The process of rethinking and redeveloping the Welte recording system
is fascinating for me.  Unfortunately I can't be of any help -- I'm not
an engineer, nor do we have anything in our Welte collection at
Augustiner museum which could enlighten the recording process.

The only interesting rolls which came in the Welte legacy are white
rolls with lines and remarks, most possibly made about 1919 or later,
to convert T-100 rolls into T-98 rolls.  The Welte collection in the
museum came from the private property of Edwin Welte which survived in
his home; he left the company in 1932.  If someone would research the
photo-tone organ developed by Welte the situation would be better.

 [ A prototype of "Die Welte Lichtton-Orgel" (photo-tone organ),
 [ which utilized photoelectric devices, was completed before WW2
 [ but was also destroyed with the factory in 1944.  -- Robbie ]

The buildings of Welte & Soehne were completely destroyed in the air
raid in November 1944.  The surviving items were, as far as I know,
only the rolls evacuated by Karl Bockisch (and later sold to Mr.
Simonton) and those things at Bockisch's house, which were maybe
a few things saved out of the ruins.  All attempts to find surviving
eyewitnesses came too late -- all the people were long dead or knew
nothing substantial.  I'll welcome visitors to Welte's hometown (as
Mike Kukral) but must say that I can't offer any hope for unfound
treasures.

I add a list of Welte patents which came from Edwin Welte into the
museum (surely not complete, and the later patents concern the
photo-tone organ).  Maybe a more thorough search in the US Patent Office
or Deutsches Patentamt will perhaps show patents which will be related
with the recording system.

But even the piano tuner for the Welte-Mignon recording instrument
was brought from neighboring Basel, Switzerland, and during his work on
the recording piano he was under constant surveillance; this was the
only story reported from this man.

I also add some photo images: a music store's announcement of the LP
recordings by Columbia Records, "Great Masters of the Keyboard", and
also a news clipping from the music section of the Los Angeles Times
(09 April 1950).  ["The Sounding Board", by columnist Albert Goldberg,
which reviews the performances of the Columbia LPs.]  If it is wanted
I also can scan those few photos we own which show recording sessions
or similar things.

To research those rolls deposited at the university seems to me a last
chance to find more out about the recording system.

Kind regards from Freiburg

Gerhard Dangel-Reese
Augustinermuseum
D-79098 Freiburg im Breisgau
fon +49-761-201-2528  fax +49-761-201-2597

[ Many thanks, Gerhard.  I placed the images at the new Welte page
[ at the MMD Pictures site: http://mmd.foxtail.com/Pictures/Welte/
[ -- Robbie