Educational screen & audio-visual guide (c1956-1971])

informed that some of these are still in use! They were rugged. Tape speed: this was academic. There was a choice between 7.5 ips and runaway. And sometimes they did just that spewing tape all over. And then you quietly rewound a thousand feet of tape by hand. Dual track? Unheard of. We could go on with description of the early magnetic recorders, and we must say that they were magnificent developments. Today's machine? You know it well. Rugged and yet lightweight. Speeds? 7.5 ips is still available but now you can range upwards to 15, 30 and even 60 inches per second. Not practical for school purposes, but they are available. Yet, 7.5 is still available but you can range downward too, to 3.7.5 and 1 .875 ips. And these have become practical. Progress Made Improvements in the medium? Of course there are new materials used for tape base, and surely more will come. We have progressed from the old paper tape through a variety of materials to superior quality tape media generally available, and much less expensive. As improvements have happened and been developed, so prices have changed because there has been greater circulation, more intense competition and increased school savings. But this was guessed at 15 years ago! These developments in audio equipment were paralleled in visual equipment in the early days of the motion picture. Does your school still boast of owning a single motion picture projector? Is it a 'carbon-arc' type? Does it use (as well as tear and burn) only 35mm film? Is it a silent machine? If so, then you may well complain about lack of change. But if you are using modern non-flammable color film in an easily threaded 16mm projector in your classroom (sound of course), then please recognize that there have been changes, many changes. And guess with me that there will be more, many more . . . like 8mm sound on film (almost here) and video tape (as close). One which is forecast reliably in the field of sound recording is a new cartridge type of tape, mounted on an automatic changer, using tape less than one-seventh of an inch wide, with dual track for stereo of course, traveling at a tape speed of 1.875 inches per second and satisfying the quality demands of the most critical listeners. Yes, this is forecast for early presentation, and indeed commercial models, it is hoped, may be available for school and home use early in 1961. Such machines, using the cartridges designed for them, will hold up to six hours of continuous sound and all that one need do is press the start button, adjust the volume and tone controls, and that will be it. Talk about push-button teaching! There are changes of a non-technical nature forecast in disc recording, too. Just as Columbia has sought a national distributor for their product, and as Ottenheimer has undertaken a similar arrangement, so we can anticipate that major record companies and minors as well will be nationally represented by school-to-school salesmen representing a variety of printed and audiovisual materials. There is an undercover scramble going forward to line up the better record producers and the finest product for exclusive representation. We will not be surprised if, within weeks or months at the most, we suddenly discover that the man who used to represent films, filmstrips, projectors, record players and tape recorders in a Audio. CARDALOG® Record Reviews on Cards Box 1771— Albany 1, New York D Please enter our 1 year subscription (s) to Audio CARDALOG. 400 cards-10 issues-$25.00 n Please send us full information about Audio CARDALOG. Name Organization or School Address complete (he said) audiovisual cat log will find himself hopelessly ou dated if he does not have a catalog i superior recordings, too. Isn't a major film/filmstrip produ er with exclusive national sales orgar zation quietly talking with several re ord producers in the effort to creai an exclusive distributor/sales set-u for such products? In fact, there bidding afoot as one competes wil the other for this new line to sell. Book firms are involved in this, toi Harcomt, Brace, American Book Con pany, Allyn and Bacon and others ai in the audiovisual manufacture an distribution business more than ank] deep. And tliey, too, will become in portant factors in this market. And a of this bodes well for the schools, fc as the product is bettered, as the con petition becomes keener and as read availability is common rather tha rare, prices will be affected. There are good times ahead! Th is based on relative volatility, not stf bility. It is a volatile product and a explosive market. And we, the coi sumers, stand to profit most from th combination involving distribution an competition. Special Help Weston Woods Studios (Westpor Connecticut) whose superior stor telling records we have reported t you from time to time is now offerin these records in company with appr( priate filmstrips and scripts. They ca be used in a variety of ways, both i direct instruction as well as in info; mal situations. The story-telling appl cations are immediate and obviou But here, too, is a device to help teac reading because the child needin practice or wanting to advance at rate inconsi.stent with that of his clas; mates can look, listen and read li himself. This practice may be frowned upo in some institutions and by som teachers and supervisors, but w lieard of it as being a regular practic in government schools for Indian chi dren in some parts of the south. W' investigated, found it to be true (i fact, they want more materials) anlearned that this was the happy soli tion to the problems indicated— ba.i ically the difference of learning spec and of drive. City and State 4 SPEED RECORD & TRANSCRIPTION PLAYERS IVrtt^ for tltnstratra catalog AUDIO-MASTER 1 7 E. 45th St., New Ybrk' 500 Educational Screen and Audiovisual Guide — September, 196'