Richardson's handbook of projection (1930)

MANAGERS AND PROJECTIONISTS 1199 WESTERN ELECTRIC NON SYNCHRONOUS EQUIPMENT. — This equipment is supplied with the object of furnishing a musical accompaniment to silent pictures, and can also be used to supply music in the theatre at other times, as, for example, during intervals between presentations. If music is to be reproduced in a theatre, a certain volume will be required, regardless of what may be the source of the reproduction. That is to say, just as much volume will be required if reproduction is being obtained from a commercial phonograph record as if the reproduction were from a synchronized record or a photographic sound record on a film. This means that, generally speaking, the horn and amplifier equipment for non-synchronous reproduction must be quite similar to what would be used in the same house for synchronized reproduction, and because of this, Western Electric non-synchronous equipments are supplied in the same range of sizes as the synchronous equipments, and are in fact similar to the latter in all respects, except that the non-synchronous turntable takes the place of the disc or film reproducing equipment on the projector. In a large proportion of houses, of course, there are facilities for both synchronous and non-synchronous reproduction, and in this case the same amplifiers and horns are used for all purposes, so that it is merely a matter of throwing a switch to determine whether the input to the amplifiers is derived from the non-synchronous turntable or the reproducing equipment on the projector. In view of the foregoing it will be seen that the only part of a Western Electric non-synchronous equipment