Tech: Getting wax cylinders transcribed

Subject: Tech: Getting wax cylinders transcribed
From: Paul Burke
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 03:39 AM

A friend showed me a small collection of wax cylinders that has been in his family for years, along with an Edison Type A phonograph. They used to play them when they were kids, but the cylinders are so delicate that some were damaged, and they have now been stored unplayed for about 40 years. The player now lacks a needle.

Some of the titles look interesting- notably Carolina Tar Heel (banjo) and Lancashire Clog- so I wondered if anyone (in the UK) knows where we could get these transcribed?

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting wax cylinders transcribed
From: GUEST,JC
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 04:17 AM

Possibly at The National Sound Archive at The British Library in London.
These are extremely fragile and easily damaged -m DON'T TRY TO DO THIS AT HOME!!!
As you say, they sound interesting

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting wax cylinders transcribed
From: Howard Kaplan
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 07:44 AM

Here are links to two articles, dated 2004, concerning the use of optical methods (lasers) to retrieve sound from wax cylinders:

From the San Francisco Chronicle

From Science News

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting wax cylinders transcribed
From: KathWestra
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 08:50 PM

The Recorded Sound Division at the (U.S.) Library of Congress in Washington, DC, has the equipment (and the know-how) for transferring the material on wax cylinders to more stable media. They have preserved many of the earliest recordings from the collections of the Archive of Folk Culture in the American Folklife Center that are on wax cylinders (including cylinder recordings made of Passamaquoddy Indians in Maine ca. 1890). Perhaps someone in that very specialized department of the "LC" would know someone in the U.K. who has the facilities and the expertise to do this. The Library's website is here: Library of Congress Good luck! Kathy

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting wax cylinders transcribed
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 10:25 PM

The old "Big Fun Book - For Boys and Girls" had drawings/diagrams for making recordings using TIN (not aluminium) foil, a cigar-box, and a roll.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

It worked, sort of.

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting wax cylinders transcribed
From: ragdall
Date: 20 Feb 06 - 05:09 AM

I own a working Edison Amberola that looks pretty much like the one in this picture. The cylinders look like those in the picture. They're made of a hard blue plastic-looking material over an inner cylinder that looks like clay. These are not "wax cylinders", are they?

Thanks,
rags

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting wax cylinders transcribed
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 20 Feb 06 - 11:12 AM

These folks claim they'll transcribe cylinders for free.
http://www.tinfoil.com/collectr.htm

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting wax cylinders transcribed
From: GUEST,Jack Campin
Date: 20 Feb 06 - 08:10 PM

Google for Adrian Tuddenham, regular on uk.comp.sys.mac. He does a lot of this. Cylinders are not all the same and the transcriber needs to figure out exactly how the recording machinery worked.

The National Sound Archive appears not to give a collective flying fuck about folk music and should not be entrusted with anything like this.

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting wax cylinders transcribed
From: GUEST,J C
Date: 21 Feb 06 - 03:53 AM

"I own a working Edison Amberola that looks pretty much like the one in this picture. The cylinders look like those in the picture. They're made of a hard blue plastic-looking material over an inner cylinder that looks like clay. These are not "wax cylinders", are they?"

Yes, they are

"The National Sound Archive appears not to give a collective flying fuck about folk music and should not be entrusted with anything like this."

Up to about 20 years ago this might have been the case, but since then, when Lucy Duran joined, there have been changes for the better. I for one am very grateful for somewhere to have deposited our own collection of field recordings - it means they are going to be around much longer that we are.
The International Music Department recently completed its 'Bright Golden Store' project which added a number of collections of British traditional music to its holdings - visit its website sometime www.bl.uk/collections/sound-archive

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting wax cylinders transcribed
From: Paul Burke
Date: 21 Feb 06 - 04:01 AM

Thanks Jack, I've been monitoring u.c.s.m. for about a week, but I haven't seen him there yet. Does he use a pseudonym?

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting wax cylinders transcribed
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 21 Feb 06 - 06:52 AM

Paul - it looks as if you can contact him via (using his own format):

[e-mail] (Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)

Or you can go via the website: Poppy Records.

Mick

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting wax cylinders transcribed
From: breezy
Date: 21 Feb 06 - 07:19 AM

urry up paul its nerly time to go camping.

Well done Mick, to the rescue

Its probably the technology that is of more fascination than the music contained therein.

All the best chaps.

Pete Coe, St Albans, Sunday

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting wax cylinders transcribed
From: breezy
Date: 21 Feb 06 - 07:22 AM

Also contact University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, as the Basketball team is known as the Tar Heels.
!!

it was Michael Jordan's Alma mater

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting wax cylinders transcribed
From: Snuffy
Date: 21 Feb 06 - 09:22 AM

That National Sound Archive link is forbidden to ordinary mortals:

You don't have permission to access /collections/sound-archive/ on this server.

Apache/1.3.32 Server at www.bl.uk Port 80

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting wax cylinders transcribed
From: manitas_at_work
Date: 21 Feb 06 - 11:00 AM

Try http://www.bl.uk/collections/sound-archive/nsa.html

or go to the root page and navigate from there

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting wax cylinders transcribed
From: GUEST,J C
Date: 21 Feb 06 - 02:40 PM

National Sound Archive,
Whoops sorry, wrong number - should be http://www.bl.uk/nsa