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According to the jacket of ASD 3649, a production sponsored by KEF, "Sir Adrian Boult's musical career has been virtually concurrent with the commercial history of the gramophone and he has been associated with all the major developments in the recording field. It is astonishing to reflect that the more significant of these, such as the introduction of the long playing record, stereo tape, stereo disc, SQ quadraphony and tape cassette have all appeared since his retirement as chief conductor of the BBC symphony orchestra in 1950." No mention of digital or SQ encoding, but there is a photo of Sir Adrian with Bishop and Parker, seated at an older-style EMI mixer for a "playback session." -----Original Message----- From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Donald Tait Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 4:06 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] truth or myth -- RCA claims about first digital recording Sir Adrian Boult was another conductor who was an acoustical to digital person, although as I understand it the digital recording has never been issued. Boult made his first records, acoustically, for HMV around 1922. (Again, I can't find the reference material -- namely the paperback discography published in the 1980s.) Perhaps his last recording session was another remake of Holst's The Planets for HMV around 1979. HMV/EMI used their newly developed digital recording system as an adjunct, but as I have understood it the issued recordings all came from analogue masters. Yes -- I'm also sure Stokowski would have loved to make the first digital recordings or have been involved in it. His interest in technology and the science of recording and sound reproduction was genuine. Don Tait -----Original Message----- From: Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]> To: ARSCLIST <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wed, Nov 28, 2012 2:38 pm Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] truth or myth -- RCA claims about first digital recording Stokowksi just missed going from acoustic to digital. One thing that kind of surprised me is that Denon did not approach him in the 70's, but he might have been out of their reach and thus off their radar. Its seems like Stoki would have loved making the first for-release digital recording of a symphony orchestra. Then again, Stoki might not have wanted anything to do with some of Denon's stranger recording methods in their early digital days, including putting an orchestra in an anecholic chamber and then creating a completely synthetic "air and space" using primative DSP. -- Tom Fine ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donald Tait" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 2:20 PM Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] truth or myth -- RCA claims about first digital recording Ormandy made acoustical records as a solo violinist. Some appeared on the Lincoln and (possibly) Cameo and Okeh labels. Somewhere I have the web address for a discography of Ormandy as a violinist, but I can't locate it now. Perhaps someone else here will post it. There were 1920s electrical records as a violinist too, plus electrical ones with "Dr. Eugene Ormandy's Salon Orchestra" featuring such titles as the "Let's Go To Bed Waltz." Incidentally, Arthur Fiedler also recorded from acoustical to digital, again beginning as an instrumentalist. He was a violinist in the Boston Symphony when they made their Victor records with Karl Muck in Camden in the summer of 1917. I found out because in 1961 I asked Fiedler if he was one of the musicians who played in them. In his usual brusque way he replied "yes, I did. It was HOT. Muck was b--chy!" Don Tait -----Original Message----- From: Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]> To: ARSCLIST <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wed, Nov 28, 2012 12:39 pm Subject: [ARSCLIST] truth or myth -- RCA claims about first digital recording On the back cover of RCA's first for-release digital recording, Bartok's "Concerto For Orchestra" by Ormandy/Philly, producer Jay David Saks wrote that Ormandy's recording career "has spanned over half a century -- from 78rpms, both acoustical and electrical, through mono and stereo LPs to quadrophonic ..." Is it true that Ormandy recorded acoustic 78's? Can anyone provide details on his earliest recordings? Saks further describes Ormandy as "the man who has made more records than any other person in history." Is that true? More than Karajan? More than Dorati? -- Tom Fine