I wonder if that Big Ben feed is still there to regional bbc studio's? I do
quite a bit with BBC Devon - their studio's are wonderfully old school. In
Exeter they have a desk with sliders that go "the wrong way" - you pull them
towards you to increase volume - no doubt built when there was no standard on
such things, all wood and analogue meters. I've recorded on it though and it
sounds wonderful.
Totally off topic - and I'm sure you know this David - each BBC regional studio
also has a large red light somewhere high on the wall, in addition to the
"live" light. I asked a while back and was told that it's set off centrally
when a close member of the Royal Family dies so they can switch immediately to
pre-prepared sombre music. The only time I can personally remember this
happening on BBC radio was the day Princes Diana died.
T
--- In "Avocet" <> wrote:
>
> There is another example of the BBC transmitting "silence" and that is
> the two minute silence on Remembrance Day at the Cenotaph after Big
> Ben and the gun at 11 oclock on the 11th of November. Most of London
> is still moving, and they wind up the gain until the city noise is
> interrupted by the second gun and the buglers playing the Last Post.
>
> Within the BBC there used to be a general feed to all studios of the
> Big Ben microphone, either an old "apple and bisuit" or an AXBT
> classic ribbon probably long replaced. The output level was not a
> problem. :-) The hours bell, which is actually the real Big Ben (not
> the clock or tower), is accurate to a second and is still used as a
> broadcast time signal. If sound engineers in control rooms got bored,
> they would turn up the volume of the Big Ben feed and listen to
> London.
>
> David
>
> David Brinicombe
> North Devon, UK
> Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum - Ambrose Bierce
>
"While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie Krause.
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