Shot 14 / 5:57–6:03Select a shot, or shift-click to select multipleSelect a shot, or double-tap to select multiple

Living Stereo

19587 min 42 sec17 shots

RCA Victor marketing manager Bob Bangs introduces the company’s “Living Stereo” records and two-speaker Victrolas, demonstrating how the left and right parts of an orchestra are heard through separate speakers. Diagrams compare ordinary single-track recording with stereo, explaining how two channels are encoded on opposite walls of one V-shaped record groove. A special pickup uses one stylus attached to two ceramic bars to turn the movement from each groove wall into separate electrical signals and sound.

Product displays show several cabinet and portable models, while the film says they can play both monaural and stereo records at multiple speeds. Bangs also describes components that could convert compatible RCA Victor high-fidelity players to stereo and promotes the equipment as affordable for average families. During a passage from Ferde Grofé’s “Grand Canyon Suite,” an animated journey follows the diamond stylus through a canyon-like groove before the film closes by promoting RCA Victor’s stereo product line.

Provenance and rights

Original producer: Handy (Jam) Organization
Collection: Prelinger Archives
Original title: Living Stereo
Date: 1958
Original link: Open on Internet Archive
Rights: public_domain