This is a Record
All sound is vibration. Vocal chords, violin strings, the metal of the triangle and the skins of timpani all vibrate to send out sound waves of differing lengths and intensities. The human eardrum vibrates in sympathy with these signals and translates to the brain the sensation of sound.
Until the development of recording techniques, the brain alone was capable of storing sound, and there was nothing that could accurately reproduce it. Now, the microphone performs the function of the human ear, and, through the recording process, transmits to the record the signals that it receives.
Incredibly, a plastic disc only a few inches in diameter can store any sound, and can reproduce it with a degree of accuracy that mirrors the original. This little disc is one of the wonders of the world. The process of creating it borders on the fantastic. Described briefly for you here is the making of the marvel that is the modern LP record. The Recording Process Let us assume, here, that we are describing a musical performance. The first thing that happens is that the musicians, having already rehearsed until they are note-perfect, assemble in the hall or recording studio. Ideally, this will have good acoustical characteristics, and will not impose extraneous noises on the recording that is to be made. With the musicians will be the recording director, recording engineer, tape editor, and the technicians, assistants and other staff involved in the making of the recording.
Playing in a concert hall before an audience, an orchestra is usually disposed in a more or less standard pattern, but in the studio the placing is decided by the recording engineer, who puts musicians and microphones in what he considers to be the best positions for the simulation of a concert performance on record. There are many techniques of microphone placing, but the one most commonly used employs two main microphones in front of the orchestra, and several others among its members.
*Notably good recording venues are the Kingsway Hall and Walthamstow Town Hall, both used extensively in the making of Digest Records.
