How important is it to be first? My wife and I recently returned from a trip to the East Coast and England (old England, the first one, not "New England"). While on the East Coast, we decided to stop off at the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in West Orange which houses Edison's laboratory complex where he developed numerous inventions including his filament light bulb … [Read more...]
From Wax to Bits: Dynamics of the Film Sound Medium
As dynamics month comes to a close, I thought it would be fun to talk about the evolution of film sound mediums and how they impact dynamics. Since the widespread introduction of sync sound to films in the early 20th century, the technologies involved have changed quite dramatically. From experiments with wax cylinders and phonographs to magnetic tape and Dolby Digital, each … [Read more...]
Can You Hear Me Now? Sound Technology of the 19th Century
Scientific American has a super-cool article detailing audio technology from days long past. Speaking tubes, phonographs and and even a more recent "tree turn-table" are discussed. Incoming blurb: In the early 18oos, Jean-Baptiste Bio had experimented with how sound travels through long tubes, using the water pipes of Paris, and found that the confines of the piping served to … [Read more...]