Mallette Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 He might or might not have been the first, but I'd never heard of "longitudinal stereo" until the latest batch of PWK archives arrived. I was completely stunned to find recordings performed by the great John Eargle on the R.H. Morton organ at the Perot (then, the Paramount) theater in 1953 and 1954. These may prove a godsend as I have been attempting to get enthusiasm here to restore this instrument, which lies stored substantially intact in the catacombs under the theater. I am not going to provide details about it, but you can go to the RMHC Facebook page if you are interested. There are pictures of where the instrument was housed as well as some of it stacked down in the catacombs. PWK was engineer for these and it shows...the quality is superb. So, longitudinal stereo, as opposed to latitudinal stereo, is the use of a close up microphone to get a detailed sound from the source, and a microphone much farther away to capture the sound of the space. It's marvelous. Rather than separation as we know it, you get an accurate blend of highly detailed sound and just the right amount of "space." It's similar to my own piano microphone plan which attempts both...keeping the piano in a single spot but providing a bit of the space. However, my ambiance/image sizing microphone is at 90 degrees to the detail microphone. PWK put his in a direct line. The scans below of the tape boxes contain notes on the microphone plan in PWK's own hand. He called his nearfield microphone "red" and the distance microphone "green." This particular box is historic beyond it being Eargle at the organ and PWK as engineer. It's the marvelous, now lost, Skinner organ at the First Baptist Church in Longview, TX. Skinners of this period are considered the finest American instruments and the much loved "Classic American Voicing" of pipe organs comes from these. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Outstanding, Dave! I've listened to organ recordings before that sounded like they were totally distant, and come across as very muddled sounding. PWK really thought things through. Bruce 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 For sure, Bruce. You'd notice, but for others I'll mention that the box with the dashes across the front 15' above the red microphone is a symbol for a swell box and the position of the instrument. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.