Red Seal Label: Part 4

A Special Breed of Men

Yes, all credit should go to the scientist, inventors and physicists that made it all possible for us to enjoy the effects of their efforts today. Knowing that they were a special breed of men who inspired Eldridge Johnson to make these comments below after he had gain victory in the US Supreme Court in 1909. Eldridge Johnson in his comments said: "The Victor Company is still selling goods in the land of the men who think they are only waiting for our patents to be knocked out or to expire. The question of profits does not seem to be of importance, but like stock gamblers, they are happy to do business forever, or as long as they can; at a loss. Some mysterious fascination seizes those who are initiated into that fanatical circle of activity called the talking machine industry!

The single American classical label that consistently produced great performances and great recordings was RCA Victor! Their Red Seal Division offered performances and recordings that are today still the standard in the recording industry!

The early days of musical recordings caused buyers to express disapproval of the recordings for having a hole in the middle. That is to say that, the left and right sides of the orchestra are easily heard, but the orchestral consistency recedes toward the middle. This is attributed to the incorrect use of just two microphones in those early assembly. In fact, there were often three mikes used, the dominant left and right sound comes from the forward placement of split left and right violins. This is, in fact, a straightforward interpretation of the sound of the old orchestral arrangement. The orchestra seated in the old manner sounds quite diverse from the orchestra seated in the new manner!