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This web-page gives a potted history of Brenell: the company and their many domestic and professional models, as well
as that of Soundcraft Magnetics, created by former Brenell staff.
The book, Brenell - True to life performance fully records the history of these two companies and
their influence on the development of the British tape recorder / home studio / studio recording industries.
The site also looks at their competitors, such as Truvox and Thermionic Products
whose histories have also been recorded in A Truvox Product and of those 100+ other British companies
recorded in, A Guide to British tape-recorders.
It is hoped that those who worked for Brenell/S-M, or used them professionally in studios, industry, the MoD or
indeed have specialist knowledge of them and their many competitors, such as TRD, RGD, EMI, Truvox and Collaro etc. will continue
to contribute to this record of a much neglected part of British audio engineering history.
Brenell - True to Life Performance
Barry M Jones
The full, detailed history of both Brenell and Soundcraft Magnetics is told in this well researched book,
written with the help of former Brenell directors, engineers and archive material. It presents more than just a glimpse of
the company and the people. Every known model and many prototypes, are discussed in detail.
There is also a history of the development of the tape recorder since Valdemar Poulsen, as well as analysis
of the British domestic and studio tape recorder industries.
"Anyone involved in the industry will be delighted with this book" - Alex Nicholas: former MD,
Brenell
"Brilliant! The detail uncovered is awesome. I learnt more about Brenell in a few pages than ever I did when
I worked there!" - M.A
Over 200 black and white illustrations. 140 pages plus. A4 Soft back.
£15.00 plus £3.00 p&p UK (Air Mail, please ask).
See last page for address and payment instructions.
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| Brenell - True to life performance |
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| A Guide to British tape-recorders |
A Truvox Product Truvox/Thermionic Products/Racal
tape recorder history - Second
edition
Barry
M Jones
A major competitor to Brenell's domestic models,
this book relates the fascinating history of Daniel Dan Prenn and his Truvox Engineering business which bought Celestion
loudspeakers and then BCC, Airmec, Vectron and Thermionic Products, later merging with
Racal Electronics. Each were specialists in their own field; Truvox with loudspeakers, tape decks and language
laboratories; Thermionic Products with the British made Recordon and Soundmirror
and as pioneers in airfield voice loggers; and Racal for their military electronics. Racal-Thermionic
were world leaders in analogue and digital voice logging and instrumentation recording such as the Store 4, Storehorse, V-Store
etc. Racal also bought the Zonal tape company, whose history is also recorded.
Truvox also made the Wembley cameras
and floor cleaners! But this book is more than an industrial history, it also records the engineering talents of many European
engineers who escaped Nazi and Soviet tyranny. The book also covers the history of the ShipYard site, Hythe and its association
with the British Power Boat Company, Lawrence of Arabia and Imperial Airways!
"(the) book is amazing - a great thrill to read" (D.E ex
Truvox) "A superb job - most
impressed" (P.W ex Racal-Thermionic) "The greatest story never told" (A.B ex-Racal-Thermionic)
Revised and updated Second edition
107 pages A4 paperback, 200+ B&W illustrations: £13.50 + £3.00 p&p UK (See last page for payment details)
"A Guide to British tape-recorders" Second edition Barry M Jones
This illustrated softback is a major work and has been fully revised to
double the size and content. It presents a comprehensive history of magnetic recording from the pioneering work by Valdemar
Poulsen, through pre-war wire recorders and the development of plastic tape by BASF in the 1930s, before concentrating on
the British taperecorder industry and the development of the many British models with histories of the 100+ domestic,
studio and scientific tape deck manufacturers, plus potted histories of the many component and tape manufacturers.
Based on interviews with those who formed, worked in and intimately knew the industry, as well as contemporary records
and company archives, it is also intended as a foundation for others to fully research individual companies of choice,
before it is too late, just as I have done on Brenell, Truvox and Thermionics and Terry Martini
has now done on Wright & Weaire and Ferrograph in his excellent Built like a battleship
- see links page.
