input", not a TV channel. The speed
does not matter on a HI-FI machine, because the rotating video head speed
does
not change. If you record at the SLP/EP format, you will get six hours of
time (with a T-120 cassette), and the sound quality will be the same as you
would get at the SP or LP speed, so I suggest you use the slow speed. The
sound
is excellent.
There are many other technical aspects to using videotape, but the above
information should answer Ron's question.
By the way, I don't do much recording on VHS any more. Recording on CD or
DVD is more convenient and takes less storage space, although longevity is
unknown. Note: VHS recordings that I made in 1982 still play back just
fine.
Happy Taping - Ken Piletic - Streamwood, Illinois and Alma, Arkansas
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:05:11 -0400
From: mmartini@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: VCR recording
In the mid-1980's our public radio station aquired a Sony PCM converter. It
allowed you to record audio on the "video" bands of a VCR tape (not the audio
band, as many others have written about.) It was one of the first digital
converters as it converted analog to digitally encrypted information. We
could store about 8-to-10 hours on one tape (which was particularly handy
when doing skimming air-checks of our programming.) The only problem? You
needed the same PCM machine to "un-convert" the information on the tape back
to analog (it took awhile to remember to hook the "video" output of the VCR
to the PCM machine and not the "audio out.") Anyway, I still have the
machine, which is hard to find. I'm trying to baby it while I convert the
100-200 VCR tapes I have salvaged from days gone by. When you convert
10-hours onto CD's, you burn through a lot of CD's. It's funny, but we all
thought PCM, DAT and mini-disc would be the archival media of the
[removed], in our shortsightedness, we frantically are converting these
digital tapes back to analog. The reel-to-reel tape, for all of its
inconveniences, is still the archival media of choice. Now if only you could
get inexpensive new stock.
-Mike Martini
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:05:38 -0400
From: Don Shenbarger <donslistmail@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Audio on Video Tape
On 9/18/2008 Fred Berney wrote:
When VHS tape had hi-fi tracks, many people thought of using this
medium for recording radio shows, since it would be of a higher
recording format than a standard audio cassette or even reel to reel tape.
I knew of people doing this also and as I recall it was necessary to
co-record a video image of some type to ensure there was a control
track on the edge of the tape. Hi-Fi audio is very good analog
quality but six hour modes are subject to mistracking even on the
same tape recorder as time goes by. If it tracks correctly, the Hi-Fi
Stereo audio quality of 2-hour and 6-hour modes are identical.
I used a pre-DAT VHS tape recorder (Toshiba DX-9000) that includes a
PCM (pulse code modulation) audio mode to record stereo. This is the
same type of digital record mode used for audio CD except in the case
of this video recorder it works at 14 bits per channel instead of the
CD rate of 16 bits per channel. It works great except it too suffers
at not being able to play tapes recorded using the six hour mode
without dropouts. Unlike Hi-Fi Stereo video sound which drops out by
switching back to lower quality linear tracks on the side of the
tape, my PCM tapes actually drop all audio when they mistrack.
Several video tape recorders of the era of my recorder included a
connection on the back for a stand-alone PCM adapter. Additionally
there were stand-alone converters that produced a digital audio
stream on the video part of the signal that could be used with any
video tape recorder. Some of those worked at 14 bits with error code
and others worked at 16 bits with no error code. All of these types
of recorders--DAT and home PCM--failed to sell in great numbers as at
the time they became available, 4-track cassette recorders with home
studio features came into the market and were capable of making very
high quality audio recordings. The home studio market is huge
compared to the home recording hobby types such as ourselves.
Some compact video cameras were capable of being used to record
audio-only, but I never used any of those. I believe they were 8 mm
tape cameras.
