Re: arsclist playback of deceliths

["Bernd Wichert" <b_wichert@xxxxxx>]

Hello David:

Decelith was the material used in Germany in the 1930s and 40s to record for
broadcasting. They were cut directly onto the disc. Propaganda Companies in
the field used
them as well as the RRG (Reichsrundfunkgesellschaft). They are all
unbreakable,
smell terribly. I have numerous discs in my collection. You can clean and
play them
just like a normal 78rpm- but I wouldn't use a grammophone needle :-)
Because they were easy to handle and to keep the sound is still fair- if
they hadn't
been brought to light from somewhere under the ruins. They sometimes appear
in auctions here and there because of the looting of the bombed-out radio
stations
when the discs were laying around in the streets.
We still wonder how many of them are still hidden in Russian archives.
Greetings
Bernard Wichert, Germany
member of Int'l Assn of Sound Archives

----- Original Message -----
From: "Seubert" <seubert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "ARSClist" <arsclist@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2001 8:04 PM
Subject: arsclist playback of deceliths


> Hello,
>
> I have a set of ten instantaneous deceliths of Hitler addressing the
> Reichstag on Sept. 1, 1939. I've never dealt with deceliths before. They
> are 78 rpm, macrogroove, and play inside-out. The material is dark brown
> and translucent (PVC?) and is very soft. Does anybody have experience in
> transferring these? I'm interested in what needle shape and size would be
> best, what kind of tracking force and anti-skating to use and any other
tips.
>
> Incidentally, I don't know the provenance of these recordings or if there
> are other recordings of this address, though there are several
> transcriptions of this speech on the web.
>
> Thanks,
> David
> -----------------------------
> David Seubert, Curator
> Performing Arts Collection
> Davidson Library Special Collections
> University of California
> Santa Barbara, CA 93106
> 805-893-5444 Fax 805-893-5749
> mailto:seubert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> http://www.library.ucsb.edu/speccoll/pa/
>
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