quick turntable question

[Martin Waters]

--- On Sun, 10/18/09, Robert S Chase <attychase@comcast.net> wrote:
> Sounds like they are using exactly the same equipment they had back in >1967. Do they still have the dual Ampexs?

    Just before WMUA upgraded to 1 Kw and stereo in 1971, it got large amounts of new equipment to replace mono equipment. The Student Senate -- this is long before underwriting -- was very generous with money for the upgrade. So, the place was loaded up with top-line RCA boards,fancy stereo turntables, signal-processing units, etc. Althouhg I think stereo cart machines were on the market by then, we didn't get any. I have a hazy recollection that the engineers frowned on them for being trouble-prone and sounding bad. When I was last there about five years ago, at least one of those RCA boards survived, demoted to the newsroom. The newsroom also had one of the RCA 77 ribbon mics that were on the air back in the day. I didn't see the RCA 44 that was in the talk studio and often was used for recording PSA's, promos, et al, because of its great sound. 
    Meanwhile, as far as I could see, the station still does very well as far as having good equipment. I imagine they have three turntables ready to go just because they can. It's lke a national historic site right in the studio. :)