my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Community   » Film-Yak   » US Experts Find Oldest Voice Recording, from 1860 (Page 2)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Author Topic: US Experts Find Oldest Voice Recording, from 1860 John Walsh Film God Posts: 2490 From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way Registered: Oct 1999 posted 03-30-2008 09:49 AM                     I read an article awhile ago that suggested technology might be moving slower than it was 40-50 years ago. Back then, inventors and scientists wanted to freely publish their findings, not for money, but for the 'honor.' This sharing allowed people to build on the work of others. Today, though, companies try to keep things secret to prevent competition.  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 03-30-2008 10:29 AM                     Amazing story! What I found particulary fascinating was this line: "The existence of a tuning-fork calibration trace allows us to compensate for the irregular recording speed of the hand-cranked cylinder. " WoW! Almost like a primitave sync or time-code track! I recall reading a story several years ago where someone had managed to restore the voice of Alexander Graham Bell originally recorded by his "Photophone" system onto a strip of photo sensitized paper. The recording sounded like the one in the story above, only worse. (And remember: if it wasn't for A.G Bell, we'd all be carrying around cellular telegraphs!)  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 03-30-2008 12:21 PM                       Jim, the tuning fork thing blew me away, too. He inadvertently created a pilot tone.  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 03-30-2008 01:25 PM                     quote: Tim Reed He inadvertently created a pilot tone. Ah yes..."pilot-tone" that's the word I was searching for! It's a more accurate description of the tuning fork concept than I wrote in my post. Haven't heard that phrase since my film school days many years ago. FYI> Here's an actual photo (WoW!) of a phonoautograph, from the Institute Of Electrical Engineering archives. As you can see, it's pretty simple. Just a needle attached to a diagphram at the end of a horn. The needle scratches a "waveform" of the sound captured by the horn onto a piece of paper covered with lampblack. (soot) No tubes, no wires, no chips! (and no motor- it was hand cranked)  |  IP: Logged Mark J. Marshall Film God Posts: 3188 From: New Castle, DE, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 03-31-2008 09:13 AM                    That's truly amazing. Thanks for posting that story, Tim.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.