Recording devices opened up a whole new window to the world of possibilities for sound in films. They enabled films to be pared with sound to create an entire new experience for the audience.
The Phonograph
The Phonograph was the first recording device, invented by Thomas Edison. It was the most common piece of equipment used to play music in the late 1870s.
The device used one needle to record the sounds onto a cylinder with tin foil. A second needle was used to replay the sounds via the phonograph.
The Magnetophone
The Magnetophone was invented by AEG in 1935 in Germany and was used extensively during World War II. It was one of the first recording machines to use magnetic tape in preserving voice and music.
This new recording medium also allowed erasing, re-recording, and copying; with later developments allowing multi-tracking (Law 2021).
This development in recording devices went hand-in-hand with the development of radio in the early 20th Century. These technologies are what have now developed into the devices used to record the films, podcasts and music we see today
References
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Phonograph”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Jul. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/technology/phonograph. Accessed 30 April 2021.
Law, J 2021, ‘Soundscape and Voice’, online lecture, BCM115, University of Wollongong, viewed 14 April 2021
sophiebrowncom.wordpress.com 