DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Fantasite, v. 1, issue 6, November-December 1941

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Fantasite, v. 1, issue 6, November-December 1941

31858063099505_005

OFF THE RECORD
By John Chapman
In Mr. Morris S. Dollens of the St. Paul Dollens, the Minneapolis Fantasy Society has a bundle of technical enthusiasm which threatens to overwhelm the business portions of all subsequent meetings. First it was photography, then movie-making, and now it's radio, or to put it mildly, dramatic recordings. The latter seems to have found its mark, since the majority of recent meetings have ended in midnight wax sessions.
The first results have been better than average, so well in fact that we thought other fan groups would like to know just how these initial efforts were accomplished. The scope of fantasy recordings is limitless, inasmuch as the idea is relatively new to s-f fandom. Radio efforts have been quite successful, though Joe Fann must admit he takes Buck Rogers, Superman and Flash Gordon with tongue-in-cheek. The closest radio has come to true fantasy is through presentations similar to "Lights Out", though public reaction in most cases was unfavorable.
Consequently, if fandom wants the better form of science fiction on records, fandom itself will have to undertake the task.
The idea was suggested by Dollens, who owned the necessary equipment and had long felt a need for s-f productions of some sort. Members toyed with the thought last spring, finally emerging with a hurry-up version of Sam Russell's "The Coalsack", after the June 14 meeting. It was enough to spark the club's interest, though a cheaper disc was used and the distortion smothered what few good points the record may have had.
Jule 3 saw the Denvention recording, employing a better disc and resulting in a successful message to fans gathering in Colorado. The following meeting ended in a wholesale waste of several records which voiced Blakely interpretations of classic poetry, gangster dramas, loud singing, sour clarinetting, etc., etc. The last meeting, however, saw order restored. Two very successful recordings were made.
First was a re-make of "The Coalsack".
The recording begins with descriptive music, requiring an extra turntable. The music fades into an announcement of story and author, rises once more, and then drifts into a low background for the initial narrative. The story is laid in Africa and calls for distant drums all the way. The microphone was placed beside a door, where a slight drumming on the panel served extremely well. In addition, noises such as key-turning-in-lock or opening-of-door were accomplished with ease. All reproduced perfectly in the record.
Timing was the biggest problem. The principals had to choose the proper time to stop between sides, and music cuts had to be dubbed to the split second. Sound from the second turntable has a tendency to come in either too soon or too late.
Second recording was a Squanchfoot opus entitled "Stroke", concerning the fate of a time-traveller in the South Seas.
Beginning of the Rienzi Overture served as an excellent start, after which Doug Blakely, Sam Russell, Arden Benson and Charles Albertson enacted the four roles. Ordinary sounds such as doors slamming, footsteps in the sand, etc., were little trouble, though there was considerable discission before anyone could think of a way to dub the noise of a time machine. In this case, there had to be a noise. An electric fan was used finally, placing its motor as close as possible to the mike. The effect couldn't have been better.
Music was a definite asset. Proper maneuvering of the extra turntable added excellent transitions and occasional backgrounds. Carefully selected bits of Liszt's "Les Preludes", Wagner's "Dance of the Apprentices", and Herbert's "Indian Summer" were used in this case. Entire recording of "Stroke"

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OFF THE RECORD By John Chapman In Mr. Morris S. Dollens of the St. Paul Dollens, the Minneapolis Fantasy Society has a bundle of technical enthusiasm which threatens to overwhelm the business portions of all subsequent meetings. First it was photography, then movie-making, and now it's radio, or to put it mildly, dramatic recordings. The latter seems to have found its mark, since the majority of recent meetings have ended in midnight wax sessions. The first results have been better than average, so well in fact that we thought other fan groups would like to know just how these initial efforts were accomplished. The scope of fantasy recordings is limitless, inasmuch as the idea is relatively new to s-f fandom. Radio efforts have been quite successful, though Joe Fann must admit he takes Buck Rogers, Superman and Flash Gordon with tongue-in-cheek. The closest radio has come to true fantasy is through presentations similar to "Lights Out", though public reaction in most cases was unfavorable. Consequently, if fandom wants the better form of science fiction on records, fandom itself will have to undertake the task. The idea was suggested by Dollens, who owned the necessary equipment and had long felt a need for s-f productions of some sort. Members toyed with the thought last spring, finally emerging with a hurry-up version of Sam Russell's "The Coalsack", after the June 14 meeting. It was enough to spark the club's interest, though a cheaper disc was used and the distortion smothered what few good points the record may have had. Jule 3 saw the Denvention recording, employing a better disc and resulting in a successful message to fans gathering in Colorado. The following meeting ended in a wholesale waste of several records which voiced Blakely interpretations of classic poetry, gangster dramas, loud singing, sour clarinetting, etc., etc. The last meeting, however, saw order restored. Two very successful recordings were made. First was a re-make of "The Coalsack". The recording begins with descriptive music, requiring an extra turntable. The music fades into an announcement of story and author, rises once more, and then drifts into a low background for the initial narrative. The story is laid in Africa and calls for distant drums all the way. The microphone was placed beside a door, where a slight drumming on the panel served extremely well. In addition, noises such as key-turning-in-lock or opening-of-door were accomplished with ease. All reproduced perfectly in the record. Timing was the biggest problem. The principals had to choose the proper time to stop between sides, and music cuts had to be dubbed to the split second. Sound from the second turntable has a tendency to come in either too soon or too late. Second recording was a Squanchfoot opus entitled "Stroke", concerning the fate of a time-traveller in the South Seas. Beginning of the Rienzi Overture served as an excellent start, after which Doug Blakely, Sam Russell, Arden Benson and Charles Albertson enacted the four roles. Ordinary sounds such as doors slamming, footsteps in the sand, etc., were little trouble, though there was considerable discission before anyone could think of a way to dub the noise of a time machine. In this case, there had to be a noise. An electric fan was used finally, placing its motor as close as possible to the mike. The effect couldn't have been better. Music was a definite asset. Proper maneuvering of the extra turntable added excellent transitions and occasional backgrounds. Carefully selected bits of Liszt's "Les Preludes", Wagner's "Dance of the Apprentices", and Herbert's "Indian Summer" were used in this case. Entire recording of "Stroke"