Dynagroove
Encyclopedia
Dynagroove is a recording process introduced in 1963 exclusive to RCA Victor that, for the first time, used computers ("electronic brains") to modify the audio signal fed to the recording stylus
(chisel-shaped) of a phonograph record to make the groove shape conform to the tracing requirements of the playback stylus (ball-point shaped). RCA claimed that Dynagroove had the effect of adding brilliance and clarity, realistic presence, full-bodied tone and virtually eliminated surface noise and inner groove distortion. In addition, Dynagroove recordings were mastered on RCA Magnetic Tape
. Hans H. Fantel (who wrote liner notes on the first Dynagroove releases) summed it up with, "[Dynagroove] adds up to what is, in my opinion, a remarkable degree of musical realism. The technique is ingenious and sophisticated, but its validation is simple: the ear confirms it!"
The process was not received well by some industry commentators, such as the founder of Stereophile magazine, J. Gordon Holt, who in December 1964 wrote a highly unfavourable article entitled "Down with Dynagroove!". Dynagroove was also sharply criticized by Goddard Lieberson
of the competing label Columbia Records, who called it "a step away from the faithful reproduction of the artist's performance;" and by Harry Pearson, founder of The Absolute Sound
, who termed it "Dynagroove, for that wooden sound." Holt, a noted audio engineer and writer of the 1960s and 1970s, slammed Dynagroove as introducing "pre-distortion" into the mastering process, making the records sound worse if they were played on high-quality phono systems.
Holt was technically correct, as the Dynagroove process used tracing compensation, which pre-distorted the record groove to cancel out the distortion created by playback with a conical-shaped stylus (which could not track the record groove accurately in the high frequencies, especially in the inner grooves of an LP record). The process worked well with playback via a conical stylus, typical of most phono cartridges prior to about 1964. However, if you played a Dynagroove record with an elliptical-shaped stylus, this pre-distortion became audible. As the decade of the 1960s progressed, high quality playback cartridges increasingly used elliptical styli. This development made tracing compensation obsolete by about 1970, and RCA quietly stopped using the technique.
The other technique used with Dynagroove was a dynamic equalizer, which varied the tonal quality of the recording according to the loudness of the sound. Loud passages were reproduced with little tonal change, but softer passages had boosted lows and highs. Harry Olsen, RCA's chief engineer, advocated the use of dynamic equalization for two reasons: 1) the process would help keep softer musical passages above the noise floor of the LP disc, and 2) music processed through the dynamic equalizer would, in theory, tend to have a tonal balance closer to what the listener would hear in a live performance.
This latter characteristic was based on Olsen's work comparing consumer playback of recorded music to live musical performance. Olsen found that most people listened to records at sound levels about 20 decibels lower than actual live performances. Human hearing is not linear with level change, but tends to perceive softer sounds as having less bass content. The dynamic equalizer was an attempt to compensate for the reduction in bass that would be perceived by listening to records at typical levels. As noted above, critical reaction to this technique was mixed. RCA stopped using dynamic equalization about the same time they stopped using tracing compensation in the late 1960s.
More information about the dynamic equalizer, the theory behind it, and Harry Olsen's audio engineering research in general, can be found in his book, Music, Physics and Engineering, 2nd edition (Dover Press, 1964).
Not to be confused with Dynaflex
, a technique of making vinyl records that were much thinner and lighter than previous discs, that RCA introduced around 1970.
* Stereo first regular records
Stylus
A stylus is a writing utensil, or a small tool for some other form of marking or shaping, for example in pottery. The word is also used for a computer accessory . It usually refers to a narrow elongated staff, similar to a modern ballpoint pen. Many styli are heavily curved to be held more easily...
(chisel-shaped) of a phonograph record to make the groove shape conform to the tracing requirements of the playback stylus (ball-point shaped). RCA claimed that Dynagroove had the effect of adding brilliance and clarity, realistic presence, full-bodied tone and virtually eliminated surface noise and inner groove distortion. In addition, Dynagroove recordings were mastered on RCA Magnetic Tape
Magnetic tape
Magnetic tape is a medium for magnetic recording, made of a thin magnetizable coating on a long, narrow strip of plastic. It was developed in Germany, based on magnetic wire recording. Devices that record and play back audio and video using magnetic tape are tape recorders and video tape recorders...
. Hans H. Fantel (who wrote liner notes on the first Dynagroove releases) summed it up with, "[Dynagroove] adds up to what is, in my opinion, a remarkable degree of musical realism. The technique is ingenious and sophisticated, but its validation is simple: the ear confirms it!"
The process was not received well by some industry commentators, such as the founder of Stereophile magazine, J. Gordon Holt, who in December 1964 wrote a highly unfavourable article entitled "Down with Dynagroove!". Dynagroove was also sharply criticized by Goddard Lieberson
Goddard Lieberson
Goddard Lieberson was the president of Columbia Records from 1956 to 1971, and from 1973 to 1975. He was also a composer, and studied with George Frederick McKay, at the University of Washington, Seattle....
of the competing label Columbia Records, who called it "a step away from the faithful reproduction of the artist's performance;" and by Harry Pearson, founder of The Absolute Sound
The Absolute Sound
The Absolute Sound is an American monthly magazine which reviews audiophile-oriented sound-reproduction and recording equipment and recordings, and comments on various music-related subjects. It was founded in 1973 by Harry Pearson, who was the Editor in Chief...
, who termed it "Dynagroove, for that wooden sound." Holt, a noted audio engineer and writer of the 1960s and 1970s, slammed Dynagroove as introducing "pre-distortion" into the mastering process, making the records sound worse if they were played on high-quality phono systems.
Holt was technically correct, as the Dynagroove process used tracing compensation, which pre-distorted the record groove to cancel out the distortion created by playback with a conical-shaped stylus (which could not track the record groove accurately in the high frequencies, especially in the inner grooves of an LP record). The process worked well with playback via a conical stylus, typical of most phono cartridges prior to about 1964. However, if you played a Dynagroove record with an elliptical-shaped stylus, this pre-distortion became audible. As the decade of the 1960s progressed, high quality playback cartridges increasingly used elliptical styli. This development made tracing compensation obsolete by about 1970, and RCA quietly stopped using the technique.
The other technique used with Dynagroove was a dynamic equalizer, which varied the tonal quality of the recording according to the loudness of the sound. Loud passages were reproduced with little tonal change, but softer passages had boosted lows and highs. Harry Olsen, RCA's chief engineer, advocated the use of dynamic equalization for two reasons: 1) the process would help keep softer musical passages above the noise floor of the LP disc, and 2) music processed through the dynamic equalizer would, in theory, tend to have a tonal balance closer to what the listener would hear in a live performance.
This latter characteristic was based on Olsen's work comparing consumer playback of recorded music to live musical performance. Olsen found that most people listened to records at sound levels about 20 decibels lower than actual live performances. Human hearing is not linear with level change, but tends to perceive softer sounds as having less bass content. The dynamic equalizer was an attempt to compensate for the reduction in bass that would be perceived by listening to records at typical levels. As noted above, critical reaction to this technique was mixed. RCA stopped using dynamic equalization about the same time they stopped using tracing compensation in the late 1960s.
More information about the dynamic equalizer, the theory behind it, and Harry Olsen's audio engineering research in general, can be found in his book, Music, Physics and Engineering, 2nd edition (Dover Press, 1964).
Not to be confused with Dynaflex
Dynaflex (RCA)
Dynaflex was a type of vinyl LP album record pressing introduced by RCA Records in late 1969. Rather than using the stiff plastic material used by conventional vinyl pressings, Dynaflex records used a "flexible" formulation that allowed RCA to use less material, saving money and also making the...
, a technique of making vinyl records that were much thinner and lighter than previous discs, that RCA introduced around 1970.
Dynagroove promotional and regular records
Partial list- This Is Dynagroove! (1963) PRS-140*
- Sid Ramin - "SwaneeSwanee (song)"Swanee" is an American popular song written in 1919 by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Irving Caesar. It is most often associated with singer Al Jolson....
" - Marty Gold - "I'll Remember AprilI'll Remember April (song)"I'll Remember April" is a popular song. The music for the song was written by Gene de Paul, and the lyrics were written by Patricia Johnston and Don Raye....
