CEMCPD 004 Quiz

• Sound is created by the movement of air particles that generate pressure waves or sound waves
• When a sound is produced, air particles rush out and hit adjacent particles, creating a pressure wave that travels through the air
• The pressure wave eventually reaches the ear, where it causes the ear drum to vibrate and sends signals to the brain, allowing us to perceive the sound
• Sound waves consist of alternating compressions (high pressure zones) and rarefactions (low pressure zones) that are graphed over time
• Different sounds, like a popping balloon, running water, or music, are created by the movement of air particles caused by various sources
• The shape of the waveform of a sound depends on how the air particles are moved and the duration of the sound
• Combining waveforms from different instruments creates a unique sound, and our brain can distinguish individual instruments in simple combinations
• To record and play back sounds, devices like vinyl records convert pressure waveforms into grooves that can be followed by a needle to reproduce the original sound
• Understanding sound waves involves concepts like pressure, frequency, amplitude, loudness, intensity, and the movement of air particles
• Sound can be defined as the sensation produced by stimulation of the organs of hearing by vibrations transmitted through the air or other medium
• The Acoustic Era, spanning from 1877 to 1925, refers to a period in the history of advanced sound production characterized by the use of mechanical devices for recording and reproducing sound.
• The two main devices of this era were the phonograph and the gramophone invented by Emile Berliner in 1887.
• Acoustic Era laid the foundation for later advancements in sound technology, leading to the development of electronic recording and broadcasting systems in the subsequent years.
• The first recording made by Thomas Edison was "Mary Had a Little Lamb" song (December 6, 1877).
• 1877 - Thomas Edison invents the phonograph, marking the beginning of the Acoustic Era.
• 1887 -  Emile Berliner invents the gramophone, which uses a flat disc rather than a cylinder for recording and playback
• 1898 - Valdemar Poulsen patents the telegraphone, an early magnetic recording device
• 1906 - Lee De Forest invents the Audion vacuum tube, which allows for electronic amplification of sound
• 1915 - The first commercially successful electronic recording system, the Western Electric system, is introduced
• 1920 - The first radio broadcast of music and voice takes place, revolutionizing the way sound is transmitted and received
• 1923 - Electrical recording becomes the standard in the music industry, replacing the older acoustic recording methods
• 1925 - The first commercial electrical recordings are released, featuring improved sound quality and fidelity
• During the silent film era, movies were often accompanied by a phonograph recording
• 1902 - Georges Méliès releases "A Trip to the Moon," one of the earliest science fiction films and a landmark in cinematic history
• 1903 - The Great Train Robbery, directed by Edwin S. Porter, is one of the earliest narrative films and pioneers techniques such as cross-cutting and parallel editing
• 1915 - D.W. Griffith releases "The Birth of a Nation," a controversial film that advances cinematic storytelling techniques but also perpetuates racist stereotypes
• 1915 to 1918 - World War I impacts the film industry, with many European filmmakers relocating to the United States, leading to Hollywood's rise as a dominant film production center
• 1920 - German expressionist films such as "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" and "Nosferatu" showcase innovative visual styles and storytelling techniques
• 1923 - Walt Disney creates his first animation studio, setting the stage for the future of animation in film
• 1925 - The release of "The Gold Rush" by Charlie Chaplin marks a significant achievement in silent film comedy
• 1926 - The transition to sound begins with the release of "Don Juan" featuring synchronized music and sound effects, signaling the end of the Silent Film Era
• The Electronic Era, known as the 'second wave' of sound recording, began around 1925 with the integration of electrical microphones, amplifiers, and recorders
• Sound recording processes evolved to capture, amplify, filter, and balance sound electronically, while the recording itself remained primarily mechanical
• Electronic amplifiers enabled quieter instruments like the guitar and string bass to compete with louder instruments, leading to experimentation with new electronic musical instruments
• Sound on Film emerged in May 1927 with Fox's production of Movietone News, shown before feature films in theaters, and "Don Juan" in 1926 was the first film with music on an amplified soundtrack
• Georg Neumann manufactured the first commercially available condenser microphone in 1928, utilizing vacuum tube technology invented in 1906 and employed as amplifiers since 1912
• "King Kong" (1933) released by RKO revolutionized film sound with Murray Spivak's creative sound design, using a slowed-down lion's roar mixed with other sounds
• Leopold Stokowski's involvement in Bell Telephone Lab's "Auditory Perspective" experiments on stereophonic sound in 1933 led to the Philadelphia Orchestra's transmission over three telephone lines, showcasing early stereophonic technology
• Alan Blumlein invented the first stereo variable area soundtrack in 1935, after experimenting with stereo sound recording at EMI Central Research Laboratories
• BASF demonstrated magnetic tape publicly in 1935, with its potential not fully recognized in the USA until Ampex Corporation and Bing Crosby popularized it after World War II