Audio quality

Comments on Audio quality

rdfield
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Posted Mar 26, 2010 - 7:23 PM:

This may have been mentioned previously (I just joined the forum); if so please fogive.

I love the programs, but have a really hard time listening to some of them in that the audio quality is downright terrible. Is there any way that those who are interested can pool some cash to have a professional clean up the recordings? I would certainly donate if this is possible.
Paul
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Posted Apr 08, 2010 - 7:05 PM:

I don't know that anything useful can really be done.
borisandbelarule
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Posted May 26, 2010 - 12:51 AM:

You know, I don't think there are any surviving OTR shows with more crackly episodes than Quiet Please. And for some reason, it's part of the reason I cherish this show more than any other.

Somehow, the crackles give it a feeling of being authentic "old" time radio. I can almost see a beat up transcription disc of "We Were Here First" that was saved before it was crushed in a compactor being played on a 16-inch turntable. It's just unique.
monsterwax
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Posted Jun 17, 2010 - 8:40 PM:

They can be cleaned up, and what's more, they WILL be cleaned up-- eventually. I expect Serius for one of the big budget OTR shows will pay to have the computer go through them and clean them up. Quite Please is so good, they are bound to get around to it sooner or later. We're lucky the bad copies turned up at all. During the 1970s, the word was we only had those 12 or so shows and that was going to be it forever. But Chappel made copies or Cooper's widow and that appears to be where these came from. (Or it was from Chappel's widow after he died.) There's a good chapter about Quiet Please in the Hand Book, "Terror on the Air"
Paul
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Posted Jun 18, 2010 - 5:13 PM:

Somebody here tried cleaning up some episodes a few years ago. Helped slightly I guess, but the problem is you lose information in doing that, it gets kind of dulled. And there's nothing anybody can do about words that are unintelligibly distorted, except maybe dub over them.
monsterwax
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Posted Jun 18, 2010 - 5:32 PM:

The computer programs they have that does this doesn't dull them at all. It can equalize them back to the level of other programs in the series. As far as fixing words however, that I'm less sure about. But they have come a great distance in what they can do. It's a million time (or at least a hundred times) better than what we could do a few years back.
bostjan
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Posted Dec 02, 2010 - 10:07 PM:

I'm very grateful for the scripts and clips on this site.

I'd much rather have these very staticky recordings ("I Remember Yesterday") than none at all.

I'd prefer them to have a little static, though, to get the old-time feel.
sirdle
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Posted Feb 06, 2011 - 8:47 PM:

I understand that First Generation Radio Archives tried to clean up the series a few years ago. I intended to purchase all the copies they had... a few each year... but I had barely started when they changed their business name and stopped offering them for sale. An email from me received a rather terse reply to the effect that they only sell *quality* audio these days. A follow up email from me inquiring as to where I might buy them remains unanswered.

Is this the set you were referring to, Paul? The few that I bought seemed to be in better condition, or at least no worse, than other copies I have been able to find. Obviously I can't comment on the copies I haven't listened to. I still wouldn't mind buying the complete set.

MS
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Posted Feb 18, 2011 - 6:54 PM:

Here are some links, posted recently in other forums, that purport to have high quality QP episodes. Or at least higher than usual. The first few are still kind of scratchy, though.

1. Anonymous.mp3

http://www.mediafire.com/?45ox1w1je2s26g1

2. My Son John.mp3

http://www.mediafire.com/?stpuv9a3ga0b44t

3. Little Visitor.mp3

www.digitaldeliftp.com/Imag...-05_031_Little_Visitor.mp3

4. Whence Came You.mp3

www.digitaldeliftp.com/Imag...16_037_Whence_Came_You.mp3

5. The Pathetic Fallacy.mp3

www.4shared.com/audio/OIR_M...ase_48-02-02_035_The_.html

6. A Red and White Guidon.mp3

www.4shared.com/audio/DS_YO...ase_48-02-09_036_A_Re.html

7. Presto-Change-O, I'm Sure.mp3

www.4shared.com/audio/FGoDw...ase_48-08-16_061_Pres.html

8. Calling All Souls.mp3

www.4shared.com/audio/1WhqC...ase_48-10-31_071_Call.html

9. Adam and the Darkest Day.mp3

www.4shared.com/audio/dWsuc...ase_48-11-07_073_Adam.html

10. The Evening and the Morning.mp3

www.4shared.com/audio/5Cl9k...ase_48-11-14_074_The_.html

11. The Hat, the Bed, and John J Catherine.mp3

www.4shared.com/audio/_YuZB...ase_49-06-11_104_The_.html

12. The Thing on the Fourble Board.mp3

http://www.mediafire.com/?2ctmdmkw4iw
sirdle
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Posted May 23, 2011 - 4:30 PM:

Thanks, MS. Much appreciated!
MS
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Posted May 30, 2011 - 11:05 PM:

Glad to help out.

