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Topic: How were acoustic records duplicated?

14th Jul 2018, 8:06 PM
	scrough No picture 'cos I'm not into 45rpm :( Member since Jan 2013 3428 Points Moderator	Starting at the beginning, when recordings were acid etched, Gramophone Co's Berliner masters could only produce around 1000 copies (from Fred Gaisberg's autobiography). So new masters had to be re-recorded either using the original artist or another. These re-recordings use the same catalogue numbers but on the record itself the catalogue number was given an alphabetical suffix (see here). As the technology improved - Eldrige Johnson's wax masters ~1902,etc - the number of pressings that could be made increased, and also methods of making sub-masters from original masters came into being, and by the start of the UK Gramophone Co (HMV) factory in 1908, an almost infinite number of pressings could be produced. On the second part of your question, it is fairly common that a certain take was initially released, and replaced very quickly by another take, or even a different title, using the same catalogue number, when the issuing company decided to change their mind. Also it was not unknown for an original master take to become damaged, which prevented further sub-masters from being produced. By the early 1920s, recording technology - still acoustic - had improved, and companies like Columbia and HMV often re-recorded old favourites (see notes and comments on a later release of Zonophone 484). These used the same catalogue number, but the matrices in the run-out are different. After the introduction of electric recording in late 1925, acoustic recordings could be replaced by a later re-recording using the same catalogue number. In the case of Columbia/Regal the catalogue numbers gain an 'R' suffix (compare Columbia 1449 with 1449 R). Edit: Although my reply is based on the UK record industry, most of it also applies to the USA since Victor and Gram Co worked closely together, and Columbia was the same company in both countries. For pressing details see Norman Field's How 78rpm Records Were Made and for how to identify the different pressings etc see Markings on 78rpm Records Edited by moderator on 6th Aug 2018, 8:47 AM