Just as there are certain best conditions for all
instruments and for the voice, so too there are certain best conditions for the Victrola,
and the search for those best conditions will be a source of much pleasurable
experimentation. The acoustic properties of no two rooms are exactly alike.
They depend on the size and shape of the room, the height of the ceilings and the
character of the furnishings, but the Victor system of changeable needles and tone
modifying doors afford all the necessary latitude needed to produce the most satisfactory
results in any home.We would
strongly recommend that you try all the varieties of Victor Tungs-tone Styli and steel
needles with the modifying doors at certain chosen apertures and in the various available
rooms until you find the combinations giving the most satisfying results.
In this connection it might be well to
point out that a full tone Tungs-tone stylus or needle is particularly suited for a large
music-room and that when the Victrola is to be used in a small room or even a room which
is comparatively small, the soft tone Tungs-tone stylus or needle very frequently will
give better results. It sometimes happens that a particularly good effect is secured
by placing the Victrola in a room adjoining the one in which the listener sits, and using
a full tone Tungs-tone stylus needle.
The operation of a Victrola is
exceedingly simple, but the few prescribed rules should be followed literally until they
become fixed habit.
In
starting a record, release the brake and allow the turntable to make several revolutions
to attain its full maximum speed. Then take the circumference of the soundbox
between the thumb and two first fingers of the right hand and lower gently until the
reproducing point comes, gently, into contact with the smooth shiny rim at the
circumference of the record. That is the right way and only right way to start a
record.
In stopping the record without the use
of the automatic brake, the soundbox should be lifted off and doubled back until it lies
on the taper tone arm or other rest provided for it.
The dealer
from whom you purchased your Victrola will see that it is properly assembled and that the
speed of the turntable is set at 78 revolutions per minute. That is the speed at
which all Victor records should be played, and we most strongly advise that the speed
regulator not be tampered with under any circumstances, except when it may be necessary to
reset the regulator in order that the turntable shall actually turn at 78 revolutions when
the soundbox is not in contact with the record.
From time to time it may be necessary
to test the speed of the turntable to see that there is no variation from the designated
speed of 78 revolutions. This may be done by putting a record on the turntable and
inserting a small piece of paper between the record and the turntable so that a portion of
the paper protrudes. The actual number of revolutions per minute may then be counted
by holding a watch close enough to the turntable so that the eyes may have a simultaneous
vision of the paper "marker" and the face of the watch.
Be
sure you keep your records in the albums provided for them, for dust or dirt should not be
permitted to accumulate in the fine spiral groove which contains the sound wave
impressions. Records should be dusted off with a brush or soft rag before and after
playing. If this is done systematically and the records kept under cover they will
need no other attention, even over a period of years.
Use
Victrola needles or Victrola Tungs-tone Styli. These products are the result of
many years' experience and thousands of dollars' worth of experimentation. They are
built to conform to the exact requirements of our records, which obviously will be better
understood by us than by any one else.
A
permanent point can be permanent only because it is too hard to wear -- in which case it
must inevitably were the records. The Victor system of changeable needles permits you
to replace a worn stylus or change a needle instantly with the result that perfect
reproduction can be secured at all times without serious wear on your records. The
changeable needle system does more than just that, for it enables you to use the
same discretion in playing records as the artist who made the record would himself use if
he knew in just what kind of room he would be required to play.
Keep
your records indexed. It is a very small matter, and once the habit is formed it is
easy to find the record you want the moment you want it.
Victrola Record Albums consist of ten
record envelopes, numbered 1 to 10 and bound into book form. Each album bears a
letter of the alphabet. Inside its cover is a printed form to index its contents.
Enter here the name of each record and its artists, and the envelope number. You
should use, in addition, your Victor Index Book as a "directory" of all your
records. If you enter in the Index Book the names of each record and its artists, the
letter of the album and the envelope number, it will be an easy matter to turn directly to
any record needed.
It will be seen that there are two
extensions of the gold circle at the circumference of Victor record labels. On these
the album and album envelope should be marked. The return of each record to its
proper album and proper envelope is thus assured.
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