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RCA Victor records' quality

I just bought three old records, I guess all the way from the mid and late 1950s. They each sound very harsh and "shrieky". I wonder if it's the way they were meant to sound? The records themselves are in great shape.

 

Should I rely on tone controls or is it how music was produced and published back then? Namely Elvis' first few albums?

grislybutter

Showing 3 responses by lewm

lewm
12,521 posts
 

Mijostyn, if you’re buying LPs in the here and now, and if you like Count Basie, Sarah Vaughn, Joe Williams, and etc, you don’t have to be old to buy LPs on the Roulette label. Thankfully, most of those great jazz artists also recorded on other labels, like RCA.

lewm
12,521 posts
 

Try Roulette or Deutsche Gramaphone, if you want shrill.

lewm
12,521 posts
 

No, it is not "how music was produced back then".  Vintage RCAs can be fine.  Much depends upon the recording studio, and the conditions set by the engineer that day, and who owned those LPs before you, and how they were treated. One can never know.  Also, the master tapes may also have been used to produce 45 rpm singles, which often don't translate well in modern high quality systems.

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