Xray records

A spot for keeping track of especially cool (informative, fun) videos, photos, scans and other links about record cutting. (You can post them in other sections. Eventually they may end up here.) NOTE: Please put *Circuits, Schematics and Manuals* in the section with that name.

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Steve E.
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Xray records

Post: # 1572Unread post Steve E.
Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:18 am

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.

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Self-lather
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Post: # 1641Unread post Self-lather
Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:02 am

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

-Thomas

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grooveguy
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X-Ray Records

Post: # 1661Unread post grooveguy
Sun Aug 26, 2007 8:54 pm

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.

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blight
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Post: # 1669Unread post blight
Mon Aug 27, 2007 3:57 pm

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

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Self-lather
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Post: # 1688Unread post Self-lather
Tue Aug 28, 2007 3:29 pm

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

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JayDC
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Post: # 1695Unread post JayDC
Wed Aug 29, 2007 12:45 am

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..

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Steve E.
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Post: # 1696Unread post Steve E.
Wed Aug 29, 2007 10:06 am

blight wrote: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!

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cuttercollector
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Post: # 1697Unread post cuttercollector
Wed Aug 29, 2007 1:27 pm

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.

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cuttercollector
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pressed or cut?

Post: # 1698Unread post cuttercollector
Wed Aug 29, 2007 2:35 pm

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

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Steve E.
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Re: pressed or cut?

Post: # 1709Unread post Steve E.
Fri Aug 31, 2007 7:50 pm

cuttercollector wrote: 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.

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piaptk
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Post: # 7465Unread post piaptk
Thu Jan 21, 2010 12:47 am

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.

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Jesus H Chrysler
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Post: # 7628Unread post Jesus H Chrysler
Mon Feb 01, 2010 11:15 pm

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

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kgutzke
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Post: # 7969Unread post kgutzke
Sun Feb 21, 2010 10:02 pm

Done some myself for overseas project - though I have a little different method than cutting directly onto the film. They did sound sound beautiful.
Last edited by kgutzke on Sun Dec 02, 2012 7:26 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Aussie0zborn
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Post: # 7971Unread post Aussie0zborn
Sun Feb 21, 2010 10:59 pm

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

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blacknwhite
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Post: # 7974Unread post blacknwhite
Mon Feb 22, 2010 1:46 am

kgutzke wrote: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?

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flozki
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Post: # 7987Unread post flozki
Tue Feb 23, 2010 5:42 pm

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.

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mossboss
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X ray

Post: # 7990Unread post mossboss
Tue Feb 23, 2010 6:06 pm

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
Chris

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blacknwhite
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Post: # 7992Unread post blacknwhite
Tue Feb 23, 2010 10:31 pm

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

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piaptk
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Post: # 8012Unread post piaptk
Thu Feb 25, 2010 9:47 pm

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.
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Jesus H Chrysler
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Post: # 8032Unread post Jesus H Chrysler
Sun Feb 28, 2010 12:30 am

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

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