Recording Osho's discourses on audio and video

 This page is under construction.  --Sugit (talk) 16:27, 28 April 2020 (UTC)

to do

Check OshoNews on audio and video (nothing found, asked ON)
Determine definitive name of this page. Just thinking out loud:

Audio and Video

Audio and Video Recording and Editing

Recording Osho's discourses

Introduction

All in all, at least 2,485 of Osho's Hindi discourses have been recorded. And at least 3,079 English discourses have been recorded. (Maybe 16 more could be found).

This page describes the recording of those discourses and interviews, and the various conversions and editing-processes that have occurred. This has resulted in several editions of the audio and video recordings existing next to each other.

This is based on accounts given by Sw Jalal, the main audio technician from 1979 to 1995, in E-mails from 28 June 2019 to 28 April 2020.

It also describes what is known about changes to the content of the audio. Up until about 2003 audio quality was being ameliorated, but content seems to have remained largely unchanged. Well, that is apart from occasional cuts made on the orders of Ma Anand Sheela, including one "lost" tape.

But from the audio edition of about 2003, systematic changes to the content are being made.

Recording

Pre 1974, Lecturing to mass-audiences throughout India; Bombay: Recording was done by various people around India (including Laheru, see his Blessed Moments with Osho).; Recording tape was on cassette and small tape reels (1/4 inch, mainly at 1⅞ ips).

1974-79 Poona 1: Recording was done by Ashvagosha and Pratik; There were occasional video recordings done by outside people. Most footage from this time was film footage.

1979-81 Poona 1 continued: Recording of audio was done by Hasibo and Jalal; Recording of video was done by Mutribo, Harp, Premraj; Recording was done on 10inch reels, 1/2 inch tape (Ampex 456, BASF) at 7.5ips on a Nagra IS [1] with a backup cassette on a Nakamichi 550.; Video was recorded on U-Matic recorders. Early tapes had a maximum recorded time of 20 minutes.

1981-85 Ranch: xxx I changed 1983 to 1981 to include video recordings of Kip's Castle, celebrations etc. Correct?); Recording of audio was done by Premartha, Arpito Hans and others; Recording of video was done by Mutribo, Harp and others; From 1983 to 1986 audio was recorded on PCM coded VHS cassette (first digital recording). There was also reel to reel recording that was used for the cassette masters.; From 1983 to 1986 video was recorded on U-matic tapes.

1986 World Tour: Recording of audio and video was done by Niskriya and others

1987-90 Poona 2: Recording of audio was done by Jalal; Recording of video was done by Niskriya, Bikkhu; From 1986 to 1990 recording was on Betamax for both video and audio (digital) (xxx check)

Throughout the period 1974-94 there were full notes kept of what was done by whom. The archive project information was kept on computer and I have that, but all before that was written in notebooks. I know the notebooks survived for a while (they traveled to the Ranch and back to Pune 2 I think) but then I lost track of them. Probably mouldering somewhere in a basement.

Conversions

Jalal: There have been various copying and archiving setups over the years.
Poona 1: 1/2 inch tape was copied on to a cassette master from a TEAC reel machine to a Nakamichi cassette deck. I think two cassette masters were made, one for production, one for storage/backup.; 90 minute discourses fitted on one C90 cassette, otherwise "third sides" were put on to a second C90 cassette.; These were then duplicated on Telex tape duplicators for sale in the shop and for sending out to centers abroad.

Ranch: Discourses recorded on reel to reel (as per Pune 1), cassette back up and PCM digital audio on VHS tapes. Reel to reels mastered down to cassettes and duplicated for sale and centers.

World Tour: Not known, video on U-Matic, audio probably taken from there.

Poona 2: All audio recording done on Super Beta and Betamax video tapes with digital audio. Audio was pulled off to make cassette tapes for sale and for centers.

Remastering/archiving

Jalal: It's quite a bit more complex than the source information and I'm not sure where to start. Plus there are gaps in my knowledge (and my memory) so I need to get in touch with other people.

Let me give a couple examples of the journey a recording may take through time.

A Pune 1 recording made in 1980 or so. This would have been recorded on Ampex tape and mastered down on to cassettes. The original Ampex was then transported over to the Ranch in 1981 where it was stored in Zarathustra. After the Ranch, it was transported over to Zurich where it went in to a storage facility there. At some point (end of the 80's) it went through the first reprocessing with Hasibo in Zurich. This had some urgency due to some technical problems with the tape, see below (*1) and (*2). After the baking process and replay on the tape machine, the original master tape was basically unusable (in many cases) and went back into storage. The remastered VHS also went into back in to storage.
In Pune 2, the main recording was done on the video tapes (although backup live cassettes were also made) on Betamax. This allowed for an analog track and four digital audio tracks. Two master tapes were recorded live, one was used for remastering the discourse to cassette for sale and distribution to the centers. I'm not sure, but I think one master was sent off to Cologne. The other stayed in Pune.

The Audio Video remastering project was started in 1993 in London at a studio called Diva Ltd. This had a staff of about 8-9 people and a whole bunch of equipment. All tapes were gathered in FTS Storage in London. In Diva we remastered the audio and video tapes to digital format (D2 tape format). Sound processing was done by the latest technology, the CEDAR system [2]. The audio tapes were remastered on to DAT format with one track storing the original sound, the other track with the cleaned up sound.

As well as the remastering of all the tapes, we also created copies to be sent to the Archive purchasers (*3)

After Diva Ltd went insolvent, the remastering and archiving passed to Masterzone Ltd (London) until completion.

Concurrent with this, there were also tape duplication happening in Cologne, in Osho UTA.

The next I came across the remastering process was in 2007 when I was in Pune and was invited to come and share my expertise with the Audio remastering project that was happening in Mirdad. :They had the DAT tapes archive (from London) and were 'cleaning them up' (*4). We also had meetings and discussed converting them all to MP3 and/or FLAC format for long term storage and possibly for sale. I'm not sure how that progressed as I've had no contact since then.

notes: (*1) Technical problems with Ampex tapes. The Ampex tapes had been manufactured with a binder that started to disintegrate after a decade or so, and also became sticky. This meant that the recordings from the late 80's needed to be treated. This involved 'baking' in an oven to dry out the tape enough that it could be passed through a tape machine and recorded on to PCM encoded VHS tapes (or DAT???) at the same time as trying to run them through a signal processor. This was before computer based DSP, so was analog noise reduction. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sticky-shed_syndrome

(*2) In general, magnetic tapes on a spool suffer from print-through, where one layer of tape will effect the next layer. This is why so many discourses from that time have a strange delay (or precog) of up to a second or so. In a professional studio all tapes will be rewound every year or so to make sure that this didn't happen, or at least to mitigate the effect. This wasn't done.

(*3) At the time of remastering, the Archive purchasers were in: London, Berlin, Pune, Cologne, Sweden, Columbia, USA (LA), Korea, Japan, Switzerland.

However, I think this may have changed before final shipping.

(*4) Note about improving sound quality. When working on an audio recording it's normal to do A/B comparison to check that the voice is not degraded too much. It is possible to take out so much noise that the voice will sound alien. So, take out just the right amount of noise to improve the recording but without effecting the quality of the voice. To do this we would A/B switch between source and output to find the right balance.

The problem is, in 10 years time, someone repeats this with the processed audio, this time B/C, to get a cleaner recording, but with further voice quality distortion and, in some cases, this is repeated (C/D) again a decade later. So the final result is a sound that would not be acceptable if you compared it to the original, but as that never happens, it is considered OK.

Editor: By the way, the original tapes would sometimes be stored in a careless way. Sugit was working in the commune in the late 80s to wipe rat's piss and shit from hundreds of Hindi master tapes.

Editor: this is an older description. xxx Should be weaved into the main text. And corrected. I think the dates are wrong.

During the years 1990 - 1994 a project was undertaken to re-master the audio: enhance the quality, and copy to DAT, so that a durable archive would be established. This was done in London, UK. Parallel to this, in Köln, Germany, new copies were made on Cr-audio cassettes, as masters for reproduction. (I have no information if this also happened with the Hindi audio.) The cleaning of the audio removed noise, but in the process also some of the environmental sounds (birds, trains) and some of the "closeness" of Osho's voice got lost. (As of 2016, the old tapes, made in the 70s and 80s, quite often still have better audio quality than the remastered, and later digitized tapes.)

Sw Anand Sugit:

In Amsterdam, Netherlands, I was crowd-funding a set of "master-tapes" from the London remaster. This started in 1990, and for some 15 years I was copying those tapes that were then sold by Osho Publikaties. The foundation was called "Osho Master Tapes".

We received our master tapes from Cologne. They came in batches: batch #1 on 1990-10-30 and the last batch #18 on 1994-08-27.

Editions

How to identify and name the different editions?