Here's something I hadn't seen before. It's video of Cooper's 1951 Lights Out episode - "Dead Man's Coat."

I have a feeling that this Lights Out TV script is actually a 1930s Lights Out radio script that Cooper rewrote for the occasion. That's the only explanation I can come up with for the quality of the drama.

Anyway, if you haven't seen it before, prepare to be underwhelmed.

Here it is on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcxPdTZTQbc

Here it is on archive.org:

http://www.archive.org/details/LightsOut-DeadMansCoat

The two actors with small roles at the graveyard are an interesting pair. One is sportswriter and commentator Heywood Hale Broun and the older gentleman with the deep voice is none other than Harvey Hays who starred in "Empire Builders" as the Old Timer and "Whitehall 1212" as Chief Superintendent Davidson.
sirdle
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Posted Jul 07, 2011 - 12:07 PM:

Thought this was interesting. The RadioGOLDINdex is an online database detailing the collection of J. David Goldin. The database has almost 100,000 episodes and credits nearly 500,000 artists.

He lists 83 episodes from "Quiet, Please!" in his collection - mostly in "very good" to "excellent" quality.

radiogoldindex.com/cgi-loca...i?ProgramName=Quiet+Please

I'd love to get my hands on some of those!
Zorka
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Posted Sep 05, 2011 - 12:52 PM:

sirdle wrote:
Thought this was interesting. The RadioGOLDINdex is an online database detailing the collection of J. David Goldin. The database has almost 100,000 episodes and credits nearly 500,000 artists.

He lists 83 episodes from "Quiet, Please!" in his collection - mostly in "very good" to "excellent" quality.

radiogoldindex.com/cgi-loca...i?ProgramName=Quiet+Please

I'd love to get my hands on some of those!


Most of his Quiet, Please are not on disc but rather on tape. Dave Goldin got his collection while working for ABC Radio years ago. He was the original owner and founder of Radio Yesteryear, which used to sell audio shows of old time radio, news, etc. I purchased from him back in the 70s at the time occasionally.

About 5 or so years ago, he sold everything up to a point to Radio Spirits keeping some transcriptions, but mostly reel material and was restricted in selling which is why he doesn't sell any copies any more. On the Quiet, Please, he was not involved in the discovery of the episodes of QP that popped up 8-10 years ago - those mostly came from the estate of Ernest Chappell. But Goldin did have his own copies of things; had the influence to usually get copies of those types of discoveries at the time; and also had very detailed radio log books of much of the material. He has added and continues to add occasionally though rarely corrects things. He, like a lot of others, has information that is erroneous.

Still, his information is always a starting point for people researching or looking for extant episodes.
Paul
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Posted Sep 23, 2011 - 5:35 AM:

On the audio quality topic: if anyone can definitely tell me that they have a better quality MP3 of an episode than the one I have posted on the site, let me know and I'll replace it.
mikespitzer
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Posted Sep 30, 2011 - 7:23 PM:

Hello gang, I am a new and recent fan of the QUIET PLEASE radio show.
I have been a pulp and OTR fan for many years, but I only recently learned about the QUIET PLEASE series of the 1940s

I found this Forum and Site while trying to learn more history on the series.

I am also a recording and audio engineer who has experience working in the studio.
example (http://www.youtube.com/user/mikespitzer007?feature=mhee)

In answer to the question about audio quality ......

YES, there could be significant improvements made to the audio quality of these recordings.

Don't expect to make them sound like brand new, 24 bit 96khz hi- resolution digital recordings ..... That will NOT happen ...... And I don't think any of us would really want that , because it would kill the nostalgic old time radio feel.

Not much of real value could be done with the existing low-res MP3 files that have been converted and lossy compression rates like 24kbs . This degree of MP3 compression means almost 75% of the available audio information is already loss and harsh artifacts introduced.

BUT ..... if for example, I was able to have digital transfers in non-compressed WAV formats direct from the analog tapes, we could ........

1) Eliminate much of the clicks, pops and other random noise
2) Improve clarity of spoken vocals
3) Remove that low-mid "rumble" that plagues many OTR shows and makes things sound muddy or "wompy"
4) Normalize the listening volumes so all episodes are same volume
5) Mild compress and limit to raise signal/noise ratio and remove the fluctuations in the playback.
6) Restore some sparkle to the music and effects

No, it would not be "perfect" audio ...... but a vast improvement over the current offerings.

For ultimate sound quality, I would not suggest any lower than a 128 kbs compression.
Yes, I understand this would eat up more storage space -- but storage space is easy these days and cheap ...... with Patriot 32 GB thumbdrives only $50 or so.

I don't know if the audio tape still exists out there (or what shape it would be in now) .......... but it would be great if SOMEWHERE there are some direct to digital transfers as .WAV files someplace to work from.

88 episodes would take quite a bit of work and many hours, but it could be done if the suitable source material exists.
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