Re: arsclist Whirling Dervish info

[Michael Biel <m.biel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Robert wasserman wrote in August: 
> I was wondering if anyone out there knows about an old (1950's?)
> cartridge type machine in our collection called a "Whirling
> Dervish" Were these for used for broadcasts? It seems similar
> to an old Muzak machine I saw for sale once. Thanks.
> 
> Robert Wasserman wasserma2001@xxxxxxxxxxx Sound Archives
> Wisconsin Historical Society

You have two vastly different machines confused.  The Whirling
Dervish was a pitch-shifter, which could raise or lower the pitch of
a sound without changing the tempo.  It could be used live, or it
could be used to restore the pitch of a recording which would be fed
to it at a different speed--thus enabling the tempo or timing to be
changed without changing the pitch.  It was sold by Steve Temmer's
Gotham Audio, and I have a brochure and a 7-inch disc with recorded
samples.  The reason why they were called Whirling Dervish is
because there is a rapidly rotating headwheel.  There are four
headgaps on the wheel, and it can rotate either against the
direction of the tape movement (raising the pitch) or in the
direction of tape movement (lowering the pitch.)  Little tiny bits
of the sound are either cut out or are replayed by the headwheel.  

I have a similar machine of different manufacture.  Mine uses a
bin-loop tape supply, and I would assume that the Whirling Dirvish
also uses a bin-loop because the tape runs at a very, very high
speed.  A cartridge would put too much wear on the tape and not be
as smooth in speed.  You either mistook the bin for a cartridge, the
machine was modified to use a cartridge, or part of the bin might be
missing.   

I'm leaving for ARSC/IASA now, but I would like to get back into
this when I return in a couple of weeks.

Mike Biel  m.biel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx