East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-12-26
TRICKS OF PHoNoGRApH.
by Manipulating Wax Rollers Voices
Are Made to Talk Backward.

Some interesting and amusing
stunts that may be performed with
taking machine, graphophone, or
phonOgraph, are described in the Sci
entific American by Dexter w. Allis.
In addition to the machine itself. the
author notes, a recorder and few
blank records will be needed. The
first trick, which he names the
Speech by Tom Thumb" is thus per-
formed;
1.-THE machine must be speeded up
as high as possible, and the above
| announcement recorded on a blank
in a deep, loud voice. The machine
should be quickly slowed down to
about so revolutions per minute, and
the speech or monologue recorded at
that speed, care being taken to ar
! ticulate distinctly. When the blank
is full, the reproducer may be substi-
tuted for the recorder, and the ma
chine brought up again to high speed
at which the announcement was
made. When the record Is reproduced
at this speed, the result will be the
loud voice of the announcement fol-
lowed by a rapid, pinched-up little
voice making the. speech"
The second trick described Is the
reproduction Of whistling duet. in
which both parts are performed by
the same person. This is effected as
| follows:
Put on a blank; and. after the
speed is at about 160 revolutions,
whistle some popular piece of which
you know the second part When the
record is full, set the recorder back
to the beginning again without stop
ping the machine. When the record
ing point gets to the commencement
of the piece, the first part will sound
family in the recorder, thus giving
the cue and the pitch for the second,
| which should be recorded not quite
so loudly as the first.
Several notifications of this ex-
pertinent will suggest themselves.
The first attempt may not be perfect
ly successful, but that need not be
considered a drawback, as a spoiled
record can be easily cleaned with a
rag and a little kerosene. The rub
bing should be lengthwise of the cyl
inder till the lines are all removed
after which a soft cloth is rubbed
around the record to give a polish
Hard or gold-molded records may
also be cleaned in this way. which
fact suggests another amusing trick
This will call for two records
preferably talking selections. which
are exact duplicates. One of these is
"doctored" by cleaning off the latter
half, the rest being protected by a
piece of writing paper wrapped
around and secured by an elastic
band. On this blank space various
remarks should be recorded. which
should be very different from those
originally there. The good record is
to be played through first. While
saying that you will repeat it, the sec
ond one is quickly substituted in the
machine, and OF course. starts off
"doctored" portion is reached. how
ever, a change will be noticed, but
cannot be accounted for by the hear
erS
Ry taking two records Of entirely
different character, cutting each in
two, and putting on a half of one and
half of the other, we can often
jump from the sublime to the ridic-
''7rs by quickly Tipping ths repro
or across the gap, from one to
o.Ena With care the thinner half
one - r1c'o records may be slip
half way on in reversed posi-
=, and when made to run true,
produce everything backward. A
ious thing about such records Is
the voice one hears in the proper
9ction is instantly recognized
IN reversed, but Is, Of course, un-
eligible