March 28, 2019 at 12:47A Brief History of Unusual Music Formats
The history of recording formats is not limited to vinyl records, compact cassettes, CDs and streaming audio . Today we will talk about other interesting carriers. Photo Andshel / CC
The principles of magnetic sound recording were first discovered by an American engineer Oberlin Smith. Smith could not develop a prototype of a sound recording device, so in 1888 he shared a find with the scientific community. The first successful application of his ideas was the telegraph - a device for recording sound on steel wire, developed by the Danish Waldemar Poulsen ten years later.
After a successful demonstration of the device at the World Exhibition in 1900, Poulsen launched the production of the device - they suggested using the telegraph as an answering machine. However, the European market reacted coldly to this, and in the United States, telephone companies banned the use of the telegraph for its intended purpose.
In the 1910s, Poulsen's business went bankrupt - the device could not stand the competition with affordable phonographs. They forgot about the telegraph for several decades.
Unexpected popularity came to him in the 1940s. During the Second World War, the medium was ideal for creating audio recordings in the field - the wire withstood temperature extremes and was resistant to mechanical stress.
After the war, wire recorders gained popularity among the civilian population. They were used by composers and musicians . People without a professional interest in audio recorded radio broadcasts, performances by artists and the voices of loved ones.
Like many other recording devices, reel tape recorders began to conquer the audio market from the professional segment. The mass popularity of reels began in the 1950s and lasted 20 years - with the advent of cassettes, interest in technology subsided. Ease of use turned out to be more important for consumers than sound quality.
But, unlike wire recorders, reel tape recorders have remained popular in professional circles. Those who can afford this expensive format continue to use it, and the rest emulate “film” sound.
Recent releases recorded, mixed, and mastered on bobbins include the work of Steve Albini and John Frusciante .
A photoWolle5810 / CC BY-SA
The format is also popular among music lovers, as it is close to the sound of studio master tapes. But the assortment of bobbins on sale is extremely small . New ones are made to order, butthey cost a fortune.
Already at the beginning of the 20th century, music began to spread on records, and over time they became the leading mechanical audio format. But there were alternative devices for mechanically recording and reproducing sound.
A portable version of the device was used to record sound effects in movies. For example, during the filming of the films of Dzigi Vertov and Abram Rome, the sounds of workshops and city streets were recorded with his help. Shorinofona attracted the attention of radio professionals. They recorded concerts and performances for subsequent retransmission. The mass chorinophone did not manage to become: its mass production began in 1940 and stopped a year later, with the outbreak of war. After the end of World War II, the attention of the public switched to tape recorders.
Tephiphons appeared on the market in the late 1940s. However, they were unable to overshadow the popularity of the records. The first reason was the lack of recordings by popular artists: major labels did not publish music on cartridges. The owners of tefifonov had to be content with the recordings of little-known musicians.
The second reason is the locality of the phenomenon. Until 1963, tefiphons were sold only in Germany. When the devices entered the American market, it was too late - just a year later, popular 8-Track cassettes appeared on sale .
But tephiphone was not the last mechanical audio carrier. Flexible records appeared in the 1950s(flexi disc). Then the market was dominated by shellac plates - heavy (on average 300 grams) and fragile, like glass. New plates weighed 60 times less and were resistant to mechanical stress. Moreover, their cost was significantly lower. Because of these advantages, flexible records began to spread as supplements to magazines and newspapers. In this capacity, the carrier was popular until the 1980s.
Photo by Swtpc6800 / PD
For example, in 1979, flexible records of whale songs added to the release of National Geographic, which drew attention to the issue of poaching. The medium was also used to store software: in the 1970s, games and programs for the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 were sent to it.
In the 1990s, interest in flexible discs almost disappeared, and in 2000 their release ceased . However, the vinyl boom of recent years has resurrected the format. Floppy singles have been released by artists such as Jack White and Tame Impala .
One of the "youngest" mechanical formats is 8ban , introduced in 2004. Under this name, Bandai sold compact battery-powered turntables designed to play miniature records of its own production. On a single-sided carrier made of hard plastic, four minutes of mono-channel audio was placed. Outside the Japanese market, the product was not advertised, and its target audience was anime lovers.
8ban records were produced all year, but managed to attract the attention of The White Stripes. In 2005, the Americans released a box set with seven 8ban singles - popular songs from yesteryear and an exclusive new track.
Additional reading - posts from our “World of Hi-Fi” and Telegram channel:
Trautonium: the German wave in the history of synthesizers.
Vinyl has returned and it is different.
Eight audio technologies that will fall into the TECnology Hall of Fame in 2019
What you need to know before you start career in the audio industry
How to turn your PC into a radio Jonny Trunk published a book about the flexi-disc Björk has released nine studio albums on cassette
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Magnetic sound recording: telegraph and magnetic tape
The principles of magnetic sound recording were first discovered by an American engineer Oberlin Smith. Smith could not develop a prototype of a sound recording device, so in 1888 he shared a find with the scientific community. The first successful application of his ideas was the telegraph - a device for recording sound on steel wire, developed by the Danish Waldemar Poulsen ten years later.
