It's hard to believe that only 20 years ago people we're still carrying around Cassette and CD players. Which makes it almost impossible to believe that there was actually a time when music was just there for us to download, or even listen to. The way we gather and listen to the music we love has progressed so far over the last hundred years that's it makes one wonder just how further it will go. Music consumes so much of our lives, but maybe we take it for granted. Hundreds of years ago people couldn't just go and download their artist's new song, they would have to go and listen to them play live. How we hear and get our music is an always expanding aspect of society.
The Phonautograph:
The phonautograph was the first device that made it possible to record sound. Invented in 1877 by Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville, it was able to record sound, but not play the audio back. It wasn't until 1877 that a man named Charles Cros came up with an idea to play back the audio recorded from the phonautograph, similar to the way music is recorded onto a record. However before Cros could create his invention, Thomas Edison introduced the phonograph, a device that could both record and reproduce sound.
One of the first ever recordings of sound. Recorded on the phonautograp (which is the picture in the video), playback was achievable in 2008 using modern computer technology.
The Phonograph:
Invented by Thomas Edison in 1877, the phonograph revolutionized the way sound was recorded. Being able to both record and playback sound, the invention made Edison an international celebrity. The device worked by speaking into the device as a small needle etched the sound into a rotating cylinder made of tinfoil. The playback was achieved by the needle again going across the etched path which made a vibration, reproducing the sound waves. The phonograph was improved in 1870 by Alexander Graham Bell and his associates by replacing the tinfoil cylinder with wax coated cardboard cylinders.
A demonstartion of how the Edison Cylinder Phonograph works.
The Gramophone:
A variation of Edison's phonograph, the gramophone became the most used device for music and sound for almost all of the 20th century. Patented by Emile Be
rliner in 1887, it differed from Edison's phonograph because it recorded laterally instead of rotating on a flat disc instead of a large cylinder. Although the disks were not necessarily better at delivering audio, the were much easier to produce, store, and label. Because of this, the mass production of gramophone record players and records began in 1892. Gramophone records became the dominant device for listening to audio, and gave way into the records seen today like the 78 rpm and the 45 rpm. The record palyer as it is commonly known is still around today, even after being beaten out by the cassette tape and compact disc.
rliner in 1887, it differed from Edison's phonograph because it recorded laterally instead of rotating on a flat disc instead of a large cylinder. Although the disks were not necessarily better at delivering audio, the were much easier to produce, store, and label. Because of this, the mass production of gramophone record players and records began in 1892. Gramophone records became the dominant device for listening to audio, and gave way into the records seen today like the 78 rpm and the 45 rpm. The record palyer as it is commonly known is still around today, even after being beaten out by the cassette tape and compact disc.Records and record players have recently seen an increase of sales. Now electronic, they can be hooked up to a computer and many other things. Many audophiles argue that the audio quality of a record is better then the standard quality of music sold on CDs and purchased on the internet.
Magnetic Tape Recording:
Magnetic Tape Recording:
The magnetic tape recording revolutionized sound recording. The idea began as early as 1877 and first saw invention in the late 1920's. Ludwig Blattner Picture Corporation modified a wire
recording device (similar to the tape recorder, but used thin wire) and used thin steel tape instead of wire. The Germans further developed the technology into the first practical tape recorders. The recorders work by turning sound into passing magnetic currents between a recording head and a passing by magnetic medium which is magnetized according to the head. The playback then picks up these magnetic changes on the medium and converts them into sound. The main advantage of magnetic tape recording was the high-fidelity (quality) of the sou
nd that was produced. It was unlike nothing that had ever been heard before, which made it immensely popular. Sound could also be erased and rerecorded over again and again. The recording process was much simpler than with records and could be easily duplicated from tape to tape. The size was much smaller and was less fragile than a record. Cassette decks became the primary source of getting music for people from the 1970s to mid-1990s. Cassette's greatly influenced the bootlegging music (music which is not publicly released by the performer). The small size of recording devices and ease of tape to tape sound transfers aloud anyone to record and create copies of it with ease.
recording device (similar to the tape recorder, but used thin wire) and used thin steel tape instead of wire. The Germans further developed the technology into the first practical tape recorders. The recorders work by turning sound into passing magnetic currents between a recording head and a passing by magnetic medium which is magnetized according to the head. The playback then picks up these magnetic changes on the medium and converts them into sound. The main advantage of magnetic tape recording was the high-fidelity (quality) of the sou
nd that was produced. It was unlike nothing that had ever been heard before, which made it immensely popular. Sound could also be erased and rerecorded over again and again. The recording process was much simpler than with records and could be easily duplicated from tape to tape. The size was much smaller and was less fragile than a record. Cassette decks became the primary source of getting music for people from the 1970s to mid-1990s. Cassette's greatly influenced the bootlegging music (music which is not publicly released by the performer). The small size of recording devices and ease of tape to tape sound transfers aloud anyone to record and create copies of it with ease.Compact Disk:
The compact disc is the first music recording and playback device which stored the audio as digital data. Created by Sony, the disc is read by an optically by a laser. Rather than made for 
the use of recording, it's primary use was for the playback of music, and later on the storage of other digital data. The optical disk soon became a major market for video games as well, with the Sony Playstation using them to play games. The CD allowed users to have it interact with other new technology. A CD's contents could be copied to other CDs and onto a home computer. CDs began to grow in popularity in the mid 80's and still continue strong today. Most music stores began carrying only CDs and still do. The compact disc laid the ground work for the digital music revolution that was soon to follow.