" - Dick Schory - "Take the "A" Train"
- Hugo & Luigi Chorus - "I Love You"
- Peter NeroPeter NeroPeter Nero is an American pianist and pops conductor.-Early life:Born in Brooklyn, New York, As Bernard Nierow, Nero started his formal music training at the age of seven. He studied piano under Frederick Bried...
- "Granada" - Arthur FiedlerArthur FiedlerArthur Fiedler was a long-time conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a symphony orchestra that specializes in popular and light classical music. With a combination of musicianship and showmanship, he made the Boston Pops one of the best-known orchestras in the country...
/Boston Pops - "Star Dust" - Erich LeinsdorfErich LeinsdorfErich Leinsdorf was a naturalized American Austrian conductor. He performed and recorded with leading orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and Europe, earning a reputation for exacting standards as well as an acerbic personality...
/Boston Symphony - "MahlerGustav MahlerGustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
: Symphony No. 1 (Finale)" - Arthur Fiedler/Boston Pops - "La Sorella"
- Charles MünchCharles MünchCharles Munch was an Alsatian symphonic conductor and violinist. Noted for his mastery of the French orchestral repertoire, he is best known as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.-Biography:...
/Boston Symphony - "DebussyClaude DebussyClaude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
: Nocturnes, Fêtes" - Leontyne PriceLeontyne PriceMary Violet Leontyne Price is an American soprano. Born and raised in the Deep South, she rose to international acclaim in the 1950s and 1960s, and was one of the first African Americans to become a leading artist at the Metropolitan Opera.One critic characterized Price's voice as "vibrant",...
& Richard TuckerRichard TuckerRichard Tucker was an American operatic tenor.-Early life:Tucker was born Rivn Ticker in Brooklyn, New York, into a family of Romanian immigrants from Bessarabia. His father, Shmul Ticker, and mother Fanya-Tsipa Ticker had already adopted the surname "Tucker" by the time their son entered first...
- "PucciniGiacomo PucciniGiacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
: Madama ButterflyMadama ButterflyMadama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...
Act 1: Love Duet" - Morton GouldMorton GouldMorton Gould was an American composer, conductor, arranger, and pianist.Born in Richmond Hill, New York, Gould was recognized early as a child prodigy with abilities in improvisation and composition. His first composition was published at age six...
- "SibeliusJean SibeliusJean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."...
: Findlandia (Finale)"- The Sound Of Tomorrow (BuickBuickBuick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
Highlighter) (1963) SP-33-204/SPS-33-204*
- The Sound Of Tomorrow (Buick
- Peter Nero - "Londonderry Air"
- Marty GoldMarty GoldMartin Gold was a composer, pianist, and bandleader born in New York City, New York. He was the pianist and arranger for the Korn Kobblers, a popular 1940s novelty group billed as "America's most nonsensical dance band", but was probably best known as the composer of the song "Tell Me Why", which...
- "Shangri-LaShangri-La (1946 song)"Shangri-La" is a popular song written by Carl Sigman , bandleader Matty Malneck, and Robert Maxwell in 1946. The term comes from "Shangri-La," the hidden valley of delight in James Hilton's 1933 novel "Lost Horizon." The term "Shangri-La," especially in the 1930s and 1940s, was slang for heaven...
" - Hugo & Luigi Chorus - "I'll See You In My Dreams"
- Dick Schory - "Stompin' At The Savoy"
- Sid Ramin - "Spring Is Here"
- Erich Leinsdorf/Boston Symphony - "Scherzo from Symphony No. 1 in D (Mahler)"
- Arthur Fiedler/Boston Pops - "Jalousie"
- Robert Shaw Chorale - "Battle Hymn of the Republic"
- Charles Münch/Boston Symphony - "Pavan for a Dead Princess (RavelMaurice RavelJoseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
)" - Leontyne Price - "Un Bel Di from Madama Butterfly (Puccini)"
- The New Sound of the Stars (1963) SP-33-223/SPS-33-223*
- Sid Ramin - "The Syncopated ClockThe Syncopated Clock"The Syncopated Clock" is a piece of light music by American composer Leroy Anderson, which has become a feature of the pops orchestra repertoire.-Composition:...