After a successful demonstration of the device at the World Exhibition in 1900, Poulsen launched the production of the device - they suggested using the telegraph as an answering machine. However, the European market reacted coldly to this, and in the United States, telephone companies banned the use of the telegraph for its intended purpose.
In the 1910s, Poulsen's business went bankrupt - the device could not stand the competition with affordable phonographs. They forgot about the telegraph for several decades.
Unexpected popularity came to him in the 1940s. During the Second World War, the medium was ideal for creating audio recordings in the field - the wire withstood temperature extremes and was resistant to mechanical stress.
After the war, wire recorders gained popularity among the civilian population. They were used by composers and musicians . People without a professional interest in audio recorded radio broadcasts, performances by artists and the voices of loved ones.
By the early 1950s, technology had gone out of mass use. She had important drawbacks: when listening to the wire, it often broke, and the recording quality was inferior to reel tape recorders , which by that time had become much cheaper.
Like many other recording devices, reel tape recorders began to conquer the audio market from the professional segment. The mass popularity of reels began in the 1950s and lasted 20 years - with the advent of cassettes, interest in technology subsided. Ease of use turned out to be more important for consumers than sound quality.
But, unlike wire recorders, reel tape recorders have remained popular in professional circles. Those who can afford this expensive format continue to use it, and the rest emulate “film” sound.
Recent releases recorded, mixed, and mastered on bobbins include the work of Steve Albini and John Frusciante .
A photoWolle5810 / CC BY-SA
The format is also popular among music lovers, as it is close to the sound of studio master tapes. But the assortment of bobbins on sale is extremely small . New ones are made to order, butthey cost a fortune.
Mechanical sound recording
Already at the beginning of the 20th century, music began to spread on records, and over time they became the leading mechanical audio format. But there were alternative devices for mechanically recording and reproducing sound.
One of them is the shorinophone , created by the Soviet inventor Alexander Shorin in 1929. A soundtrack was applied to the 35 mm film strip with a cutter. Replacing the cutter with a needle, the result could be heard.
A portable version of the device was used to record sound effects in movies. For example, during the filming of the films of Dzigi Vertov and Abram Rome, the sounds of workshops and city streets were recorded with his help. Shorinofona attracted the attention of radio professionals. They recorded concerts and performances for subsequent retransmission. The mass chorinophone did not manage to become: its mass production began in 1940 and stopped a year later, with the outbreak of war. After the end of World War II, the attention of the public switched to tape recorders.
In the mid-1930s, German engineer Karl Daniel created another portable device for mechanical sound recording - tephiphone . The carrier in tefifon was cartridges with a polyvinyl chloride tape, on which sound tracks were cut. Like the shorinophone, the device recorded and played audio.
Tephiphons appeared on the market in the late 1940s. However, they were unable to overshadow the popularity of the records. The first reason was the lack of recordings by popular artists: major labels did not publish music on cartridges. The owners of tefifonov had to be content with the recordings of little-known musicians.
The second reason is the locality of the phenomenon. Until 1963, tefiphons were sold only in Germany. When the devices entered the American market, it was too late - just a year later, popular 8-Track cassettes appeared on sale .
But tephiphone was not the last mechanical audio carrier. Flexible records appeared in the 1950s(flexi disc). Then the market was dominated by shellac plates - heavy (on average 300 grams) and fragile, like glass. New plates weighed 60 times less and were resistant to mechanical stress. Moreover, their cost was significantly lower. Because of these advantages, flexible records began to spread as supplements to magazines and newspapers. In this capacity, the carrier was popular until the 1980s.
Photo by Swtpc6800 / PD
For example, in 1979, flexible records of whale songs added to the release of National Geographic, which drew attention to the issue of poaching. The medium was also used to store software: in the 1970s, games and programs for the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 were sent to it.
In the 1990s, interest in flexible discs almost disappeared, and in 2000 their release ceased . However, the vinyl boom of recent years has resurrected the format. Floppy singles have been released by artists such as Jack White and Tame Impala .
One of the "youngest" mechanical formats is 8ban , introduced in 2004. Under this name, Bandai sold compact battery-powered turntables designed to play miniature records of its own production. On a single-sided carrier made of hard plastic, four minutes of mono-channel audio was placed. Outside the Japanese market, the product was not advertised, and its target audience was anime lovers.
8ban records were produced all year, but managed to attract the attention of The White Stripes. In 2005, the Americans released a box set with seven 8ban singles - popular songs from yesteryear and an exclusive new track.
Additional reading - posts from our “World of Hi-Fi” and Telegram channel:
Trautonium: the German wave in the history of synthesizers. Vinyl has returned and it is different. Eight audio technologies that will fall into the TECnology Hall of Fame in 2019 What you need to know before you start career in the audio industry How to turn your PC into a radio Jonny Trunk published a book about the flexi-disc Björk has released nine studio albums on cassette