Technological Developments Flashcards
How was the acoustic horn/wax cylinder developed?
Orginial process for capturing sound until 1920s
Developped by Thomas Edison 1877
Changes made to gearing system so more minutes of recording
Key features of acoustic horn/wax cylinder?
Perform in front of large flared horn, funnelled sound waved to small thin diaphragm, stylus attached imprinted sound waves onto rotating wax cylinder
How did the electric guitar develop?
Fender broadcaster first successfully commercial solid body, 1950, Leo Fender
Key features of electric guitar?
Magnetic pickups convert vibration of strings into electrical signals to be output and amplified
How were guitar pickups developed?
1920s guitarist struggling to be heard. Gibson ES150 successful, popular in 1950s when Fenders (guitars) released
Key features of guitar pickups?
Acts as a transducer captures mechanical vibrations of strings converts into electrical signals, then amplified
How were microphones developed?
Invented 1877, Emile Berliner
Neumann made transverse current carbon mic, better sound quality
Condenser, 1916
Dynamic, 1930s
Ribbon, 1940s
Key features of microphones?
Turns sound waves into electrical energy then amplified, transmitted or recorded
How was MIDI developed?
By manufacturers 1980s, allows different digital musical equipment to communicate with each other
Key features of MIDI?
Digital interface
Digital language enables devices to talk to each other.
Midi devised for keyboards and musical instruments
Now effects processors and devices respond and may be programmed using MIDI
How were player pianos developed?
First player piano device 1840s
Pneumatic version 1900s
Obsolete 1930s following wall Street crash
Key features of player pianos?
Self playing piano with rotating role of perforated paper, played pneumatically
How was reverb developed?
Developed by companies in 1930s
Gated reverb discovered by accident 1980s, room mic for speaking picked up drum kit had compression and noisegate applied
Key features of reverb?
Natural series of very short dense reflections that occur in a confined space
Echoes happens so fast it is impossible for the listener to hear
Appears as if the instrument is being played in a real acoustic environment
How was synthesiser developed?
Synthesised sounds 1890s
First voltage controlled 1950s
Moog synthesiser 1960s
Key features of synthesisers?
Electronic musical instrument, processes waveforms generated by oscillator using filters, envelopes and LFOs
