Pepsi-Cola sponsered these records which were recorded at Red Cross stations overseas during World War II. It was a way for servicemen to send their voice home to their loved ones. The envelope reads "Your Mother's Voice", but it is a distinctly male voice on the record, although what is said on the record is unrecognizable to me. I transferred it from a phonograph at 45 rpm and converted to 78 rpm which is the speed at which the record was recorded. I tried to remove the noise, but what's being said is still very faint. I'm not sure if it was a bad recording to begin with, or the acetate has degraded that much over the years. Maybe you can make something out.
wow, i can barely make out a voice at all... it's like listening to someone through a wall. it would make a great sample for a spooky ambient music track, though!
ReplyDeleteThe needle on a modern phonograph is too narrow, it's not contacting the groove walls. Try an older 78 rpm turntable.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jose. I didn't know that. I will remember that in the future, although the only older 78 turntable I currently have is a 1920 Singerphone whose steel needle would eat it up. I'll have to keep an eye out at the sales for a 40's or 50's 78 record player.
DeleteI have one of these records as well. I'm trying to play it on a "new" record player that only has 1 speed. Since there is an extra hole on the label, I put my finger in it and rotate it faster, but just like yours, it's difficult to figure out what he's saying. I think mine record is my Uncle John. Boy, I sure wish I could understand it. There are several skips in it too.
ReplyDeleteIf you can get access to a record with a sapphire needle, I think it would play better. Of course, if it has a sapphire needle, it probably has 78 rpm speed as well which is what these records were recorded in. Short of that, you could record it into your computer using software like Audacity (google it, it's free) and it allows you convert 33 1/3 to 78 rpm.
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