The A-Z section covers over 100 British
companies and their models from 1949-1990: ACE,
ACES, Alba, Amplion, Ariel Sound, Astronic, Baird, Bias, Bradmatic, Brenell, Bristol Cine, BAFC, BSR, Bush, Cadey, Casian,
Cape, Chilton, Chitnis, Clarke & Smith, Collaro, Dansette, Dynatron, Editor (TRE), EKCO, Electromechs, Elizabethan,
Elpico, EMI, Epsylon, EWA, Excel, Ferranti, Ferguson, Ferrograph, FiCord, Fidelity, Garrard, Gaumont-British, GBC,
Gramdeck, Hartley, HMV, ITAM, JSR, Kenton, Kurland, Lane, Leevers-Rich, Lorlin, Magnavox, Marconiphone, Minivox, Motek,
MSS, Murphy, Pamphonic, Penny & Giles, Perdio, Planet, Plessey, Portagram, PYE, Qualtape, Racal-Thermionic, RGD,
Reflectograph, Reps, Regentone, Robuk, Scoptronics, SE Labs, Simon, Soundcraft Magnetics, Sound Master, Spectone,
Studio Magnetics, TRD, TRE, Thermionic Products, Thorn Group, Trix, Trusound, Truvox, Ultra, Unitrack, Van der Molen,
Verdik, Veritone, Vortexion, Walter, Winstone, Wright & Weaire, Wayne Kerr, Wyndsor and many, many
others. Plus, related histories
of head and component producers such as: Branch & Appleby, Marriotts, Phi-Magnetronics, Ilford-Zonal etc etc:
Foreword to first
edition by Terry Martini (BVWS): "... a useful and practical guide that no serious collector of
British audio tape recorders or historian can really do without. The history of the British tape recorder in all its glory". "I congratulate you on a terrific job." Peter Lindsley, Director Bias/Leevers-Rich "I
have been a tape recorder enthusiast for 50 years, but I was amazed at what I learnt from these (three) books. Still impressed
with the amount of research you have done; these must be the best of their kind anywhere." George West (ferrograph.info) 200+ A4 pages, 300+ B&W illustrations, softback £21.00 + £3.00 p&p UK (See last page for payment details
Information still wanted:
I am keen to learn more of Boosey & Hawkes and Wirek as well as histories of tape head, microphone
and other accessory companies, so that this subject may be fully recorded before such intimate information is lost forever.
Brenell serial numbers wanted
In
the absence of surviving factory ledgers, I am particularly keen to collate Brenell serial numbers to determine dates
of specification changes and production levels. In common with most industries, serial numbers were designed to
mislead competitors! Early models, including the 'gold with ivory head cover' Mk.5 and the Type 19,
appear not to have serial number stamped on them, but occasionally they survive as paper labels under the head cover
and on the despatch boxes. From the 'gold with black head cover' Papst motor Mk.5 (Srs 1) the number is
stamped under the front edge of the deck plate and from the 'grey' Mk.5 Srs 2 it also appears in the lid on the manufacturer's
label, often with a suffix number which is the pre-amplifier serial number.
ERRATA
+ UPDATES
A free errata and update slip is available for these books on ad hoc basis.
Simply send me an SAE or contact me on bjrustic@aol.com Analogue recording tape
The final
batch of Quantegy analogue recording tape was made in early spring 2007. RMGI (formerly EMTEC) has now begun to offer
the BASF/Agfa range. For suppliers of tape, please see the Links page. Remember,
if you don't support these suppliers, it is unlikely there will ever be furthur production runs of analogue tape. You
have been warned!
(c) Colour photographs and text copyright of Barry
M Jones - May 2003 Major revision + Truvox/T-P pages - February 2008 Last
updated - 26th August 2010
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| Proteus " Diamond" valve-amplifier |
Modern instrumentation taperecording
3rd edition - 1986
We have several copies of this fascinating, technical Engineering Handbook on non-audio Instrumentation
and data recorders. Written by a Senior Thorn-EMI engineer, it also covers the EMI-SE Labs models (both of whose histories
are recorded in the Guide to British tape-recorders book!) 130pp A5 NEW (but old stock) and in good
condition. £5 + £1.50 p&p UK
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