#	When	Edition name	Location of the originals	By
1	throughout	Original master tape (Reel, Digital PCM, Betamax audio track)	New York (probably)	?
2	throughout	Distribution tape (*1) (Pune 1 & Ranch: cassette; Pune 2: S-VHS audio track)	Everywhere	?
3	1993-96 (*2)	London Remaster (*3) (first digital)	11 remastered archives around the world	Loki, Jalal, Michel, many others
4	ca.2003-10	Resort 2003 Remaster (*4) (digital)	Pune resort	?

notes: (*1) Distribution tape: we could call it First Generation tape or master cassette. After a discourse, the Master tape was taken up to the studio and checked, copied down to a master cassette which was duplicated for sale. Sometimes there were more than one master cassette.

(*2) xxx check the start-year with OMT data

(*3) The London Remaster-edition can be recognized by it's intro, always spoken by Amrito. It does not have any extra music.

"Osho, <Series-title>, <Series-subtitle>, given at <venue> <place> <country>, discourse number <number>"

(*4) The Resort 2003 Remaster-edition can be recognized by it's copyright statement at the end "1953 to 2003". The intro and outro have soothing elevator muzak around it. The intro is spoken by Amrito, or for Hindi audios a Hindi speaker:

"An Osho talk, <series-title>, <series-subtitle>, number <number>"

Content editing

Jalal: As far as I recall, there was no editing of the audio in Pune 1. Many people would only buy the main cassette of a discourse (and not the third) so would miss the end of the discourse....

During the Ranch, the discourses were occasionally edited, mainly for legal reasons. The PCM digital audio on VHS could not be edited, so when in doubt, these were definitive. And there is of course the infamous "missing tape" from Dec 19 1984, which was destroyed.

In Poona 2, as far as I am aware, none of the original Betamax video tapes were edited. Sometimes Osho requested that we change something in the recording but this was rarely possible and is somewhat obvious when it was attempted. After the Fatwa against Salman Rushdie was announced (14th Feb 1989), Osho made some comments on the matter that was removed from the sales copies (but not the master tapes).

All of the above cover the original source recording of the audio (and duplication for sales). This all happened before 1990 (of course) and most of the archiving has been since.

Instructions for content editing after 1990 came from Sw Prem Amrito, and possibly from Klaus Steeg (Sw Anand Pramod).

Editor: we have listened to many Resort 2003 Remaster-audios now. This is what we hear:

The word "Bhagwan" (as a salutation by the questioner) has been systematically cut out. This occurs not just at the beginning of the discourse, but also with later questions in the middle of discourses. (What we have seen so far is that when there is a specific discussion about "Bhagwan", then that has been retained. Of course, not all has been checked.)
The names of sannyasins, i.e. the questioner who is referenced by Osho (often in an exceptionally loving way), have been systematically cut out.
Sometimes questions on the original recording were inaudible. In the early days, e.g. the questioner would not have a separate microphone. These questions have been voiced over.
But in several instances the questions put before Osho were perfectly audible, but they have been cut out and have been dubbed in an altered form by Amrito or Maneesha. Apparently this is done to reduce verbiage and excise all devotional elements. The table below shows examples.
In Hindi audios we have seen a peculiar edit, namely excising of silence. For example in the series Sadhana-Sutra (साधना-सूत्र) and Samadhi Ke Sapt Dwar (समाधि के सप्त द्वार), in 17 discourses each, we see that in the Resort 2003 Remaster many small parts have been cut out, so the audio is between 14 seconds and 5 minutes shorter compared to the London Remaster.
Accidental transcription errors could also occur. Transcribers would have a cassette deck with footswitch to listen to the recording as they typed and pause it as they went. Sometimes a distraction would mean that they missed a chunk of talking and rewound to the wrong place, hence missing some words.

We are researching if more editing has taken place. If you, dear reader, know of other edits, please let us know, with the name of the audio and the time where it occurs.

Examples of edits / cuts in audio

The table below compares the content of the original recording with the Resort 2003 Remaster.

Here, questions that were being read by Maneesha were perfectly audible, but nonetheless have been cut out and replaced by dubbed questions.

This list is by no means complete, it was just a check of one series, Beyond Enlightenment.

