BERT WHYTE
AS MOST READERS in the New York area are painfully aware, there was no Hi-Fi Show in the city in 1969. I'm not going to become involved in the pros and cons of the discussions which finally led to the cancellation of a projected show at the New York Coliseum. I can tell you that I have talked to many people, audiophiles and hi-fi retailers alike, and they feel that the lack of a show has had a very depressing effect on the New York hi-fi scene in general, and the retail market in particular. By the time you read this, the IHF will have staged the first experimental "suburban hi-fi show" in Westbury, New York .. . a "bedroom community" on Long Island, in mid September. A similar show will be staged in suburban Boston in late October.
While I am sure these shows will have a generally salutory effect on the hi-fi market, my main purpose in mentioning them is that they most probably will usher in the era of four-channel stereophonic sound and Dolby noise reduction for the audio consumer. There is no question that these exciting new concepts in sound will be showcased by many manufacturers as marketable products. There will certainly be no shortage of "hardware" for four-channel sound and Dolby.
Thus we will see and hear open-reel four channel tape machines from such companies as Crown, 3M/Wollensak, Teac, Telex, Sony, Astrocom/Marlux and others, who are keeping their units, "under wraps," as I write this column. We will see the four-channel "Quad Eight" cartridge players from RCA, Toyo, and possibly Motorola. On view will be the competing schools of thought on four channel cassettes ... the four-channel-in line machines of 3M/Wollensak, Telex, and Astrocom/Marlux ... and the four channels-in-each-direction unit of Norelco, utilizing 8-mil tracks. There will be Scheiber and possibly other types of four channel disks. FM will appear in four channel format via the Dorren multiplex system and possibly Scheiber and other versions. A number of four-channel/ single-chassis amplifiers will be shown.
Dolby will be well represented by Advent's Model 100 Noise Reduction Unit, and very likely they will show their less expensive "switchable" record/playback and playback only models. KLH will show their open-reel Dolby-System recorders and there may be several surprises in the introduction of other Dolby-System open-reel recorders. Cassette decks employing the Dolby System will be shown by Advent, Harman-Kardon, Fisher, Vivitar, and possibly several new entries if negotiations and manufacture can be completed in time for the show. With this impressive array of equipment, which is quite a vote of confidence for four-channel stereo and Dolby noise reduction, it is obvious that these innovative ideas can no longer be considered laboratory curiosities. Admittedly, for a while these developments will be for the delectation of the affluent audiophile, but like most everything else in the hi-fi scheme of things, costs will eventually level off and then stratify in various quality ranges.
The prospects for four-channel stereo and Dolby noise reduction look rosy for these upcoming hi-fi shows. However, there is one cloud of uncertainty on the horizon, which could possibly dim the luster of these developments. I'll stay modern and use "computerese" to make my point . . . there is plenty of "hardware" for four-channel sound and Dolby, but there is a drastic shortage of "software"-music tapes processed for these systems. At the present moment we have the Vanguard open-reel four-channel stereo recordings and a new entry, Enoch Light's, "Project Three" company, which has issued several pop four-channel open reel recordings ( reviewed in my tape column). Vox Records has an initial release of nine "Dolbyized" cassettes, which will be available by the Westbury Show. That is the sum total of material available and were this to remain in effect during the shows, things would be rather bleak, to say nothing of the stupefying repetition we would be subjected to as we visited the various four-channel and Dolby exhibits. Hopefully, this situation will not occur.
I have talked to the various record companies, and have had my spies prying as well, to try and determine if they contemplate the release of any four-channel or Dolby recordings. 'It is well to remember that record companies are very secretive and may be setting up a smokescreen to cover their real intentions. The prevailing attitude was "we'll wait and see what happens." Here, with no guarantees whatever, is what appears to be the current situation: Vanguard continues to record four-channel stereo with the Dolby System. On the basis of conversations with Seymour Solomon, president of Vanguard, we can presumably look forward to some new open-reel four-channel recordings, some "Dolbyized" two-channel stereo cassettes, possibly some two-channel stereo "Dolbyized" open-reel tapes, and as a long shot, some "Dolbyized" four-channel open-reel tapes. (Mr. Solomon was kind enough to make me a Dolby B Type version of his by-now famous four-channel sampler on open reel. This is really state-of-the-art! ) Columbia has been recording four-channel stereo for some time, some of which I have heard. They recently recorded the Verdi Requiem with Bernstein at the Royal Albert Hall in London on four channels. They have no official plans for the release of four-channel material, but strong rumors say there will be some tapes available by show time. As far as Dolby is concerned, Columbia now has over 140 of the professional Dolby A301 units in operation . . . more than any other company in the world. Obviously they would be in a good position to convert their recordings to Dolby B Type, and release these recordings in any format at their discretion. RCA is of course, committed to four-channel recording with their "Quad Eight" cartridges. They will have an initial 25 productions available by show time, and have stated they will have as many as 120 four-channel titles by the end of this year. Although there are no official plans to release anything on four-channel open reel, I advocated such a move in a recent column, and just maybe they might heed the advice of a former musical director of RCA! "Dolbyized" cassettes or other tape formats with this process are on a strictly "wait and see" basis at RCA. All Deutsche Grammophon recordings of the Boston Symphony are being done with Dolby and on four-channels. Presumably some of their European recordings are being recorded in this fashion as well.
Currently there are no official plans for the release of this type of recordings. London/Decca have indicated they will release "Dolbyized" cassettes and I would think there is a good chance they will be issued in time for the shows. They are undoubtedly recording on four channels, but no official word is forthcoming.
