In this article, we will look at what stereo is, how this sound differs from mono, and how mechanical vibrations are transmitted from the carrier to the speakers, as well as learn the history of the origin of sound recording devices and the intricacies of radio engineering.
Differences in recording methods
First, consider the main concept in this area. In acoustics, sound is understood as mechanical vibrations in various environments and how they are perceived by animals or people. That is, this is all that our ears hear.
Mono is understood as a sound recording method in which all vibrations are applied to the storage medium with one track and one microphone. In simpler terms, it is similar to the perception of sound with one ear. In this case, the so-called "sound panorama" is not felt, everything is heard in one plane. This method was used everywhere until the 50s of the last century due to the technical complexity of recording each individual instrument and combining the result into one track. At the same time, this recording method is cheaper than others and allows phonographing with only one microphone, so it is still used invarious fields of activity. For example, in broadcasting.
Unlike mono, stereo allows you to record from two or more microphones, which gives a feeling of full presence when listening. There is another way to get this effect, for which a special hardware tool called a mixer is used. In this case, the immersion effect is achieved by spreading mono recordings through different channels. Initially, the first method of achieving stereo was used, but due to the complexity of such sound recording, from the beginning of the 60s of the last century, the mixing method, also called pseudostereo, began to be widely used.
Recording history
The pioneer in the field of applying sound to the media is Thomas Edison. He invented an apparatus that was able to record mechanical vibrations on foil with a needle and reproduce the result. This unit was called a phonograph. This invention served as a huge impetus for mono recording, since no one knew what stereo was at that time.
Before phonographs, mechanical musical instruments were used. They were able to play melodies, but had great limitations: the instruments were not able to record extraneous sounds, such as the human voice. These inventions could "read" the sounds recorded on various kinds of objects. So music was recorded on wood, paper and even metal plates.
Mechanism of mechanical inventions was mainly driven byusing human hands, but third-party methods could also be used for this: electricity, sand, water, etc.
Mechanical recording has replaced such musical instruments.
The first invention in this area is considered to be the phonoautograph, which is an experimental device that is not capable of reproducing the recorded recording. However, T. Edison managed to solve this problem only at the end of the 19th century with his invention mentioned above.
Radio engineering (stereo system)
Technologies do not stand still, and in the late 80s, the Radio Engineering stereo system appeared on the market. It has a high quality sound reproduction. The power of this invention is claimed by the manufacturers to be 35 W, but these figures are not the end result that this "miracle of engineering" is capable of. And properly selected amplifiers will increase the volume of the device several times. The sound is so high quality that even the most picky listeners will appreciate such stereo.
This stereo system was famous not only for its sound quality, but also for its original design, which looked great in the interior of Soviet apartments.
Bluetooth stereo playback
But the real technical breakthrough is Bluetooth audio transmission. It is a method of distributing stereo sound through radio communication. A few years ago it seemed that such a stereo could not be reproduced. RangeBluetooth has a relatively short range, but it is enough to use a wireless headset. The main advantage of listening to music using Bluetooth technology is convenience. After all, this method of sound transmission frees the user from outdated and such inconvenient wired headphones.
