Goran's additions and corrections seem to be factual. Thanks.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Goran Finnberg" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 1:48 PM
Subject: [ARSCLIST] Dawn of Digital update -- at long last, clarity on Philips' digital first


> Tom Fine:
>
>> A former Soundstream employee finally set the record
>> straight on this. Philips' first all-digital release
>> on LP was John Williams "Pops In Space," 1980. The
>> original LP has a banner across it stating "FIRST
>> Philips Digital Recording." Philips' engineers wanted
>> to use a digital recorder they had developed, according
>> to this person. But the record's producer, George Korngold,
>> had used Soundstream the previous year to record the
>> soundtrack to "Kings Row" and requested Soundstream be
>> used on the Philips session.
>
> http://www.mancini99.freeserve.co.uk/Michael_Mailes.html
>
> DECCA recording engineer Michaels Mailes says:
>
> Interesting perhaps to note that in 1980 John Williams
> became musical director of The Boston Pops orchestra.
> I had made recordings with Arthur Fiedler/Boston Pops
> and had experience working in Symphony Hall.
>
> Philips made a contract to record J.W and found that
> they didn't have equipment or crew in America at the
> time of the 1st proposed recording date. Decca had
> recording equipment in the States having made contracts
> with several orchestras. Logical conclusion! Ask Decca!
>
> Together with Stanley Goodall (Recording engineer) we
> made J.W's first recording; 'Pops In Space'
> recorded on the Soundstream system.
>
> -----------------------------
>
> So it would seem that this disk was not only done on the Soundstream system
> but was also engineered by Michael Mailes and Stanley Goodall of the
> DECCA/London company using their Neumann M50 tree technique and equipment
> feeding the Soundstream digital recorder.
>
>> Philips' engineers wanted to use a
>> digital recorder they had developed,
>
> I really do not think that this is correct.
>
> Philips recording centre never had any plans making their own digital
> recorder as did DECCA/London.
>
> http://www.mancini99.freeserve.co.uk/Decca_1.html
>
> Philips used the Sony 1610 converter with a suitable video recorder in the
> very beginning as did most everyone else.
>
> Later on they moved on using the dcs 900 converter.
>
> --
> Best regards,
>
> Goran Finnberg
> The Mastering Room AB
> Goteborg
> Sweden
>
> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
>
> Learn from the mistakes of others, you can never live long enough to
> make them all yourself. - John Luther
>