Digital Music:
Digital music has completely changed the music industry. Almost anything can be dont with the clock of a mouse now. The process of creating analog audio into digital is by converting a sound into a string of binary code which is read by a computer and placed on hard drive or storage device. Digit
al music could be compressed into extremely small amounts of data to be able to hold as much as possible, but this results in a loss of quality to the sound. The most common format of digital audio in MP3, which has the highest compression rate and is used as the consumer standard for digital music. However many people dislike MP3 files, stating that there is a loss of quality. Other less common digital audio formats such as FLAC and Ogg have much better quality tha MP3s, but also require a m uch larger amount of data. Digital Audio player, a device that could store MP3 and other common audio formats in large amounts became increasingly popular in the mid-2000s. The introduction of P2P file sharing websites on the internet caused a great hole in the music and recording industry. P2P file sharing sites allowed users to upload and allow others to download it in unlimited quantities for free. Known and "pirating" it became an increasingly large problem and is still continuing today.
Now it's time for me wot weigh in. Just what do I think about all this razz matazz? Well shut up and I'll tell you. Music has most definitely come a long way from its origins, and I can confidently say I don't know what I'd if I couldn't carry my music around with me. Music is always with us now, but that isn't necessarily a good thing. Technology has allowed us to listen to music all the time now, no matter where we are or what we're doing. However I do think that this kind of disconnects us from the music itself. Hardly anyone anymore just sits down and listens to a record. We're not excited to go get that new album at the store, because we can just download it for free off the internet. Before the introduction of digital music and CDs and tapes, music was something that you either had to sit down and listen to or not. It's become more of company to other tasks rather than a task itself. But at the same time more people can experience it, more people than ever are listening to music because of how much easier it is to access. We can gather music from anywhere in the world now, there is so much of it out there on the internet just waiting for someone to find it. People from all over the globe can share their music with each other thanks to digital audio. I think that although with the advances in music there have come some disadvantages, true fans of music will always cherish it for more than just something to listen to while you're walking the dog.
"That's what music is: entertainment. The more you put yourself into it, the more of you comes out in it." - Kurt Cobain
I know I know, I didn't talk about radio or stereo, but I'm just too lazy. I justify it by saying that I am only speaking about the access of recording and playing music from a personal in-you-room kind of way. So yeah, sue me.
the use of recording, it's primary use was for the playback of music, and later on the storage of other digital data. The optical disk soon became a major market for video games as well, with the Sony Playstation using them to play games. The CD allowed users to have it interact with other new technology. A CD's contents could be copied to other CDs and onto a home computer. CDs began to grow in popularity in the mid 80's and still continue strong today. Most music stores began carrying only CDs and still do. The compact disc laid the ground work for the digital music revolution that was soon to follow.Digital Music:
Digital music has completely changed the music industry. Almost anything can be dont with the clock of a mouse now. The process of creating analog audio into digital is by converting a sound into a string of binary code which is read by a computer and placed on hard drive or storage device. Digit
al music could be compressed into extremely small amounts of data to be able to hold as much as possible, but this results in a loss of quality to the sound. The most common format of digital audio in MP3, which has the highest compression rate and is used as the consumer standard for digital music. However many people dislike MP3 files, stating that there is a loss of quality. Other less common digital audio formats such as FLAC and Ogg have much better quality tha MP3s, but also require a m uch larger amount of data. Digital Audio player, a device that could store MP3 and other common audio formats in large amounts became increasingly popular in the mid-2000s. The introduction of P2P file sharing websites on the internet caused a great hole in the music and recording industry. P2P file sharing sites allowed users to upload and allow others to download it in unlimited quantities for free. Known and "pirating" it became an increasingly large problem and is still continuing today.Now it's time for me wot weigh in. Just what do I think about all this razz matazz? Well shut up and I'll tell you. Music has most definitely come a long way from its origins, and I can confidently say I don't know what I'd if I couldn't carry my music around with me. Music is always with us now, but that isn't necessarily a good thing. Technology has allowed us to listen to music all the time now, no matter where we are or what we're doing. However I do think that this kind of disconnects us from the music itself. Hardly anyone anymore just sits down and listens to a record. We're not excited to go get that new album at the store, because we can just download it for free off the internet. Before the introduction of digital music and CDs and tapes, music was something that you either had to sit down and listen to or not. It's become more of company to other tasks rather than a task itself. But at the same time more people can experience it, more people than ever are listening to music because of how much easier it is to access. We can gather music from anywhere in the world now, there is so much of it out there on the internet just waiting for someone to find it. People from all over the globe can share their music with each other thanks to digital audio. I think that although with the advances in music there have come some disadvantages, true fans of music will always cherish it for more than just something to listen to while you're walking the dog.
"That's what music is: entertainment. The more you put yourself into it, the more of you comes out in it." - Kurt Cobain
I know I know, I didn't talk about radio or stereo, but I'm just too lazy. I justify it by saying that I am only speaking about the access of recording and playing music from a personal in-you-room kind of way. So yeah, sue me.