Don
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:06:03 -0400
From: Peter Boe <boe5650@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Vanishing [removed]
I wouldn't worry about OTR going away. I'm 36 and have been listen
intently
and with great enthusiasm for several years now. I am constantly amazed
at the sheer quantity of material available, although I must say that
it often
occurs when I find a program I really love, like 'Information, Please!',
I become downhearted when I find that, even tho there are 200+ extant
episodes available, so many have been lost to history. Still and all,
there
is plenty of OTR to keep a fan happy for many, many years.
pjb/
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:08:16 -0400
From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 9-20 births/deaths
September 20th births
09-20-1869 - George Robey - London, England - d. 11-29-1954
music hall singer: "Music Hall"
09-20-1885 - Jelly Roll Morton - Gulfport, MS - d. 7-10-1941
jazz musician, songwriter: "Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin
Street"; "Americana"
09-20-1896 - Si Wills - Pennsylvania - d. 10-3-1977
writer: (Husband of Joan Davis) "Joan Davis Time"
09-20-1898 - Charlie Dressen - Decatur, IL - d. 8-10-1966
baseball manager: "Tops in Sports"; "Brooklyn Dodgers Locker Room
Interviews"
09-20-1899 - Elliot Nugent - Dover, OH - d. 8-9-1980
actor: "Best Plays"; "United States Steel Hour"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
09-20-1908 - Lowell Hawley - Lynden, WA - d. 5-6-2003
screenwriter: "Art Baker's Notebook"
09-20-1911 - Frank De Vol - Moundsville, WV - d. 10-27-1999
conductor: "Rudy Vallee Drene Show"; "Sealtest Village Store"; "Dinah
Shore Show"
09-20-1912 - John W. Loveton - d. 1-17-1997
director: "The Shadow"; "Mr. and Mrs. North"; "Court of Missing Heirs"
09-20-1912 - Ron Cochran - d. 7-25-1994
newscaster: "Sounds of the World"; "Feature Project"
09-20-1915 - Joe King - Birmingham, AL
announcer: "Songs By Morton Downey"; "Walk A Mile"
09-20-1917 - Red Auerbach - Brooklyn, NY - d. 10-28-2006
legendary baskeball coach: "The Inside Track"
09-20-1918 - Gordon Heath - NYC - d. 8-27-1991
actor: "New World A' Coming"; "CBS Radio Mystery Theatre"
09-20-1918 - Peg Phillips - Everett, WA - d. 11-7-2002
actor: "Studio One"; "The Big Show"
09-20-1919 - Francis Heflin - Oklahoma City, OK - d. 6-1-1994
actor: (Sister of Van Heflin) "Aunt Jenny"; "Big Sister"
09-20-1924 - Michael Hardwick - Leeds, England - d. 3-4-1991
author: Adapted Sherlock Holmes for radio
09-20-1925 - Joan Barton - d. 8-27-1976
actor: Cashier "Meet Me at Parky's"
09-20-1928 - Dr. Joyce Brothers - NYC
psychologist: "Monitor"
09-20-1929 - Anne Meara - NYC
actor: "CBS Radio Mystery Theatre"
09-20-1929 - Henry Livings - Northern England - d. 2-20-1998
dramatist: "After the Last Lamp"; "A Most Wonderful Thing"
09-20-1937 - Tom Tresh - Detroit, MI
baseball player: "Tops In Sports"
September 20th deaths
03-12-1912 - Paul Weston - Springfield, MA - d. 9-20-1996
conductor: "Chesterfield Supper Club"; "Paul Weston Orchestra"
03-16-1897 - M. Barnard Eldershaw - Darlington, Australia - d. 9-20-1956
writer: "The Watch on the Headland"
03-22-1913 - James Westerfield - Nashville, TN - d. 9-20-1971
actor: "Mystery Theatre"; "Gunsmoke", "Have Gun,Will Travel"
04-25-1909 - Karl Farr - Rochelle, TX - d. 9-20-1961
singer: (Sons of the Pioneers) "The Roy Rogers Show)
05-05-1907 - Benny Baker - St. Joseph, MO - d. 9-20-1994
character actor: "Jack Benny Program"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
05-25-1917 - Jimmy Hamilton - Dillon, SC - d. 9-20-1994
jazz clarinetist: "One Night Stand"; "A Date with the Duke"
07-18-1893 - Richard Dix - St. Paul, MN - d. 9-20-1949
actor: "Eveready Hour"
08-16-1899 - Glenn Strange - Weed, NM - d. 9-20-1973
singer, actor: "Arizona Wranglers"
08-28-1910 - John F. Holbrook - Cameron, WI - d. 9-20-1978
announcer, director: "The Bickersons"; "The Dinah Shore Show"
10-10-1918 - Paul Dubov - Illinois - d. 9-20-1979
actor: Frank Race "Advs. of Frank Race"
11-11-1909 - Rad Robinson - Bountiful, UT - d. 9-20-1988
singer: (Member of the King's Men) "Fibber McGee and Molly"; "King's
Men"
12-11-1882 - Fiorello La Guardia - NYC - d. 9-20-1947
NYC mayor: "Douglas Corrigan Parade"; "This Is New York"; "Reads the
Funnies"
12-30-1894 - Vincent Lopez - Brooklyn, NY - d. 9-20-1975
bandleader: "Luncheon with Lopez"
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:08:22 -0400
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otr-digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: This week in radio history 21-27 September
From Those Were The Days --
9/21
1946 - After being tested on a regional basis, The Second Mrs. Burton
was heard for the first time on the entire CBS network. The Second Mrs.
