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The Art Of Sound Recording Media Essay

Paper Type: Free Essay Subject: Media
Wordcount: 1656 words Published: 1st Jan 2015

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Since its infancy during the nineteenth century, the art of sound recording has been profoundly affected in countless ways by inventors, scientists, and sound engineers. From the invention of the phonograph to the computers of today, they have all made contributions to the foundation of sound recording. Going forward, technologists in today’s computer age are becoming more and more creative. There has even been proof that some researchers have had a hand in altering the course of history. With that in mind, the following questions need to be addressed:

How was the recording of sound discovered?

What technologies were implemented to improve the science?

How has today’s digital age affected sound recording?

Was history really altered?

Is there any debate?

How was the recording of sound discovered?

According to history, the first sound was recorded mechanically by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville (de Martinville) in 1857 on a machine called the phonautograph (and). His device would record sound by using a vibrating membrane that was attached to a pen (stylus) which drew a line in correspondence to sound waves onto a smoked paper roll attached to a rotating drum (and). The sounds were generated by vibrating diaphragm and a series of levers that moved the diaphragm from side to side (and). Even though de Martinville was able to duplicate sound, his machine was not able to play it back right after it was recorded (and). He made his machine this way because his intensions were to only visualize the sound (Rosen, 2008).

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Technically, Thomas Edison was the one who actually discovered sound recording. Invented in 1877, Edison’s phonograph was an improvement of the phonautograph. (is, 2006). Edison’s hand cranked machine used tinfoil for a medium instead of paper. According to history, Edison recited part of the nursery rhyme “Mary had a little lamb” into the mouthpiece of the phonograph (is, 2006). The machine then played the message back to him. He could play back sound with the use of a pair of diaphragm and needle combinations which made and tracked the grooves on the tinfoil (is, 2006). In 1888, Edison perfected his invention and began using solid-wax cylinders for recording (is, 2006). By the early 1900s, the method of using molded cylinders was generally accepted by the public, and people began using the phonograph to record music. (is, 2006). An entirely new market of music recording had been opened up due to Edison’s phonograph (is, 2006). Edison was a very shrewd inventor for his time, and his technologies were the springboard for today’s recording industry.

What technologies were implemented to improve the science?

When the concept of the phonograph faded away, people began to record sound electronically. Microphones and loudspeakers were introduced, and devices such as the “mixing desk” were designed to amplify and modify sound signals (recording S. ). When sound input was generated, a more advanced form of a phonograph would electronically “cut” into the recording medium, which was a shellac or vinyl disk (and).

In the 1940s magnetic tapes (3M Corporation) and recorders (Brush Development Company) were developed (recording S. ). This invention revolutionized the music recording industry. This medium allowed users to edit out their mistakes. An artist could not reuse a shellac or vinyl disk. Once an error was made, the procedure had to be started again. It also opened up the possibility to record and re-record sound many times on the same tape, and it introduced tape-to-tape dubbing with only a slight loss of quality (recording S. ). Bing Crosby used this procedure to produce his National Broadcasting Company (NBC) radio show in the late 1940s (and). He was impressed by the sound quality, and he used the tapes to pre-record his show (and). Once this idea caught on and multi-track recording was idealized, magnetic tapes became a popular way to commercially record music (and). Tapes were the medium used until the compact disc (CD) was introduced to the consumer market in the 1980s. The digital age was born, and the CD would change the way music was made, marketed, and mass produced.

How has today’s digital age affected sound recording?

In the years prior to the digital era, sound and music were recorded using the analog method. This means recording is accomplished with electrical signals from sound waves and variances in air pressure (recording A. ). But in the twenty-first century, most music recording studios have accepted computers into their recording routines through the use of digital recording. This is true because it would allow a studio to make more precise recordings from their samples. Basically, digital recording is the process of converting the original sound into a sequence of binary numbers, which are stored on a hard disk and encoded for music production (recording A. ). These numbers (samples) are acquired through sound signals and measured a steady, periodic rate (recording A. ). According to Charles Parker, a Broadcast Communications Engineer at The Texas Troubadour Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee, there still some “hybrid” recording studios still left in operation who utilize both analog and digital technology (Parker, 2010). This is done to maintain recording accuracy and it allows the music to keep its “personality” (Parker, 2010). A digital recording can be so precise it might remove the warmth and depth of analog (Parker, 2010). At his job, Parker produces sound for the “Midnite Jamboree”, a live weekly show that features country music performers. He uses a Mackie D8B digital mixer to produce the sound output. This machine offers personal computer (PC) compatibility, 48 channels for mixing (24 inputs, 24 outputs), internal multi-effects processors, and a variety of ports where digital connectivity can take place (Casey, 2000). Parker and his colleagues interface the mixer with music peripherals to create a masterful sound performance. They also utilize a PC to make backups and create digital archives of the shows with Adobe Audition (sound editing) software. The Jamboree is on the radio (WSM-AM Radio 650) every Saturday night. For anyone who enjoys country music, the Texas Troubadour Theatre offers a different type of setting. Its appearance gives the impression that a person is going to watch a movie, a play, or even attend church. Attendance at one of these shows is definitely a one-of-a-kind experience.

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In reference to today’s technology, Parker states, “In most cases, the major studios (RCA, Columbia, Arista) have gone away from analog boards and processors all together. The advent of digital mix consoles and onboard processing in those consoles not only makes it easy to master (what is made for copying) from one location, and in the field it lessens the amount of equipment needed to put on a full show” (Parker, 2010). “The problem is that if the person engineering can’t make up for the natural forgiving tendencies of analog, digital can came off really stark, harsh, and without feeling” (Parker, 2010). For these reasons, Parker frequently adds analog effects to his recording sessions, and he uses the digital-tape-digital format. He records his original sample, and then re-records it in analog (adding whatever he wants like an amplifier). He then digitizes that sample again through a converter to make his finished product. This keeps the integrity of the sound without losing any of the quality. Parker recommends that both formats be utilized for today’s recordings (Parker, 2010). This combination along with strong engineering skills should yield a solid sound production.

Was history really altered?

Until recently, Thomas Edison has been seen to be the one responsible for the initial form of sound recording. In 2008, a group of American audio historians, led by David Giovannoni, traveled to a Paris, France archive museum that held the work from the phonautograph (Rosen, 2008). What they found was amazing. The paper samples that de Martinville created in 1860 were in mint condition. Mr. Giovannoni and his team created high-resolution digital images of those samples (Rosen, 2008). At a lab in Berkley, California, scientists used optical imaging and a computer generated stylus to extract sounds from the patterns of the digital scans, and the results were a ten second rendition of the French tune “Au Clair de la Lune” (Rosen, 2008). This song snippet was created by de Martinville many years before Edison invented the phonograph. These researchers and scientists have uncovered the earliest recording of sound, and their discovery has forever changed history.

Is there any debate?

With all of the recent developments, there are questions that are now there. Should de Martinville be accredited for his work? Should there be a footnote added to history? These questions remain unanswered, and researchers now have proof that de Martinville was a part of the discovery of sound recording.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the digital age has without a doubt changed the face of sound recording. In the good old days, sound was difficult to manipulate. Today, computers are doing everything from digital editing to multi-track recording. Computers have allowed users to produce music by interfacing with high-powered hardware and using detailed software. Through this technology, researchers have even discovered a way to change the course of history. Computers have forever upgraded the science of sound recording. The future is infinite, and the possibilities are endless.

 

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