Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83 based; site homxa.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!houxm!homxa!wdc
From: wdc@homxa.UUCP (W.CLARK)
Newsgroups: net.audio
Subject: Re: record speeds
Message-ID: <402@homxa.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 24-Sep-84 10:36:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: homxa.402
Posted: Mon Sep 24 10:36:49 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Sep-84 08:17:59 EDT
References: , <1323@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 25


>Sorry this is not an answer, but more question.  In addition to the above
>speeds, where did 16 rpm come from, and more importantly, what was it used
>for?  I remember reading in an old "Electronics Illustrated", circa 1972,
>that it was used for a few "talking story" records in the fifties.  I've
>never seen one of these, so I don't know if the story is true.  Can anyone
>speak with the voice of experience?


>Brad Spear
>sdcrdcf!brad


The voice of experience speaks:

When my parents got married in 1956, they had the ceremony recorded
and then pressed onto 3 16 RPM discs. I believe these discs were the
same diameter as an lp. At their 25th anniversary, they took them out
and played them. They sounded awful. Maybe the slow speed adversely
affected the quality in the same way that 1 7/8 ips tape sounds worse
than 3 3/4 ips tape does. Perhaps the low fidelity rendered them suitable
only for "voice-quality" recording.

                    -Dave Clark (homxa!wdc)