Burton fared very well, having a relationship with the network for 14 years.
1948 - The serial Life With Luigi debuted on CBS. Luigi Basko was played
by J. Carroll Naish. Naish, an Irish-American, became typecast as an
Italian immigrant, and went on to play the same role in the TV version
in 1952.
9/22
1943 - Singer Kate Smith finished her War Bond radio appeal. For 13
continuous hours Smith had stayed on the air, collecting a whopping $39
million dollars in bond pledges.
1957 - The CBS Radio Workshop was silenced after 18 months of what the
critics said was "ingenious radio programming."
9/24
1942 - Glenn Miller ended his Moonlight Serenade series on CBS. It was
time for Miller to go to war. The show had aired three times a week for
Chesterfield cigarettes.
9/25
1933 - America's favorite cowboy, Tom Mix, was heard for the first time
on NBC. The Tom Mix Ralston Straight Shooters continued on the air until
June 1950.
9/27
1933 - NBC debuted Waltz Time, featuring the orchestra of Abe Lymon. The
program continued on the network until 1948.
1938 - Thanks for the Memory was heard for the first time on The Bob
Hope Show -- on the NBC Red network.
Joe
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:09:23 -0400
From: "jazmaan@[removed]" <dmf273@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Eddie Green on the Fleischmann's Yeast Hour/Rudy
Vallee Show
In my ongoing efforts to flesh out my Eddie Green collection, I'm trying to
locate a copy of this episode of the Rudy Vallee Show as described at
[removed]:
0969. The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour. April 16, 1936. Red net. Sponsored by:
Fleischmann's Yeast. The first tune is, "Together" (?). Nine-year-old Eileen
Barton sings with a voice that sounds VERY adult. Eddie Green tells an
all-Negro story about King Arthur and the round table. Ruth Chatterton
appears in a "monodrama" called, "The Beloved Boy." Joe Cook tells about his
racoon hatchery! Rudy Vallee, The Connecticut Yankees, Ruth Chatterton, Joe
Cook, Eileen Barton, Eddie Green, Graham McNamee (announcer), The Three
Graces, The Stewart Sisters, John Tucker Battle (writer), Ernest Whitman,
Frank Wilson, G. G. James, R. E. Lee (commercial spokesman), Jean Cocteau
(writer). 59:24. Audio condition: Excellent. Complete.
I've already searched the usual online sources and found a few other episodes
of the Fleischmann hour, but not this one. If anybody here has a copy to
share I'd appreciate it. Thanks.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:09:52 -0400
From: Jandpgardner@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Royal Visit 1939
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Jack French asks if the Tribute to our English King and Queen on the
occasion of their visit to the [removed] in June 1939 has survived in audio form.
It
certainly has and was played by Jerry Haendiges on his excellent 'Same Time
Same
Station' just 3 months ago. It is still available in the archives of that
show that can be found at _[removed]_
([removed]) .