The plans of Mercury/Philips and Capitol/Angel as regards Dolby and four-channel are quite ephemeral as of this moment.
Nor was I able to elicit any information as to the Dolby/four-channel plans of American Decca. We can probably expect an odd Dolby or four-channel tape from some of the smaller record companies.
So there you have it ... some solid "sure things" . . . some good potentials . . . some very "iffy" attitudes on the release of Dolby and four-channel material.
I certainly hope that by the time of the Shows, we are deluged with both types of recordings. If we are not, some of the blame must be put on the cautious marketing attitudes of some companies, but another facet is the technical caution in dealing with four-channel recording. As I have said before, no one really knows a great deal about it. There is no standardization, and there probably never will be any really meaningful standardization other than broad guide lines. I refer in this context mostly to classical recording.
Pop recording, with equal intensity of the front and rear channels, can be a fairly standardized proposition, limited only by the skill of the recording engineer and the imagination and ingenuity of the arranger. With the varying types of recording halls and the widely varying instrumentation of a broad repertoire, four-channel classical recording is going to require considerable experimentation.
This is especially so in the area of microphone placement, and very likely in the placement of certain kinds of performing groups. Needless to say, four-channel experimentation must be conducted on a "live" basis, and this poses many problems. A case in point is a four-channel recording I made in late July.
I have always wanted to record a "mighty Wurlitzer" theatre organ. At one time, practically every movie theatre of top rank had one of these gargantuan instruments, and all you "over 30" types surely must remember the "bouncing ball" which kept time for the "sing-alongs." These innocuous entertainments never really revealed the tremendous power and dynamic range, and the incredible variety of the tonal resources of these great organs. After World War Two, with changing times and attitudes, many of the theatre organs fell into disuse, and the advent of TV really sounded the death knell for most of these noble instruments. Movie houses were torn down and often the organs could be acquired by anyone who would pay the trucking charges to remove the parts from the theatre. The late Herb Schriner, the TV comedian, got one in this fashion, and it took a year and a half to install it in his home. But there were not many takers, and thus today there are not many of the big theatre organs in existence. Of those that are, few are in any sort of playing condition. Enter at this point an organization called the American Theatre Organ Society. This group, composed of musicians, organists, and devotees of the instrument, is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of theatre organs. They have saved a number of organs in New York from extinction, and are always ready to lend a hand in tuning existing instruments for concerts. Through my good friend John Eargle, chief engineer of Mercury Records ( and an organist as well) I learned of the current project of the ATOS, which was the restoration of the mighty Wurlitzer in the Brooklyn Paramount theatre. This theatre is somewhat smaller than the famed New York Paramount which was recently torn down, was saved from a similar fate by a stroke of luck. Long Island University was badly in need of room, wanted a downtown Brooklyn campus, and wanted a gymnasium. Unlikely as it might seem, the old theatre was able to satisfy their requirements with minimal alterations. In the theatre itself, all of the orchestra seats in front of the balcony were removed and in this space a basketball court was built! The removal of the heavily upholstered seats added some reverb and the large expanse of highly polished wood brightened the acoustics in general. The stage was brought level with the orchestra floor. These old luxury "movie palaces" were huge. The ceiling height for example, was over 80 feet. Width was more than ample to accommodate a basketball court. To fill this great space with sound, the Wurlitzer had to be mighty indeed! After conversion to a gymnasium, little attention was given to the organ for some years. Then somehow, the ATOS and the University got together, and the University agreed to the restoration of the organ with the parts being furnished by them and the labor to be donated by the ATOS. I got into the picture as this restoration was just completed and a convention of the ATOS and a concert were scheduled.
Mr. Billy Nalle, a charming southern gentleman, and one of the top theatre organists in the world, was to give the concert, and he graciously consented to a recording session of his dress rehearsal two days previous to his concert. As I pointed out some months ago, in many cases the rehearsals are more suitable for four-channel experimentation than the actual concert, since mikes can be moved, etc. When Mr. Nalle seats himself at the console of the organ, he faces four manuals (keyboards ), a semi-circular array of over 200 "stop" tablets, ( these control the various instrumental facilities of the organ-for example, a complete percussion battery), the pedal bars which he plays with his feet, swell or expression pedals, and many other items. This particular Wurlitzer was installed in 1926 and is a fairly large instrument with 26 ranks of pipes. The pipes are disposed in two chambers on each side of the stage. ( The original stereo sound source?) The chambers are located at least 35-40 feet from the floor, and soar on up, almost to the ceiling. To furnish the vast amount of air needed when the organ is played full blast, a 50-h.p. Spencer Orgoblo turbine is used. Mr. Nalle pointed out the sad fact that the theatre organ was invented by Robert Hope-Jones only sixty years ago, making it the youngest of musical instruments ... yet it has gone into decline in that relatively short span of time.
All I can say is that when people today hear an organ as beautifully restored as this Wurlitzer, and played with the consummate artistry of Mr. Nalle, there may yet be hope for the "king of instruments." As you can readily perceive, with the vast dimensions of this old Brooklyn Paramount, the logistics of recording this great organ were formidable. The footage of mike cable alone, was a big problem. We started to set up for the recording at two in the afternoon, and finished up after ten p.m. Next month, I'll detail the equipment, and how this recording was made, including a new kind of four-channel recording utilizing what is known as the "Cunningham Method." It is a sensational sound when properly recorded and played back, and probably I will be able to demonstrate some of it at the upcoming shows.
(Audio magazine, Oct. 1970; Bert Whyte)
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