" - Perry ComoPerry ComoPierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
- "The Songs I Love" - Chet AtkinsChet AtkinsChester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
- "Back Home Again In Indiana" - Hugo & Luigi Chorus - "Melody of LoveMelody of Love"Melody of Love" is a popular song. The music was originally written by Hans Engelmann in 1903. The lyrics were added by Tom Glazer in 1954.An instrumental version recorded by Billy Vaughn was the highest-charting version on the Billboard charts in 1955...
" - Eddy ArnoldEddy ArnoldRichard Edward Arnold , known professionally as Eddy Arnold, was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a so-called Nashville sound innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more...
- "The Streets of Laredo" - Floyd CramerFloyd CramerFloyd Cramer was an American Hall of Fame pianist who was one of the architects of the "Nashville sound." He popularized the "slip note" piano style where an out-of-tune note slides effortlessly into the correct note...
- "Green Door" - Marty Gold - "Don't Worry 'Bout MeDon't Worry 'bout Me"Don't Worry 'bout Me" is a 1938 song composed by Rube Bloom, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler.-Notable recordings:*Dave Brubeck - Jazz Goes to College *Ella Fitzgerald - Newport Jazz Festival: Live at Carnegie Hall...
" - Jim ReevesJim ReevesJames Travis Reeves , better known as Jim Reeves, was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well-known for being a practitioner of the Nashville sound...
- "(There'll Be Blue Birds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" - Peter Nero - "Are My Dreams Real?"
- The LimelitersThe LimelitersThe Limeliters are an American folk music group, formed in July 1959 by Lou Gottlieb , Alex Hassilev , and Glenn Yarbrough . The group was active from 1959 until 1965, when they disbanded. After a hiatus of sixteen years Yarbrough, Hassilev, and Gottlieb reunited and began performing as...
- "Drill Ye Tarriers" - Sam CookeSam CookeSamuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
- "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen" - Al HirtAl HirtAl Hirt was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million selling recordings of "Java", and the accompanying album, Honey in the Horn . His nicknames included 'Jumbo' and 'The Round Mound of Sound'...
- "Man With A Horn"- Dimensions In Dynagroove (1965) PRS-180*
- Sid Ramin - "I'm Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover"
- Melachrino Strings & Orchestra - "In The Blue Of Evening"
- Si Zentner - "Twist and ShoutTwist and Shout"Twist and Shout" is a song written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell. It was originally titled "Shake It Up, Baby" and recorded by the Top Notes and then covered by The Isley Brothers. It was covered by The Beatles with John Lennon on the lead vocals and originally released on their first album...
" - Marty Gold - "Theme from 'A Summer Place'"
- Frankie CarleFrankie CarleFrankie Carle – , born Francis Nunzio Carlone, was a American pianist and bandleader. As a very popular bandleader in the 1940s and 1950s, Carle was nicknamed "The Wizard of the Keyboard"."Sunrise Serenade," however, was Carle's best-known composition, rising to No...
- "Dominique" - Hugo MontenegroHugo MontenegroHugo Montenegro was an American orchestra leader and composer of film soundtracks. His best known work is derived from interpretations of the music from Spaghetti westerns, especially his cover version of the main theme from the 1966 film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...
- "Candy's Theme" - Norman Luboff Choir - "Never on SundayNever on Sunday (song)"Never on Sunday", also known as "Ta Paidia Tou Piraia" is a popular song by Manos Hadjidakis. A vocal version was also released and performed by Melina Mercouri in the film of same name directed by Jules Dassin and starring Mercouri...
" - Morton Gould - "The Peanut VendorThe Peanut VendorThe Peanut Vendor is a Cuban song based on a street-seller's cry, and known as a pregón. It is possibly the most famous piece of music created by a Cuban musician...
" - Robert Brereton/Paramount Theatre Organ - "Gayne (KhachaturianAram KhachaturianAram Ilyich Khachaturian was a prominent Soviet composer. Khachaturian's works were often influenced by classical Russian music and Armenian folk music...
