jbl – Preservation Sound

JBL Studio Monitors: full-line catalog c. 1980

chris — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 00:46:51 +0000

Download the 6pp 1980 JBL ‘Studio Monitors’ catalog:

DOWNLOAD: JBL_1980_Monitors

Models covered, with text, specs, and photos, include: JBL 4350B, 4311B, 4331B, 4343B, 4313B, 4333B, 4315B, and 4301B speakers systems.

At one point or another I think i’ve come across all of these things in various studios, offices, and edit rooms… as I type this, I am listening to Tangerine Dream’s 1975 live LP ‘RICOCHET’ on a pair of JBL 18Ti, which were their hi-end home bookshelf speaker of the same era… still sound great btw.

Below: the 4350B. And yeah it weighs 261 pounds.

Yard-Sale Speaker Spotter’s Guide: 1: JBL

chris — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 13:02:26 +0000

JBLs ‘in-the-studio.’ Seriously tho you wouldn’t want to use these in an actual recording studio these days, trust me I’ve tried.

This week at PS dot com… a collection of the better-sort of home hifi speakers that can turn up for $10 – $30 at yard sales in the local posh suburb. Aside from some of the larger ‘marquee’ models, I think i’ve come across pretty much all of these at one point or another… And remember, don’t be afraid of disintegrated foam surrounds on old woofers… a $40 re-foam kit from Orange County Speaker and about 2 hours of your time is all it takes to bring most of these things back. Scared me the first time too, but shit now I get to watch TV with a $1700 pair of Dahlquists that cost me all of $35.

Above, JBL Flair L45, Century L100, Decade L26, L88 Plus, Studio Master L200.

And last but not least… The L25 Prima! JBL’s plastic-cased speakers circa 1974. With optional coordinated record-bins. This one’s for you MT. You still got these things?

Cinema Sound Circa 1953

chris — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:49:40 +0000

Today: some random bits+bobs of Sound-For-Film technology of the early 1950s. Above: the All-New JBL Theatre Sound Systems, which claim to offer the higher-fidelity needed to properly reproduce the newly-available magnetic soundtracks that were being used in 35mm film at the time. Prior to the introduction of magnetic 35mm film soundtracks in the 1950s, all film-sound was reproduced in theaters via an optical sound-track which ran alongside the edge of the film-frames. Fidelity was limited, although I cannot say exactly to what frequency range. Can anyone tell us what the first feature-film was to be exhibited nationwide with a magnetic soundtrack?

Above: Cinema Engineering presents… the fader! Straight-line attenuators have certain advantages over rotary controls, such as quicker visual feedback and a range of motion that better correlates with human bio-mechanical consideration. Nonetheless, rotary faders remained in use in pro audio well into the late 60s. Does anyone know who first patented and/or marketed the linear fader?

Above: the Cinema Engineering 6517-E ‘Sound Effects Filter,’ aka a high-pass and a low-pass filter both built into a single instrument. I could find this sort of thing very useful; especially for tracking multiple ‘stacked’ parts such as one singer delivering 7 vocal harmonies over a single phrase, as I found myself doing in a session earlier this week. Just carve out all of the unnecessary super-high and super-low end… the 80 or 100 hz high-pass filter built into many mic preamps is certainly useful but it’s obvs not always the best cut off choice.

Above: an advert for Glen Glenn Motion Picture Sound Co. circa 1953. Anyone out there work for this firm? We’d love to hear yr stories…. drop us a line…

Above: RCA’s ‘film phonograph,’ an apparatus that records and plays-back 35 mm magnetic sound-tracks and plays-back 35mm optical sound tracks as well. I ended up with a couple of 16mm sound track readers at Gold Coast Recorders; not sure what to do with them. Has anyone had any luck converting an optical-track reader into a signal processing or signal generating device? Seems like there’s some potential to make it into interesting experimental instrument; strobe-light-controlled oscillator perhaps?