Wire recordings: how hard is it to transfer?

Nicholas Dedring · Post by **Nicholas Dedring** » 18 Nov 2003 11:38 am

I have a friend who has a few spools of recording wire, that are radio performances of an orchestra her grandfather led (might have been her great-grandfather, but no matter)...

Since they obviously don't have a wire playing instrument, I told her I'd look into this: how would you go about/who would you talk to about transferring that recording (digitizing it, to start with) onto modern media? There's also some magnetic reel-to-reel tape in the family memory chest...

Who out there knows someone with the gear to do this stuff??? I have no idea where you'd find a wire player...

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 18 Nov 2003 1:39 pm

I would suggest calling a museum of recording.
Or a museum of radio etc.
There must be some web info on one.
They may be far off for you, but might likely have contact with a collector nearer too you.

This is all very esoteric antique collectors stuff.
But there are some working units around.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 18 Nov 2003 3:03 pm

http://www.videointerchange.com/wire_recorder1.htm 

Also these guys might point you in the right direction:
http://museumofsoundrecording.org/history_sound.htm [This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 18 November 2003 at 03:10 PM.]

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 18 Nov 2003 5:15 pm

You can find wire recorders on ebay. Last I knew they were going for around $250 for one that worked.

I did a little research on this animal a few months back. Wire speed is 24 inches per second. Kinda neat that if the wire breaks you just tie a knot in it and keep going.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 18 Nov 2003 5:37 pm

The company Bob mentioned (Video Interchange, in Maine) does great work for reasonable prices.

Nicholas Dedring · Post by **Nicholas Dedring** » 18 Nov 2003 7:20 pm

Thanks folks.

I looked into it a little bit (googlewise) and found a few places that do it... less $ than I had thought it might be.

She was really happy to find out that it was going to be so easy to do... I will add your recommendation Bob, thanks for the advice.

Internet connections with vendors always make me a little on edge, good to know that this one is a good pick.

Whoever's watching can lock this one up...

Tom Althoff · Post by **Tom Althoff** » 21 Nov 2003 8:18 am

It's probably too late in this instance but I have a wire recorder here that I have transferred audio from and burned onto CD.

If anyone needs something transferred I would be glad to do it for free.

If you have an old wire recorder PLEASE resist the temptation to see if it records!

Old wire recordings should NEVER be erased but preserved if possible. This machine cost me 6 bucks at a garage sale and only needed some oiling to get it to play back. I took the output directly into my computer and recorded a recording of a high pitch squeal from one of the spools onto the computer. It was just a squeal so it would be ok to record over it, right?

After running a notch filter to cut the squeal out there was a speech given by the Editor of the Chicgago Tribune recorded off of someones kitchen radio. A full 12 minute speech of historical interest that would have been lost forever. It is the only recorded copy of the speech. The guy was pretty much a communist in his leanings. This is around 1948 and pre-McCarthy. It had quite a bit of anti-American and anti-England talk. And he ran one of the most infuencial newspapers in the country.

So you never know what's on those wires. Even idle chatter about current events is fascinating to listen to 55 years later!