When did the 16 RPM speed exist?

[Hardbopjazz]

I saw an old tuntable that had a setting for 16 RPM. I never saw this or even heard of it before.

[Hardbopjazz]

I would think the sound most have really stunk. It was spinning so slow. Was the 16 RPM a attempt to fit a lot of music on record?

[rockefeller center]

Courtesy of google:

http://www.newscientist.com/lastword/article.jsp?id=lw576

[JSngry]

Since it was actually 16 2/3 RPM, exactly 1/2 of 33 1/3 RPM, you could play LPs at half speed (an octave lower) and make transcribing hard stuff easier.

The speed was used mostly for spoken word, I believe. Lots of things on the Caedmon label, if my school's AV library was any indication.

[brownie]

A related thread:

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...c=3947&hl=16rpm

[Christiern]

As far as music is concerned, the 16 speed didn't go anywhere. Prestige but a handful of albums out there, but nothing happened. I had a couple of them (0ne was an MJQ release) and they sounded OK by early 60s lo-fi standards, but the frequency range was obviously cut down.

[Shrdlu]

For music, it didn't really happen. There were, however, a few Prestige LPs at that speed, though I never saw one. They are mentioned in one of the CD box set books - Trane maybe. A friend of mine had an automatic changer that was 4 speed.

[rockefeller center]

Shrdlu and Albertson:

[couw]

Shrdlu and Albertson:

I don't see no cuckoo clock, so I have to ask, who's who?

Edited July 29, 2004 by couw

[Christiern]

Wrong!

I have never made such a big splash.

[Shrdlu]