Old SMPE Journals

[bfish]

I'm sure I've mentioned what an awesome resource the Internet Archive is. While browsing, I found a bunch of old SMPE Journals and Indexes. Journals # 1-45 seem to be numbered by issue, with the first issue as #1, and #45 is for 1945. later years seem to match the issue.

The material is all public domain, with no restrictions for personal use. Searchable PDFs, text-only, djvu, and other formats for all. Excellent images. Papers from all the big names in the theater business, including Lansing, Hilliard, Wente, Kellog, etc, pioneering our passion.

Enjoy!

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ November 26, 2007 06:22 AM: Message edited by: bfish ]</font>

[bowtie427ss]

Many thanks Bfish, i've stumbled onto the "Live Music Archive" thanks to your post, and have spent the better part of the afternoon listening to some great lossless downloads.

.............. i'll get to the documents, just having too much fun with the tunes right now.

[bfish]

I've spent the good portion of several days now engrossed in these old journals. What I find particularly enjoyable is the open "purely science" method in which the information is portrayed, with none of the innuendo or commercial self-interest one finds today. Although the bulk of material is intimidating (most volumes are around 800 pages each) if one uses the cumulative indexes to locate papers of interest, it becomes fairly easy to navigate. For a good "taste", see Volume 27. Pages 45-60 are a Hilliard article, titled "A STUDY OF THEATER LOUD SPEAKERS AND THE RESULTANT DEVELOPMENT OF THE SHEARER TWO-WAY HORN SYSTEM".

The following article is also signifigant. It was written by Hilliard and Kimball, the man who Hilliard later credited as being the pioneer of network design. Great stuff!

[bfish]

Also in vol 27, on pages 188-191 is a good one from Wente, "CONTRIBUTIONS OF TELEPHONE RESEARCH TO SOUND PICTURES". Not only a brilliant inventor, Wente foretold the future as well;

"Some of the instruments which have here been described are becoming obsolete. It is not likely, however, that a sound system will ever be used in sound pictures which does not comprise the sequence of elements here enumerated, although the form of the individual devices may undergo important changes from time to time."

[bfish]

There's a couple of Altec gems back-to-back in Volume 52;

Theater Loudspeaker Design, Perform-
ance, and Measurement, J. K. Hilliard,
52: 629-640, June 1949.

Physical Measurements of Loudspeaker
Performance, P. S. Veneklasen, 52:
641-656, June 1949.

Ever seen an A2 hung 40 feet up on a pole for measurements? There's a picture. And plots. Even a little on the 800 too.

Hilliard clearly defines Altec "nominal" rated driver impedance as the minimum value across the band here.