Original recording, question read by Maneesha	Resort 2003 Remaster : question dubbed by Maneesha
Beyond Enlightenment #13, q.1
Maneesha: Beloved Bhagwan, When I close my eyes, I feel such an enormous presence, such a vast isness, such a beatitude. But it is a fullness, not an emptiness. Could you please say something about the difference between this fullness, and the emptiness or nothingness which you are speaking of? Osho: Maitri, the fullness that you are experiencing …	Maneesha: . When I close my eyes, I feel an enormous presence, a fullness. Could you please say something about the difference between this fullness and the emptiness or nothingness which you are speaking of? . Osho: - - - the fullness that you are experiencing …
Beyond Enlightenment #13, q.2
Maneesha: Beloved Bhagwan, As you were talking about Indian and Western sannyasins, I felt what you were saying is true -- sometimes the Indians are too much of the heart. It is hard to say no to them, yet you cannot say yes to their expectations and theories. They are deaf. Will you please explain why this is so?	Maneesha: . When you were talking about Indian and Western sannyasins, I felt what you were saying was true -- sometimes the Indians are too much of the heart. It is hard to say no to them, yet you cannot say yes to their expectations and theories. Why is this?
Beyond Enlightenment #14, q.1
Maneesha: Beloved Bhagwan, You heard my prayer and called me to you on the 8th of August. As I entered your room, i experienced you as a large ocean, an emptiness that I have never experienced before. I saw your beautiful being, and I was immersed in that emptiness and beauty. I felt that the ocean's emptiness was flowing into me from you. After that day, new songs and melodies are coming from that emptiness of yours, and I don't know anything. Beloved Bhagwan, please explain how this can happen so easily in the master's presence. Is it so simple? It doesn't feel possible for me to exist in this life without having had that meeting -- is that so? :I feel that such a feeling might not have otherwise happened to me for many lives. Please explain the meeting of the master and the disciple. Osho: Ashok Bharti, the most obvious in life seems to be the most difficult; ...	Maneesha: . When I met you, I experienced you as a large ocean, an emptiness, that I had never experienced before. After that day, new songs and melodies are coming from that emptiness of yours, and I don't know anything. Please explain the meeting of the master and the disciple. Osho: - - - the most obvious in life seems to be the most difficult; …
Beyond Enlightenment #14, q.2
Maneesha: Beloved Bhagwan, I wonder whether as your disciple I can be utterly selfish, to find my way to enlightenment whatever I am doing. Or do I have to fulfill a certain function for you to spread your vision?	Maneesha: . As your disciple, can I be utterly selfish? Or do I have to fulfill a certain function for you, to spread your vision?
Beyond Enlightenment #14, q.3
Maneesha: Beloved Bhagwan, These days here with you are certainly the most beautiful. Doing nothing, so much time to sit silently in the garden, in my room, and watch the trees dancing in the wind, sparkling in the sun... So much beauty. My mind is finally getting used to the idea of being turned off. I am so peaceful, so happy. Now, today, again going inside on this path of silence, with thoughts drifting away and emptiness surrounding me, I am aware of a tension inside me as if i am holding on to something. My beloved master, what am I holding on to, and how do I let go?	Maneesha: . Being here, I have been so peaceful, so happy. But today, when going inside on this path of silence, I was aware of a tension inside me. What am I holding on to, and how do I let go?
Beyond Enlightenment #14, q.4
Maneesha: Beloved Bhagwan, I seem to be so unconscious so much of the time, so very unaware and just simply involved in life and loving living it. When you speak about the totality and intensity of the search, and how nothing else really matters, and how important it is to let nothing become a distraction, I fear I will never manage it. In my heart I feel nothing else does matter, yet I am not living in this awareness all the time and in every situation. Would it be good for me to try to bring this awareness to each and every moment, even if it requires intense effort? If you feel this is good for me, I will try it even though i am afraid I may lose some of the fun and spontaneity and ease of just living, and even though I don't know if I can manage it.	Maneesha: . Should I try to be aware all the time, even if it means losing some of the ease of just living?
Beyond Enlightenment #19, q.1
Maneesha: Beloved Bhagwan, I am a two-year-old child in sannyas at the age of sixty! I consider myself blessed to have come into the fold of your grace. Was this destined to be so? Then why was it so late in life? Can the child in me become mature in what remains of my life? How? Kindly help. Osho Anand Yeshwant, the question you have asked has many implications. …	Maneesha: . I am a two-year-old child in sannyas at the age of sixty. How can the child in me become mature, in what remains of my life? Osho: - - - the question you have asked has many implications. …

see also: Editing of sources; Of Coincidence and Guardian Angels Interview with Sw Shunyam Niskriya, World-Tour and Poona2 cameraman, in OshoNews 2020-01-13 in English. Originally in German in the German Osho Times International, 2019-12.

Osho Source Book:

section 2.8 First Printed Booklets: subsection Audio, Radio, Photo and Video

section 3.6 Discourses and Publications: subsection Audio

section 4.11 Audio-Visual Media. Photos, especially Jalal on recording technicalities (1991)

section 5.9 Audio-Visual Media. Photos

section 6.10 Publishing and Editing: subsection Audio-Visual Media

section 7.8 Photos, Audio, Video and Digital Media: subsection Audio (not yet on line)

Sources: chapters 6. Audio. Cd and 9. Video. Dvd. TV (not yet on line)