Wax Cylinder Archive

Phonograph Reproduction Equipment

Symposium Records Prototype Electric Phonograph for archives Model 1134

Edison Standard Model A, Edison Gem and 2 Pathé Salon Phonographs for inter cylinders

Pickups and Microphones

Canaphonic Archivette, Zylia ZM-1, Shure SM57, Beyerdynamic M160

Transfer Digitising Software

Audacity

Reaper

Mastering Software

Izotope RX and Ozone

Description

A wax cylinder is an analog recording sound format that consists of a mechanical grooved cylinder made of soft wax. The earliest wax cylinders are a cream colour while subsequent wax cylinders were a warm medium brown colour. The "standard" cylinder dimensions are typically 2¼" in diameter and 4–4¼" in length, although they vary widely, ranging from 1⅓" diameter × 4" length, 2¼" diameter × 8" length, 3¾" diameter by 6" length, and 5" diameter × 4" length.

Transfer Method

The transfer method used for all of the digitised wax cylinders in the archive is the 'Tactile Method,' which is adopted from analogue technology, this emphasises delicate physical groove playback, a process where the object (cylinder) is explored with a precise and light touch using familiar phonographic equipment.

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This is only the beginning and will be updated gradually as a work in progress archive:

Certain songs on this page have never been digitised, or available online

All cylinders transfers are in the public domain (read policy)

Please Note: Many of these recordings will have audible imperfections due to age, such as, noise, static, flutter and intermittent reduced volume, which is normal.