): Sabre Dance" - Arthur Fielder/Boston Pops - "Grand Canyon Suite (GroféFerde GroféFerde Grofé was a prominent American composer, arranger and pianist. During the 1920s and 1930s, he went by the name Ferdie Grofé.-Early life:...
): Cloudburst" - Arthur Fielder/Boston Pops - "Tenderly"
- Erich Leinsdorf/Boston Symphony - "Firebird Suite (StravinskyIgor StravinskyIgor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
): Finale"- Sounds Fantastic! (1966) PRS-210*
- Sid Ramin - "Strike Up The Band"
- Si Zentner - "Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)"
- Marty Gold - "Smile"
- Claus Ogerman - "Watusi Trumpets"
- Chet Atkins - "Armen's Theme"
- Dick Schory - "From Russia With Love"
- Johnny Douglas/Living Strings - "Love Your Spell Is Everywhere"
- Al Hirt - "I Had The Craziest DreamI Had the Craziest Dream"I Had the Craziest Dream" is a popular song.The music was written by Harry Warren, the lyrics by Mack Gordon. The song was published in 1942....
" - Frankie Randall - "A Wonderful Day Like Today"
- Living Guitars - "Steel Guitar Rag"
- The Three Suns - "Love Letters In The SandLove Letters in the Sand"Love Letters in the Sand" is a popular song first published in 1931. The music was written by J. Fred Coots and the lyrics by Nick Kenny and Charles Kenny. The song was "inspired" by an 1881 composition, "The Spanish Cavalier"...
" - EsquivelJuan García EsquivelJuan García Esquivel often simply known as Esquivel!, was a Mexican band leader, pianist, and composer for television and films. He is recognized today as one of the foremost exponents of a sophisticated style of largely instrumental music that combines elements of lounge music and jazz with Latin...
- "Bye Bye Blues"- Questo è il Dynagroove ! (1966) DDD 33* ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
- Questo è il Dynagroove ! (1966) DDD 33* Italy
- Charles Munch From Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony (Patethique)
- Alfredo KrausAlfredo KrausAlfredo Kraus Trujillo was a distinguished Spanish tenor of partly Austrian descent, particularly known for the artistry he brought to opera's bel canto roles...
La donna è mobile from Verdi's Rigoletto - Arthur RubinsteinArthur RubinsteinArthur Rubinstein KBE was a Polish-American pianist. He received international acclaim for his performances of the music of a variety of composers...
Chopin's PolonaisePolonaiseThe polonaise is a slow dance of Polish origin, in 3/4 time. Its name is French for "Polish."The polonaise had a rhythm quite close to that of the Swedish semiquaver or sixteenth-note polska, and the two dances have a common origin....
No. 6 - Erich LeinsdorfErich LeinsdorfErich Leinsdorf was a naturalized American Austrian conductor. He performed and recorded with leading orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and Europe, earning a reputation for exacting standards as well as an acerbic personality...
Rakoczy March from Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust - Marty GoldMarty GoldMartin Gold was a composer, pianist, and bandleader born in New York City, New York. He was the pianist and arranger for the Korn Kobblers, a popular 1940s novelty group billed as "America's most nonsensical dance band", but was probably best known as the composer of the song "Tell Me Why", which...
I'll remember April - Ennio MorriconeEnnio MorriconeEnnio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
Quando quando quando - Ferruccio TagliaviniFerruccio TagliaviniFerruccio Tagliavini was an Italian operatic tenor mainly active in the 1940s and 1950s...
Leoncavallo's Mattinata - The SAT Choir Preghiera a Sant'Antonio
- Miranda Martino Non dimenticar le mie parole
- Morton GouldMorton GouldMorton Gould was an American composer, conductor, arranger, and pianist.Born in Richmond Hill, New York, Gould was recognized early as a child prodigy with abilities in improvisation and composition. His first composition was published at age six...
and his symphonic orchestra Espana cani
* Stereo first regular records
- Van Cliburn/Fritz Reiner/Chicago Symphony orchester Konzert für Klavier und Orchester nr 4 G-dur op 58, 1963 original RCA, Made in Germany shortly after under LSC-2680-B (Living stereo ref) and LM-2680-C (mono ref)