Sound effects

History of Sound

  • Period: to

    History

  • Recording of Mary's Little Lamb

    Recording of Mary's Little Lamb
    Thomas Alva Edison, working in his lab, succeeds in recovering Mary's Little Lamb from a strip of tinfoil wrapped around a spinning cylinder.
    He demonstrates his invention in the offices of Scientific American, and the phonograph is born.
  • First Record

    First Record
    The first music is put on record: cornetist Jules Levy plays "Yankee Doodle."
  • Microphones

    Microphones
    Clement Ader, using carbon microphones and armature headphones, accidentally produces a stereo effect when listeners outside the hall monitor adjacent telephone lines linked to stage mikes at the Paris Opera.
  • Flat-Disc Gramophone

    Flat-Disc Gramophone
    Emile Berliner is granted a patent on a flat-disc gramophone, making the production of multiple copies practical.
  • Electric motor-driven phonograph

    Electric motor-driven phonograph
    Edison introduces an electric motor-driven phonograph.
  • Radio Transmission

    Radio Transmission
    Marconi achieves wireless radio transmission from Italy to America.
  • Telegraphone

    Telegraphone
    Valdemar Poulsen patents his "Telegraphone," recording magnetically on steel wire.
  • Boston's Symphony Hall

    Boston's Symphony Hall
    Boston's Symphony Hall opens with the benefit of Wallace Clement Sabine's acoustical advice.
  • The Victor Talking Machine Company

    The Victor Talking Machine Company
    The Victor Talking Machine Company is founded by Emile Berliner and Eldridge Johnson.
  • Experimental optical recordings

    Experimental optical recordings
    Experimental optical recordings are made on motion picture film.
  • The first electronic signal amplifier.

    The first electronic signal amplifier.
    Lee DeForest invents the triode vacuum tube, the first electronic signal amplifier.
  • Regenerative circuit

    Regenerative circuit
    Major Edwin F. Armstrong is issued a patent for a regenerative circuit, making radio reception practical.
  • Recording

    Edison does live-versus-recorded demonstrations in Carnegie Hall, NYC.
  • RCA

    RCA
    The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) is founded.
  • Loud Speaker

    Benjamin B. Bauer of Shure Bros. engineers a single microphone element to produce a cardioid pickup pattern, called the Unidyne, Model 55. This later becomes the basis for the well known SM57 and SM58 microphones.
    Under the direction of Dr. Harry Olson, Leslie J. Anderson designs the 44B ribbon bidirectional microphone and the 77B ribbon unidirectional for RCA.
    RCA develops the first column loudspeaker array.
  • FM

    Commercial FM broadcasting begins in the U.S.
  • Audio Engineering Society

    The Audio Engineering Society (AES) is formed in New York City.
    The microgroove 33-1/3 rpm long-play vinyl record (LP) is introduced by Columbia Records.
    Scotch types 111 and 112 acetate-base tapes are introduced.
    Magnecord introduces its PT-6, the first tape recorder in portable cases.
  • CD Player

    CD Player
    Sony introduces the PCM-F1, intended for the consumer market, the first 14- and 16-bit digital adaptor for VCRs. It is eagerly snapped up by professionals, sparking the digital revolution in recording equipment.
    Sony releases the first CD player, the Model CDP-101.
  • Multitrack console

    Yamaha unveils the ProMix 01, the first "affordable" digital multitrack console.
  • DVD

    Audio DVD Standard 1.0 agreed upon by manufacturers.