LISTSERV mailing list manager LISTSERV 16.0

Help for ARSCLIST Archives


ARSCLIST Archives

ARSCLIST Archives


[email protected]


View:

Message:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Topic:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Author:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

Font:

Proportional Font

LISTSERV Archives

LISTSERV Archives

ARSCLIST Home

ARSCLIST Home

ARSCLIST  October 2010

ARSCLIST October 2010

Subject:

Re: Lost recordings

From:

"Kevin P. Mostyn" <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>

Date:

Fri, 1 Oct 2010 01:20:31 -0700

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (70 lines)

Richard,

In the early 1970s, I was Chief Engineer of Charles River Broadcasting in
Boston. AT&T was developing the diplexed audio system that you mention. They
wanted to make a preliminary field test of it and asked if they could use
our FM station, WCRB-FM, to make the first-ever field test. They wished to
use the Metropolitan Opera broadcast for the test. We had spare 15 kHz
stereo lines from Toll-Test, so the test was easy to setup. I did not know
at the time that we would alpha-testing the system.

A senior engineer from AT&T Long Lines in New Jersey came up for the test.
We met at the station on Saturday. I was enthused about the system, because,
if it worked, we would get the MET Opera in full-fidelity stereo for the
first time ever. Outside of NYC, the MET feed was mono and often low
fidelity. Note that the underlying video for this test was unrelated to the
MET Opera. They used a convenient video cable from NYC to Boston, probably
one of the TV network feeds.

The test seemed to be going well, until I got a call from a listener. The
voices had disappeared in mono. Although I had checked the phase before the
broadcast, it had flipped. I quickly flipped phase with a patch cord and
began to monitor in mono. A few minutes later, the phase flipped again.
Consternation broke out in the control room. I had to constantly flip phase.
It was later determined that certain video level peaks on the underlying
video carrier would cause the phase flips in the audio.

During this fiasco, I had a long discussion with the AT&T engineer. I
complained about the levels and clipping on peaks. I told him that VU meters
wouldn't work on their system, that they should use PPM meters, to show the
real peaks. He thought I meant the ratio of peak to rms, which was only 3
dB. I explained in depth about VU meter ballistics. He was completely
unaware of this. VU meters can be off by as much as 12 dB on human voices.

He left after the broadcast, with his tail between his legs. It was a year
or more before they got the system working. I gather from your remarks that
they still had level problems.

--Kevin Mostyn

-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Richard L. Hess
Sent: Thursday, September 30, 2010 5:43 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Lost recordings

<snip>

I recall working at ABC-TV in the 1970s and we celebrated the day that ATT
made diplexed audio available (TV program audio running on the video link on
a subcarrier). While they had problems with it at first--and didn't
understand broadcast audio level--it certainly sounded better than the
separate audio circuits. In my early days there, I recall--on typical TV
fare, not concerts--the loss of sound quality on the "Round Robin" which
went out from New York and then returned passing only as far west as
Chicago, I believe, and then returning via Washington DC>

Now, for ABC (and CBS in 1963) the economies of running the good lines you
refer to might have been judge unwarranted, so that may have been a factor.

Cheers,

Richard

-- 
Richard L. Hess                   email: [log in to unmask]
Aurora, Ontario, Canada           (905) 713 6733     1-877-TAPE-FIX
http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes.

Top of Message | Previous Page | Permalink

Advanced Options


Options

Log In

Log In

Get Password

Get Password


Search Archives

Search Archives


Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Subscribe or Unsubscribe


Archives

March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
February 2003
January 2003

ATOM RSS1 RSS2



LISTSERV.LOC.GOV

CataList Email List Search Powered by the LISTSERV Email List Manager