THE WORLD RECORD CONTROLLER

In 1922, Billing invented a recording process using Constant Linear Velocity (CLV). Instead of the usual 78rpm rotation, which allowed for 3-4 minutes of sound from a 10-12-inch record, his records could last 17 minutes on a 12-inch record – with claims of an 18-inch disc playing for an hour.

However, a controller device was needed to alter the speed of the revolving table. To design and build this, Billing needed money. According to the trade paper ‘THE Phono RECORD’ April 1923, (pic below), World Record Ltd borrowed £10,000, already owing £5,000.

This device was granted a full patent on October 3rd 1923. Basically, the controller – made by Garrard – slows the turntable rotation at the start of the record and speeds up as it travels to the centre. This ingenious device did work, but was clunky and difficult to set correctly. It could also be noisy and prone to failure.

The ‘masters’ would have been a nightmare to produce for the recording engineers. Although the military band music that Billing chose to release was questionable, he still managed to sell the idea to Vocalion, which produced a whole line of these now very rare CLV records.

After failing to sell the idea in America, Billing emigrated to Australia, perhaps to escape his creditors. He founded World Record (Australia) Pty. Ltd. in Melbourne, which by late 1924 was producing records from masters Billings had acquired from the Emerson Phonograph Company.

The first recording made by World Record (Australia) was released in July 1925, and featured Bert Ralton’s Havana Band. They went on to produce records by touring American dance orchestras and by several local musicians, including the Big Four Vocal Quartet, Fred Moore, and Dudley Glass.

Billing then set up a radio studio called 3PB (after himself), which only played his records. The businesses all failed and by January 1926, Noel Pemberton Billing returned to England.

In 1929 he wrote a play called ‘High Treason’ which was made into a now historically famous film. It initially was to be, a silent film, but sound was added soon after shooting started.

Billing was also responsible for ‘Duophone unbreakable records’ and in 1936 designed the miniature ‘LeCoultre Compass’ camera. In 1948, he devised the ‘Phantom’ camera to be used by spies. It never entered production, but its rarity led one to sell in 2001 for £120,000 – a record price for any camera.

* All Edison style cylinder phonograph records were recorded at CLV; the same amount of sound was recorded on each rotation – possibly one reason why Edison stuck with cylinders until 1929. *

* There are rumours of CLV records being produced in Korea as well as by the Nitto Company in Osaka.*

• Here is a link to the BFI website which holds a “curious silent film offering a glimpse inside the mind, and the country home, of a notorious politician and inventor”
• Noel Pemberton Billing and the Cult of the Clitoris
• Here is a link to a World Record Discography on the excellent Michael Thomas' website
• Another list of Vocalion Long Playing Records. Scroll down to the W20 Series
• World Record Controller Pamphlet on the Graphonogram site, scroll down to #30
• BLOG-the early record industry in Australia – part 2
• YouTube Videos #1 #2 and #3 of the World Record Controller in action

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Notes on restoring the World Record Controller:

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• 100+ years on, both rubber wheels will have petrified and perished. I tried several grades of rubber but ended up using the softest I could find.
• For the small wheel that rides on the edge of the turntable, I used a 34mm diameter rubber which I sandwiched between some large washers. As we all know, windup motor turntables rarely turn totally true so even a small wobble will have the small wheel skipping, rubbing or missing the turntable all together. So I would emphasise, the rubber needs to be very soft to compensate for any wobble.
• The larger wheel had to be dug out and again I replaced it with an ultra-soft rubber. This wheel runs on top of the record and acts as a friction-turning rubber wheel which slows down the turntable at the start of the record and speeds it up at the end.
• Looking closely at the old rubbers reveals a lot of flat areas where the rubber skidded leaving flat friction wear. The new rubber is so soft that if I leave the wheel sitting on the record, it flattens out.
• The mechanism itself is a wonderful bit of engineering built by Garrard, to last.
• The Controller played 4 speeds at the turn of a dial, ABC and D. The records were marked to match.
• I haven’t come across any of the Australian World Record releases yet. If anyone out there has any to share, please contact me: