In the early days of recorded sound, no one can quite figure out the purpose of gramophones. Are they serious bits of kit for replicating music or are they toys? Should gramophone discs play music or comedy or something else entirely? One man trying to work out this conundrum is an American actor called RussellContinue reading “Episode 3 of our podcast is published today – recording nineteenth comedy, pornographic and propaganda records”
Category Archives: engineers
Recording pioneers- Part 8, William Conrad Gaisberg
“We realised how many different degrees of smells there are in the world” -William Gaisberg’s observation of Hyderabad, India Name: William Conrad Gaisberg Born: 26th June 1877 Resident: Born in Washington DC, USA Occupation: Recording engineer, managing director & head of London Recording Department Loves: Travelling, opera, pushing the boundaries of music and his brother (Fred) In 1894, Fred GaisbergContinue reading “Recording pioneers- Part 8, William Conrad Gaisberg”
50th Anniversary of the Moog Modular Synthesizer
October 12, 2014 marks the 50 Year anniversary of the unveiling of the Moog modular synthesizer at the Audio Engineering Society’s (AES) New York convention. On that day in 1964, Dr. Robert Moog introduced the world to a completely new type of instrument that would go on to change the course of music history andContinue reading “50th Anniversary of the Moog Modular Synthesizer”
Mystery Object # 3 Answer
Full points to Rob, Andy and Russell who deftly identified last weeks Mystery Object of the Week as an early Tin Foil Phonograph. Object: Modified Tin Foil Phonograph Maker Archibald H.Irvine, 1877 This is a rare hand-driven modified Edison tin foil phonograph on a heavy mahogany base with mahogany trunnions and speaker/reproducer mounts (one withContinue reading “Mystery Object # 3 Answer”
Friday Mystery Object # 2 Answer
Congratulations to Russell Medcraft who not only knew the correct answer but supplied the Hound with a fascinating piece of information on lasts week’s Mystery Object of the Week! For Hound followers who may have missed Russell’s original answer read below: “Alfred Clark was the first EMI Chairman. He had worked with Eldridge Johnson onContinue reading “Friday Mystery Object # 2 Answer”
Gaisberg’s Travels #2
“8-8-1898” The young Fred Gaisberg arrived in Liverpool and made his way to London to set up his studio. Despite the long journey and unfamiliar country Gaisberg was in high spirits and recalls “Arriving in London at the tail end of a strawberry glut of which I took the fullest advantage.” – Fred Gaisberg BeforeContinue reading “Gaisberg’s Travels #2”
Recording Pioneers- Part 1
Emile Berliner 1851 – 1921 “The key to victory is never-ending application” -Emile Berliner Name: Emile Berliner Born: 20 May 1851 Resident: Born in Hanover in Germany, immigrated to the United States as a young man of only 19 in 1870 Occupation: Recording sound mastermind Loves: His wife and family, inventing, campaigning for better health standardsContinue reading “Recording Pioneers- Part 1”
Gaisberg’s Travels
On the 23rd of July 1898 Fred Gaisberg, at the age of 25 set sail on the 9 a.m. SS Umbria Cunard ship from New York to Liverpool. He was sent by the inventor of the Gramophone, Emile Berliner to London as one of the first sound engineers to set up a recording studio inContinue reading “Gaisberg’s Travels”
Happy American Independence day!
In the early days of the Gramophone Company the British founders worked closely with their American counterparts. A lot of the initial success can be attributed to one of the first sound and recording engineers – American Born Fred Gaisberg. He began working on the newly invented gramophone in the late 19th century and wasContinue reading “Happy American Independence day!”
Neville Thiele (4 December 1920 – 1 October 2012)
On October 1st Australian audio industry icon (Dr Albert) Neville Thiele, OAM, passed away aged 91. Neville was one of the most influential figures in audio, and is best known for his role in the development of the ‘Thiele-Small parameters’. As a consequence, virtually every loudspeaker in the world has a specification sheet with theseContinue reading “Neville Thiele (4 December 1920 – 1 October 2012)”
Sound Of The Hound 