Pre-1920 – Revelation M and Audio System

Here at last is my long-promised thread detailing my experiences since joining the forum. Within it, I can give you some recommendations for hardware and software which I have found to give high quality results, and I can also tell you what I think is important and what I think is overrated.

When I joined this forum, I had a relatively fast PC, and Izotope RX2 software. I also had the free Audacity software which is available for any operating system.

PC

Having a PC which runs at as fast a speed as possible is extremely important, unless you only have a few records to transfer to digital media. Software such as RX2 uses complex algorithms, and you will need all of the processing power you can get. I got mine from Chillblast, which seems as good a supplier as any from what I read in specialist magazines.

You don't need a PC with a large memory, although a fast PC will typically be modern and will have  extensive internal storage anyway. External memory is cheap enough, and you will need to back up all of your files several times whatever you do.

Software

I tested the free trials of several audio clean-up software packages, and the results gained from Izotope RX2 were so superior to any others that there wasn't even a choice to make. It cleaned the hiss off tape recordings without affecting the sound, and it was even able to clean up sound recordings from VHS video tape which had extreme hiss on them.

More importantly, it can eliminate the extreme surface noise from gramophone records, provided it is used carefully. I find that you need four gentle passes of the De-Noise function, in most cases, after you have already applied Declick, Decrackle and Remove Hum.

Izotope is about to release RX3, so it may be an idea to hold off buying for now. I definitely recommend this software, though.

Cleaning

While cleaning cannot repair damage to the record surface, it can remove dirt and mould which would cause flaws in the playback. I bought a Moth Record Cleaning Machine, which does the job admirably if somewhat noisily. It is important to obtain the right cleaning fluid. The Moth actually comes with a large bottle of fluid, but it contains alcohol and can therefore only be used on microgroove recordings. I had some Disc Doctor cleaning fluid imported from the USA, on the recommendation of someone who does audio transfer for a living, and I doubt there is anything better.

Turntable

So, which turntable should you buy? The first consideration is whether you want to have a facility for playing 33 and 45rpm records, and, if so, how much are you prepared to spend to get it? In my case, I wanted a system optimised for pre-1920 gramophone records, so modern microgroove speeds were not needed. When you consider how few microgroove records I get, it really isn't worth spending any more than £30 on a cheap USB deck to play them with.

If you are looking for a specialist 78rpm deck, you need to choose between one which spins only at 78rpm, and one which has a variable speed. At first thought, it may seem that a variable speed turntable is necessary, as gramophone records were recorded at many speeds other than 78rpm. However, the free Audacity software has a function for speed change which will correct all but the most extreme speed errors.

In my experience, having a single speed is enough. Having more would slow down the process of audio transfer dramatically, as you would need to test the speed in real time with the record playing, before you actually carried out the final transfer. This will also create more wear on the records and the stylus, than just recording everything at 78rpm and adjusting the speed in software.

I bought a Rega Planar 78 turntable, and had a mixed experience. The first one stopped working after three months, and when I sent it away for repair Poorcelfarce managed to completely destroy it. I bought a new one with the insurance money, and that has been excellent so far. I doubt you'll get a better turntable for the money.

Stylus

This is where I have had the greatest surprise. I bought a cheap Ortofon 78 stylus, intending to transfer every record I had to digital, and then buy higher quality stylii to do better transfers on the most important recordings. Instead, the Ortofon produced a result way in advance of the results obtained by a professional audio transfer company, using the same records. The groove noise which was extreme on the professional transfers was completely absent from mine, so I have never felt the need to buy other stylii.

I may experiment in the future, but for now I can't do anything other than recommend the Ortofon. It has produced results which are far better than anything I could have expected.

Preamp

So, to the part you have been waiting for. I invested in a Graham Slee Revelation M. I can only say that the results I have managed to obtain from this piece of equipment are completely blowing away the results I've received from a professional audio transfer service, and where there are commercially available recordings, they are beating those as well. This applies to both modern records (1930s and 40s), and the vintage recordings I bought it for.

One of the most significant tests comes when you transfer a gramophone record several times, using different equalisation settings. How superior is the best recording to the others, not to mention the RIAA (Really Irritating Analogue Adjustment) equalisation which you would get from a cheap preamp? I can say from experience that having the correct equalisation setting makes an enormous difference to the end result, even when transferring acoustic recordings. The Revelation M comes with the highest possible recommendation, as it will give you the variable equalisation settings you need, as well as reducing unwanted noise levels to the extent that RX2 is able to clean up the recording completely.

Conclusion

If I had to buy my equipment again, I would do nothing different. The results I have obtained, typically from records of the 1905-1920 era, are far superior to those I have obtained from a professional transfer service, and they are also better than any I have heard on CDs produced in professional studios.

I will provide a link in my next post, if I am allowed to do so, to the latest website I have built featuring these recordings. It will give you an idea of what is possible with records that are 100 years old, always bearing in mind that the quality of the master is always the most important factor in producing a copy.

I'll also make another post outlining the exact method I use for transferring audio, in case anyone else has gramophone records they would like to transfer.

Andrew

OK, thanks! I hope someone benefits from this.

This week is one of the most important of my entire life. It is the 100th Anniversary of the recordings made by the Zono Minstrels at the Gramophone Company studios in Hayes, Middlesex, of ten of the Plantation Songs of Alfred Scott-Gatty. There was one recording session on 12th August 1913, and one on the 15th. These beautiful sound recordings are now virtually forgotten, and a month ago there were only two pages on the entire web which briefly referenced them. Now, my own tribute site is nearing completion, and it features some of the recordings. I don't have them all, but I have created pages on the site to appeal for the ones I don't have. The site also has the sheet music for 18 of the 24 Plantation Songs.

On Monday, 12th August 2013, I uploaded the recordings I have from the session of Tuesday 12th August 1913, to YouTube and to my own Zono Minstrels tribute site. Obviously, the video sound track is a compressed file, and not of the same quality as the WAV download on my own site.

Tomorrow, 15th August, I will upload the tracks from Friday 15th August 1913 to the same places. 100 years to the day after they were recorded, these masterpieces will once again belong to the world.

Here are the recordings -

http://www.zonominstrels.co.uk/click-clack/

http://www.zonominstrels.co.uk/de-ole-banjo/

http://www.zonominstrels.co.uk/good-night/

http://www.zonominstrels.co.uk/way-down-dar-in-tennessee/

http://www.zonominstrels.co.uk/far-far-away/

The last one is my favourite music track of all time.

Obviously, these are taken from 1913 gramophone records, and those do not come in mint condition! I think the transfers are pretty good, though, allowing for the age of the records and the fact that there is obviously some groove damage. They certainly illustrate the quality of the Revelation M.

I'll make another post once the 100th anniversary celebrations are over, giving the settings that I find work best with each record label.

Andrew

Thanks Andrew. You have made your archiving of 100 year old recordings sound straight forward and are doing something special there.