[78-L] Acoustic v. radio

[Doug Caldwell]

I've done a little research on pre-1923 radio activity, and from what I
understand, though there were live broadcasts of course, for the most part
the music being transmitted from "experimental stations" came from
phonographs. This was done first via microphones placed in front of the
phonograph (or even inside the horn), but later, and more satisfactorily, by
attaching radio mics (or "pick ups" I suppose) directly to the phonograph
needle. (Such devices could be found in radio component catalogs). I mention
this only because if you were to compare the sound of a phonograph in, say
1922, to the sound of a radio, not only would you have the limitations of
the mics and speakers (the Magnavox!) and interference, but in many cases
the music coming from the radio (the records) had already lost a generation.
It still was pretty miraculous for its day, though, and tickled everyone's
fancy!

 

Doug Caldwell