Sound reproduction in the field of music : a survey and analysis

This thesis is an attempt to make use of as much technical knowledge as seems pertinent to a musician attempting to reproduce music with the utmost of realism and faithfulness to the original sound. The experiments and research that have gone into this thesis cover the years between 1940 and 1955, a period involving a world war and its many technical advancements, including the now commercially practical wire and tape recorders and the first laboratory development of a completely electronic recorder which has no moving parts and uses a film recording that can be reproduced as easily as a large photograph. In confronting such rapid technological development, the writer is convinced that the only lasting benefits this thesis might possess are toward furthering the education and conception of the musician and the technician in some of the physical, technical, musical, and psychological, problems which must be faced before reproduced music can be truly satisfying to the critical listener. The fact is that electronic technicians and engineers know too little about music and the musician knows too little about the science of electronics. It is this writer\u27s opinion that each must study the other\u27s field. The individuals who can achieve a fusion of the science of music reproduction and the art of music will approach the problems of dealing with musical sound with technical facility and musical sensitivity. [It is hoped that through this thesis the reader will be stimulated to pursue the subject still further.] The possibilities in the future are fascinating to consider, and there seem to be unlimited opportunities open to the enterprising individual in radio, television, the film industries, and the home