Sound Recording

by Morton, David L., Jr.

• ISBN13: 9780801883989
• ISBN10: 0801883989
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-04-20
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr

Summary

How did one of the great inventions of the nineteenth century -- Thomas Edison's phonograph -- eventually lead to one of the most culturally and economically significant technologies of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries? Sound Recording traces the history of the business boom and the cultural revolution that Edison's invention made possible. Recorded sound has pervaded nearly every facet of modern life -- not just popular music, but also mundane office dictation machines, radio and television programs, and even telephone answering machines. Just as styles of music have evolved, so too have the formats through which sound has been captured -- from 78s to LPs, LPs to cassette tapes, tapes to CDs, and on to electronic formats. The quest for better sound has certainly driven technological change, but according to David L. Morton, so have business strategies, patent battles, and a host of other factors.

Author Biography

David L. Morton Jr. is a historian of technology with expertise in the history of sound recording, electronics, and electric power. He is the former research historian for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
Timeline	xi
Birth of Recording	1	(10)
Out of the Laboratory	11	(10)
The Commercial Debut of Sound Recording Devices	21	(10)
The Introduction of Discs	31	(12)
Recording in the Business World	43	(12)
The Heyday of the Phonograph	55	(14)
The Talkies	69	(12)
Records and Radio in the United States	81	(10)
The Crucial 1930s	91	(12)
Recording in World War II	103	(14)
The Postwar Scene	117	(12)
Hi-Fi	129	(12)
Revolution in the Studio	141	(12)
Mobile Sound	153	(14)
Cassette to Compact Disc	167	(8)
Record Companies versus the World	175	(12)
Online Music and the Future of Listening	187	(10)
Glossary	197	(4)
Bibliography	201	(6)
Index	207