Sound Theory - Part 4 SOUND RECORDING Electrical Era

Sound Theory: Part 4 – Sound Recording the Electrical Era (1925)

Introduction

  • Post-World War I, record companies started facing competition from radio.

  • Early 1920s: Radio gained popularity due to superior sound quality compared to gramophone.

Transition to Electrical Recording

  • Companies began experimenting with microphones in place of traditional horns.

  • HMV had an experimental electric recording system by 1924.

  • Key figures:

    • Joseph Maxfield and Henry Harrison - Engineers at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

    • Developed high-quality public address systems and later focused on audio recording.

Western Electric Recording System (Westrex)

  • Combined microphones, amplifiers, filters, and equalisers to develop an advanced recording system.

  • Goals: Overcome deficiencies of mechanical devices and improve sound quality.

  • Sound captured and amplified electronically with the recording head powered electrically.

  • Mechanical recording process remained (inscribing into wax 'master' disc).

  • Expanded frequency range: 60Hz to 6000Hz, enabling detailed sound captured by audio engineers.

  • Revolutionized recording capability: orchestras recorded with better fidelity and ambiance.

Impact on Competition

  • Allowed gramophone to compete effectively with radio.

  • Example highlighted:

    • Giovanni Martinelli's recording of "Che Gelida Manina" (1926) exemplifying high-quality recordings.

Advancements in Recording Techniques

Electrification of Instruments

  • Development of electronic amplifiers allowed quieter instruments to compete with louder wind instruments.

  • Introduction of overdubbing: Recording multiple parts separately and mixing together, unavailable in live performances.

Record Industry Adjustments

  • Western Electric system: Technically proficient but costly due to required royalties for each record made.

  • Major labels sought to develop their systems, avoiding WE patents while achieving quality recordings.

  • Columbia’s advancement under Herbert Holman and Alan Blumlein led to the Blumlein system:

    • Employed a moving coil cutter head, offering dynamic resolution and eliminating royalty costs.

    • Blumlein later contributed to stereo recording and died during WWII.

Synchronization of Sound and Film

Pre-electrical Era

  • Silent films accompanied by live music from pianists or orchestras.

  • Live performers in Japan provided voiceovers for films.

Development of Soundtracks

  • Early soundtracks utilized Vitaphone process:

    • Synchronized audio recorded on discs mechanically aligned with film projection.

    • Significant disc size and speed adjustments needed to match film duration.

Breakthroughs in Film Sound

  • Warner Bros. released "The Jazz Singer" (1927), first feature-length film with synchronized dialogue.

  • Followed by "The Lights of New York" (1928), the first fully dialogued film.

  • By 1931, the transition to sound-on-film technology, integrating sound into the film medium itself.

  • Used light modulation to inscribe audio onto film, allowing for direct synchronization.

Multi-Tracking and Innovations Post-War

Advancement in Multi-Tracking

  • Sound-on-film led to rapid developments in multi-tracking, allowing complex mixes of various audio sources.

  • Notable example: Creation of the "Tarzan yell" for films starring Johnny Weissmuller (1932).

Improvements in Recording Quality

  • Prior to WWII, 78 rpm discs typically reached 8500Hz, offering good sound quality without hi-fi standards.

  • Post-war developments aimed at recording higher frequencies for government purposes, especially for anti-submarine warfare.

  • Decca's Full Frequency Range Recording (FFRR) system extended recording capacity to 15KHz.