A quick peek in the SABC Audio Restoration Section - I am holding...

Bags Farrell works as a sound engineer in the Audio Restoration Section, where they restore and re-master audio.
SABC Audio Restoration is part of the SABC Media Libraries.


At this moment he is working on…

... a collection of LP records, that needs restoring. 
I will clean the LP first, then record it into my computer, restore the audio and then I transfer the audio to a CD.

I follow this process for every LP that will be transferred to CD.


Related post:

Interview with the Audio Restoration Engineer at SABC Audio Restoration department


Blog post by Karen du Toit, Afrikaans Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives.

The Weekly Archivist interview: Sound Engineer in the Radio Archives

Marius Oosthuizen
Sound Engineer: SABC Radio Archives

The SABC Radio Archives has seven Archivists who specialize in specific areas/languages of expertise with regards the audio collections being kept in the Archives. There are also Archivists who focus on requests, and we have a Sound Engineer as well that assists us with technical issues. This is part of the weekly interviews that will try to pose the same questions to each of the Archivists.

Marius Oosthuizen is the sound engineer, who also looks after our acetate collection for sound restoration. He has been with the SABC Radio Archives for 10 years, and he will be leaving us shortly.

Marius, please tell us a little bit about your life and career. (Where you grew up, where and what you studied and your work experience before you joined the SABC Radio Archives)

I grew up in Vanderbijlpark, not too far from the Vaal River. I still have a very soft spot for rivers and willow trees. I did some studies at The Teaching College in Potchefstroom and did my military service in the SAP where I joined the video unit and I made training videos. I learnt the craft of video making from Will Roberts, the well-known actor. From there I joined the SABC. I worked in Radio Productions for 9 years. I worked on my own as a freelancer for five years, and rejoined the Radio Archives since 2000 as an archivist in restoration. At the end of April I will be leaving the SABC to pursue a career as the Audio and Video Department Manager for the University of Monash.

Please tell us about a normal day in your studio. What material do you give priority to?

I give priority to the legacy collection, the acetates. The careful handling, cleaning process and the dubbing of these discs and CD mastering.
A part of my day also consists of helping with requests, as well as technical assistance with sound related problems.

Tell us more about your collection and the scope of material you need to preserve.

The acetate collection: the recordings go back to the 1920s. Most of these recordings were done on metal disc covered with Schalleck acetate mixtures.

If you have an anecdote about a specific piece of interesting audio material, please share it with us.

I have found that it is an incredible audio history on those shelves that need to be preserved for future generations.

Tell us why you enjoyed doing the work that you did.

Audio was not only a work for me, but an interest and a hobby as well. I enjoyed reading and exploring into audio and audio practices, especially pertaining to audio restoration.

Related posts:
The Weekly Archivist interview: Ikwekwezi FM
The Weekly Archivist interview: Music archivist
The Weekly Archivist interview: News and Actuality
The Weekly Archivist interview: Sport archivist
The Weekly Archivist interview: Channel Africa collection

Questions and blog post by Karen du Toit, Afrikaans Archivist in SABC Radio Archives.

Interview with a Record Librarian at the SABC Record Library

This is the first interview as part of a series of blog posts to gain a better understanding of the SABC Record Library, as well as part of a series of blog posts about the SABC Media Libraries. It is a way of generating a better understanding of what we do in the different sections that we belong to.

The interview this week is with Justice Muthakhi, the Record Librarian and Team Leader in the Record library.

The Record Library houses recorded music, previously unavailable, as well as all genres of recorded music, including Jazz, Gospel, Kwaito, Rap, Rave, Classical, World, Light, Mood, Sound Effects and others. The music is regularly accessed by staff and made available to internal clients.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself. (Where you grew up, where and what you studied and your work experience before you joined the SABC Record Library)
I was born in Venda (Thohoyandou). I attended school from the beginning to standard 9. I obtained Senior Certificate while I was working. I joined the SABC straight from school.   I spent most my life in the music industry as a link between the record companies and the SABC record library. Ordering CDs and dealing with public enquiries. I also capture CD information on the record library system. 
    
Please tell us about a normal day in your office. What music do you give priority to?
Normal day?  I do not have something like that.  Each day has a different call. Although Tuesday is a day for Record companies and independent producers to sample their latest products; some of them come from as far as Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland.  I have to accommodate them any day of the week. This means I could go to the SABC foyer any time of the day.

Tell us more about your collection and the scope of material you need to preserve in the record library.
Our collection  stands at:
Light Music over               59000
Classical Music over          21 600
Transcription discs over     4 000
In our storeroom we have also a collection of LP’s and Seven Singles that are still in use because not all songs are on compact discs.

Do you struggle with technical difficulties, and if so, what?
Yes, change in technology is very fast and for me to keep up the pace is little bit difficult. I would say to have enough time to close the gap is a challenge.

Tell us why you enjoy doing the work that you do.
To work with people is a challenging situation and interesting as well. I meet different personalities every day and I learn a lot from these individuals.  Sometimes it is painful but at the end they help me to grow spiritually.

 Questions and post by Karen du Toit, Afrikaans Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives.

The 78 record

In 1900, 78 records arrived on the scene.  These 10 inch records were easier to store and had very large grooves (much larger than both 45s and LPs). This 10 inch record only holds about 4 minutes of music per side.
Though these records were a vast improvement to the cylinders, they were still heavy, fragile, and just couldn't hold enough material, they disappeared in 1960.  Most 78s play back at about 78.26 RPM.
Emil Berliner (inventor of the gramophone) did a thorough study of these records and determined that the most pleasing speed for playback was roughly 78 Revolutions Per Minute.   Because his British Gramophone company had established the record format, others followed suit and 78 RPM was established.
Playing 78rpm Records
Simply playing a 78rpm record is not so simple these days.  Your modern turntable likely doesn't even have a 78rpm setting on it.  You likely don't have the correct stylus for these records AND if you play them thru your modern stereo system, they will not sound right. 
Stylus   
 this is the needle used to play the records.  Your preset cartridge and stylus is almost certainly about .7 Mills in size - which is perfect for 33 1/3 LPs.  78s were recorded with groove widths about 2.5 Mills in size - they are over 3 times wider!  You can play an occasional 78 with your regular LP stylus, but it won't sound as good.
Acetate recordings are often covered with a white coating that appears as a powdery substance on their surface.  This material (hexadecane acid) is not soluble in H2O.  It is suggested that records with this problem be cleaned using distilled H2O for the best transfer.  Do not attempt to use solvents to remove the acid.

- Marius Oosthuizen, SABC Radio Archives

Audio Restoration 2

The Audio Restoration Section, one of the oldest departments in the SABC,  was established during the 1950s, recording local music to broadcast to the local people.

The department is now responsible for digitising the collection and redistributing the music to all the libraries in the country. In diversifying its facilities, it now also offers further services to the SABC and its clients, including CD duplication and audio restoration facilities.


Maryna Barnard, Bags Farrell, SABC Audio Restoration Section