Xray records

[Steve E.]

yeah!!

http://www.kk.org/streetuse/archives/2006/08/jazz_on_bones_xray_sound_recor.php

I wonder what's a good source to get xrays for cutting now....I'll bet old ones get thrown in the garbage after a certain amount of time.

[Self-lather]

I don't know, but I would love to cut some of these. They are rad! Any luck finding any?

-Thomas

[grooveguy]

You know, this was offered in the Hugo Gernsback paperback book, "Hints and Kinks," from the late 1940s or early 1950s, I think. I wonder if X-Ray film from that era was different stuff, because I tried cutting a modern X-Ray film and it was pure noise.

[blight]

Don't you think those xray images were pressed not cut?

[Self-lather]

I'm pretty sure those were cut records, but who knows. I bet it wouldn't be hard to fake an xray discs by printing the image on transparencies. The images are pretty easy to come by on the internet.

-Thomas

[JayDC]

if you read the article you will find out that the x-ray disc where made by music pirates, selling illegally imported music to a country that at the time was against western culture.

Neeto thing was that the x-ray disc's deteriorated after a couple plays, this must have worked well for the pirates..

I suppose the motivation was because the soviet government controlled the record presses, so the pirates had to find another way..

[Steve E.]

Don't you think those xray images were pressed not cut?

According to one of the responses to the article, they were made on machines designed to make phonocards....so, they were cut!

[cuttercollector]

Just adding to the speculation here but in thinking about it, it would involve much more equipment and power etc. to press anything. It would be hard to imagine an underground record pressing plant. If they were to get it done through the back door of the state owned plants, why X rays? Also the images are clearly visable like a picture disc - that's what makes them cool!
I don't think you could press in the grooves without destroying the image unless you inveted another pressing process. I don't know how those little flexi discs or sound sheets start life. Perhaps there is a process to press into already flat plastic sheet but they would have had to plate or get something strong enough to make a stamper somehow.
It all sounds too hard to keep hidden. I bet they were individually cut.

[cuttercollector]

Hmmm-
"they were made on machines designed to make phonocards"

I wonder what these machines were, if they were legal to have in the Soviet Union for some other reason and does that mean something like the coin operated cutting machines for recording voice letters etc. that existed in public places in the US, small portable disc cutters, or something for manufacturing, "pressing" if you will, an earlier thin cardboard card stock version of flexible cheap records?
What is a "phonocard"?
Once you know that, you could determine how they were mastered and pressed or whether they were one off individually cut.
The problem with wll the articles I saw was they were much more concerned with the socio-political and/or musical aspects of the records than the technicalities of precisely how they were made. So the person writing might have no idea of exactly how a record is made or how it works and was just reporting facts as they uncovered them from other sources

[Steve E.]

does that mean something like the coin operated cutting machines for recording voice letters etc. that existed in public places in the US

Indeed. I think that's exactly what they were. Slightly re-jigged machines like that. Apparently the sound quality of these x-ray records is pretty terrible. But in a void, they were a miracle.

[piaptk]

I've cut a few xrays and the hiss noise is 60% and the sound is 40%, but the frequency range of the sound is pretty decent. Part of the problem is that the chip likes to stay in the groove and you have to kind of scratch it out with your nail. I was told by someone who cuts them regularly that the stylus should be heated and the depth should be pretty shallow. Haven't mastered it yet... but want to.

[Jesus H Chrysler]

that's been my experience too. I tried embossing one with a roughly homemade needle and got the noise level down to roughly 35% still some room for improvement. btw, my xrays came from a vet. they're probably the easiest source of old xrays cause they're not bound by doctor patient privilege

[kgutzke]

Done some myself for overseas project - though I have a little different method than cutting directly onto the film. They did sound sound beautiful.

[Aussie0zborn]

Nice work - looks kinda like a Misfits record. What method do you use?

Also, are you cutting onto blank vinyl discs or some other media for your regular cutting work? http://www.customrecords.com

[blacknwhite]

I have a little different method than cutting directly onto the film. They sounded beautiful

Did you glue a thin sheet of lexan on top of the xray, & cut the lexan?

[flozki]

i did 2 years ago a release of my sound on x-ray. 50 pcs.
it sounded good. no problem. i did the cuts with diamond on a vms70.

f.

[mossboss]

Some are known of telling people only what they need to know
"Seek and They shall find" is a good moto Some adopt it some don't
Cheers

[blacknwhite]

I say, he glued a thin sheet of lexan on top of the xray, & cut the lexan.
Until I hear differently...

[piaptk]

I get my xrays at Vets, too. They have no problem giving them away, because they are not legally allowed to throw them away because of the chemicals on them or something. The older ones (70's or earlier) have one side that is perfectly smooth, with no texture, but some (not all) of the modern ones have emulsion or something on both sides.

I think I will probably do what black and white said and use super thin polycarbonate and glue the xrays to it... they look just as cool and sound way better.

[Jesus H Chrysler]

I wish I could get this to work well, cause I've got some really cool looking x rays that I'm too scared to cut, ie an egret with a fishhook in his neck