Talk:Sound recording and reproduction

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1 Powering equipment up/down
2 Wasn't the pianola a sound recording device?
3 Alan Blumlein
4 Audio Redirect
5 Added link to The Beatles' influence on music recording
6 Images

[edit] Powering equipment up/down

In order to prevent potential damage to your sound equipment, it is important to turn on/off your connected pieces in the proper order.

Here is a good rule of thumb for turning connected equipment on/off:

+ When turning ON -- Follow signal path*, starting with microphone.

+ When turning OFF -- Trace signal path (backwards), starting with power amplifier (or speakers if you have powered speakers).

The basic principle is you don't want any piece of gear to "hear" another piece turning on/off. Why? For most pieces of audio gear, turning on/off creates a pop at its audio outputs, and this pop typically gets amplified by the next piece of gear downstream in the signal path IF it is ON. An amplified pop can overload and damage the downstream piece's circuitry.

--Tclei 21:34, 1 July 2006 (UTC)

The signal path of a typical sound-reinforcement system may be microphone -> pre-amplifier -> mixer -> power amplifier -> speakers. That of a typical consumer stereo system may be CD player -> receiver -> speakers.

- This information is usefull and correct, but not as relevant to recording as to live sound. Additionally, it seems like a guideline, not information explaining what sound recording and reproduction are. Perhaps there is another place where it is relevant? 48v 10:21, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Wasn't the pianola a sound recording device?

Look at the Pianola article. It states:

"Music rolls for pneumatic player pianos, often known as piano rolls, consist of continuous sheets of paper, about 11 1/4 inches wide and generally no more than 100 feet in length, rolled on to a protective spool, rather like a large cotton reel. The paper is perforated with numerous small holes, which control the pattern of the notes to be played as the roll moves across a tracker-bar. On reproducing rolls, additional holes control the volume level, accents, pedals, etc., to faithfully recreate the original performance."

Sound recording means to record sound waves on a support. But can it also mean to record a performance on a support? Because that was the case with pianolas. The earliest example of a pianola was produced in 1863, which is before Edison's phonograph.

I had a discussion about this recently. The most fundamental question is probably the above mentioned: does recording have to involve sound waves. Because any recording of sound is in some way codified, whether it is a cd, an lp, or a paper pianola roll with punches.

Any thoughts about this? Nickel van Duijvenboden

No, I think the Pianola, or the player Piano as it is known in the United States, does not really achieve the status of being a recording, any more than the doorbell in many homes. Both the Player Piano and the door bell can reproduce exactly the same note on command, but do not rise to the level of "recording" as such, other than in the rare and extreme reproducing Piano's of the 1920's and 30's. I own and love an Apollo Player Piano, but to attribute any roll to a particular artist would be as to know who is ringing the doorbell, when you are in another room. The exception being the aforementioned Reproducing Piano, which offer better sound than is possible from the early electrical, and even more primitive accoustical recordings of the same era. I had heard or read, that there are electrical sound recordings made in the 1930's of George Gershwin, who died in 1937.The same pieces of music, played on a reproducing player piano is in another league!

Much obliged for your interesting response. Especially the doorbell comparison makes it pretty clear. Thanks!

[edit] Alan Blumlein

I think a mention should be made of Alan Blumlein and a link inserted to his page on Wikipedia. His contributions to recording technology are incalculable.

Gareth

[edit] Audio Redirect

I don't think audio should redirect here. This page is very specific. Audio is a very abstract and broad subject. I would vote for the audio disambiguation page or failing that sound. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 59.167.128.106 (talk) 16:32, 19 February 2007 (UTC).