[78-L] The Fading Sounds of Analog Technology

[DAVID BURNHAM]

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

dl

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I certainly remember doing that and it was quite effective.  The trick was 
finding the point with the best high frequency response but without distortion.

In my area of Toronto, I find that most Shell stations still have free air.

I always found that the sound of an expert typist, typing at high speed on a 
manual typewriter, made sounds which were almost as exciting as a virtuosic 
performance by Heifetz.  (I think I shared that feeling with Leroy Anderson).

The hi-speed sound of tape winding which has been talked about here, of course, 
left many dead tweeters lying on the floor.

If we keep going back in time, there will be those, like me, who can remember 
the sound of coal being delivered to the house, and the metallic smell of the 
water left in the ice box after the block melted;  the sifting of ashes so you 
could find unburned lumps of coal to throw back in the furnace and the old 
rocker ash cans we used to put out with the garbage.  

To bring this tenuously back to on topic, when I was about 4 years old, my dad, 
who was very religious Baptist, bought a record which offended his beliefs and 
he threw it into the coal furnace.  I remember being fascinated watching it's 
demise as the shiny brand new record developed hills and mountains on its 
surface as it perished.  I wish I could remember what record it was but I only 
remember it was a black labelled batwing Victor.  Maybe it was "Hallelujah, I'm 
a Bum".

db