John Gardner
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------------------------------
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:10:02 -0400
From: Jordan Young <jordanyoung50@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: The Vanishing OTR Generation
Kudos to Michael Biel's daughter (and Biel for properly educating
her). But never mind that the vast majority people under 60 don't
know who Spike Jones is--despite my vast efforts (including three
books) to correct this over the past 25 years--most of today's
college students don't even know who Edgar Allan Poe is. Only 5 of my
19 sophomore/junior journalism students last semester could ID Poe!
When I realized the depth of their cultural ignorance, I brought to
class not only Spike, but Stan Freberg, Victor Borge, etc.
OTR and popular music of the pre-rock era are facing the threat of
being completely lost and forgotten in another generation or two.
It's up to us "old-timers" to pass the torch by whatever means we can.
Jordan Young
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:11:29 -0400
From: Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Videotape for OTR recording
Jim Arva mentioned that videotape recorders need a video signal to sync to
even when recording only audio. Some machines have a switch like he said
Beta machines have which supply the machine with a signal that might be noted
on the set-up menu as "blue screen". You might have to toggle that on. I
have found that one of my DVD recorders that I occasionally use for audio
also needs a video signal, but for a different reason. The machine goes to
PAUSE whenever there is no video. (Yes, you can use DVD recorders to record
audio. Some dealers are even using DVD to sell gigantic numbers of hours of
MP3. I carry a little DVD player to check out CDs, MP3s, and DVDs at OTR
conventions.)
Although the Hi-Fi audio tracks use the rotating video head drum, and thus
are similar in quality nomatter what the tape speed is, there is a reduction
in tracking accuracy and machine interchangability at the slowest 6-hour
speed. I usually recorded at the middle 4-hour speed which gave good tape
economy, good interchangability, less tracking problems, and reasonably good
sound on the edge linear audio tracks. The problem was finding a machine
that could record all three speeds. JVC which designed the VHS system never
acknowledged the existence of the middle 4-hour speed. Panasonic had broken
their JVC license to introduce the 4 hour speed before JVC could come out
with the 6-hour speed that would overcome Beta's 4 1/2 hour speed.
So it became necessary for us to find Panasonic-made machines while we were
still using machines to record on. At the end even some Panasonics only
recorded 2 and 6. If you are looking for a new machine to replace an old
machine, almost all machines would play the middle speed, but some JVC-types
didn't support things like still frame on the middle speed. Since almost all
VHS machines being made now are combo-DVD types, make sure that the INPUT
plugs on the VHS side of the machine has stereo audio. Many cheaper ones now
only record mono tape which means that there are no Hi-Fi track ability even
though the OUTPUT plugs are stereo. Those are for the DVD player. If the
tape side will not record stereo, it will not play your Hi-Fi tracks.
Although I have thousands of videocassettes it is important to note that
videotape has never been considered an archival format. There is one other
thing to consider, something that Bata users discovered nearly ten years ago.
The day will come when you will not be able to buy a new machine to replace
your old one. My daughter and I have laid aside about 4 or 5 VHS machines
and are doing so with certain DVD recorders while we try to catch up with
finalizing several thousand discs. Audiocassette machines are nearly
extinct. Only a few expensive studio reel-to-reel machines are still being
made and even that will shortly cease. When was the last time you saw a new
wire recorder on the store shelves??? ALL media formats WILL die. Even
audiocassettes and VHS. Maybe eventually even CD. And the Blu-Ray people
are actively considering how to do the DVD in.
Michael Biel mbiel@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:13:21 -0400
From: Dan Hughes <danhughes@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: audio on VHS tape
James Arva warns of VHs tape seeking a video sync when recording radio.
I solved that problem by running a patch cord from my TV video out jack
to the video in jack of the VCR. I left my TV on when I recorded. I
didn't care what was on TV because I was just using the signal to keep
the tape running at the proper speed.
I ended up with a perfect audio recording that also had the TV picture.
But the video signal was immaterial, since I didn't watch the video, I
just listened to it.
---Dan, [removed]
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2008 Issue #222
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