[78-L] The Fading Sounds of Analog Technology

[J. E. Knox]

Greetings from FixitLand!

The eminent and honorable David Lennick wrote:

> Here are a few more lost sounds, from the radio-tv list where this  
> thread first
> turned up:
>
> <snip>
>
> the static noise of a TV tuned off-channel

You'll hear that at our house every time we forget to turn the TV off  
BEFORE turning off the DTV converter.

> the sounds of other AM/FM stations heard between dialing from one  
> to another

You'll hear some of that here, too.

> teletype machine / newsroom noises

A sound effect we use on "The Captain Reject Show" all the time. I  
remember hearing that sound on network news...and, for a short time,  
up-close and personal with an AP TTY. (Somewhere, I may still have  
the tear-off reporting Ronald Reagan's "bombing begins in five  
minutes" remark.)

> typewriter key clacks and return carriage dings

Yep...every Wednesday morning when I'm typing file cards for yet more  
records. My li'l ol' portable manual typewriter has grooves worn in  
the keys from 42 years of pounding.

> ..to which I added having the radio dial "off the  
> station"..sometimes you'd do
> this on purpose, to favour the treble.

Unless you have the misfortune of listening to a station using IBOC  
(in-band, on-channel) digital audio, in which case all you get is a  
harsh hiss. Feh.

Take care,


Joe
--
"If cats are 'pets' and people are 'masters' why am I the one  
standing here with a Pooper Scooper?"--Karl Knox (1960-2005)