What’s Next?

In capturing and reproducing sound, the first recording devices were strictly mechanical, probably beginning with Edison’s invention of the phonograph in 1877. A metal cylinder, wrapped with tinfoil, was the recording medium. Volume and sound quality were extremely limited.

In the late 1880s, development of the wax cylinder proved a significant improvement. Although originally intended for business use, entertainment quickly became the major – and more profitable – interest.

The introduction of electrical recording systems and 78-rpm disk records in the middle 1920s proved a major leap forward in the accurate capture and reproduction of music.