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Period: to
History
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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
The first music is put on record: cornetist Jules Levy plays "Yankee Doodle." -
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
Emile Berliner is granted a patent on a flat-disc gramophone, making the production of multiple copies practical. -
Electric motor-driven phonograph
Edison introduces an electric motor-driven phonograph. -
Radio Transmission
Marconi achieves wireless radio transmission from Italy to America. -
Telegraphone
Valdemar Poulsen patents his "Telegraphone," recording magnetically on steel wire. -
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 is founded by Emile Berliner and Eldridge Johnson. -
Experimental optical recordings
Experimental optical recordings are made on motion picture film. -
The first electronic signal amplifier.
Lee DeForest invents the triode vacuum tube, the first electronic signal amplifier. -
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
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
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.
