Haddy, Arthur Charles

SUBJECT AREA: Electronics and information technology, Recording

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b. 16 May 1906 Newbury, Berkshire, England

d. December 1989

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English electronics engineer who developed Full Frequency Range Recording for the Decca Record Company and was instrumental in the development of stereo records.

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He developed recording equipment for. the Crystallate Gramophone Company, becoming Chief Recording Engineer at Decca when Crystallate was taken over. Eventually he was made Technical Director of Decca Record Company Ltd, a position he held until 1980. The developments of good cutterheads accelerated due to contract work for the armed services during the Second World War, because an extended frequency range was needed. This necessitated the solution of the problem of surface noise, and the result became known publicly as the ffrr system. The experience gained enabled Haddy to pioneer European Long Play recording. Haddy started development of a practical stereo record system within the Decca group, and for economic reasons he eventually chose a solution developed outside his direct surveillance by Teldec. The foresight of Decca made the company an equal partner in the standards discussions during the late 1950s, when it was decided to use the American 45/45 system, which utilized the two side walls of the groove. The same foresight had led Decca to record their repertoire in stereo from 1954 in order to prepare for any commercialized distribution system. In 1967 Haddy also became responsible for cassette manufacture, which meant organizing the logistics of a tape-duplication plant.

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Principal Honours and Distinctions

OBE 1976.

Bibliography

Haddy's patents are a good description of some of his technical achievements; for example: UK patent no. 770,465 (greater playing time from a record by changing the groove pitch); UK patent no. 807,301 (using feedback to linearize a cutterhead); UK patent no. 810,106 (two-channel by simultaneous vertical and lateral modulation).

Further Reading

G.A.Briggs (ed.), 1961, Audio Biographies, Wharfedale Wireless Works, pp. 157–63. H.E.Roys, "The coming of stereo", Jour. AES 25 (10/11):824–7 (an appreciation of Haddy's role in the standardization of stereo recording).

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