The first stereo recordings in Australia.

[Allan Black]

In 1956 the Rola Company in Melbourne Aust. produced 'stereo' recording gear because they'd contracted Ron R. Beck Recording P/L in Sydney, to record stereo programs for a stereo tape library for their new 7.5ips stereo tape players, which Rola was intending to market to the public.

Despite designing a lot of audio equipmant Rola had never made any stereo gear before, and their mixer was unusual. There was 10 left and 10 right cannon mic inputs on the back of it, with 10 left and 10 right faders feeding 10 left and 10 right outputs direct, and no stereo panners.

Chief engineer Lowell Thomas and I went Sydney recording material. We used the 2 pictured Altec mics, with me positioning the left mic, then the right mic with Lowell listening on stereo headphones to approve the 'stereo' sound balance. Then we changed jobs and I listened to agree, or not.

The more we did the better we got. One great stereo result was at the Museum underground electric train station with the trains arriving and their loud electric horns reverberating around the tiled walls, then the trains departing. It was very impressive.

We recorded music, short pieces by a string sextet, then the Sydney Symphony Orchestra playing a two minute piece. We didn't have a stereo tape dubber, so I carefully cut a 20 minute master tape with our best stereo samples because Rola had booked the first floor auditorium at a big city dept. store, to present it to invited public audiences with the big Rola speakers, pictured.

They booked radio ads, mono of course, advertising their store demonstration, 9-5 weekdays and 10-12 weekends and they had a rep. in attendance to take any orders. But stereo sound and stereo recordings were to far in advance of 'popular stereo' for the public, and Rolas stereo tape library and their tape players never went ahead.

While Rola did go ahead with 2 track stereo 2 speed tape recorders, pictured, I wonder where their mixer is today. Click to enlarge photos …