Bell Labs’ Electro-Mechanical ‘Speech Synthesizer’ circa 1951

chris — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 23:08:58 +0000

**update 07.09.21 – audio clip added! see below! you can now HEAR this monstrosity!**

Download a 4PP article (+advert) from the June 1951 RADIO ELECTRONICS on the subject of a novel (+fairly creepy) electro-mechanical speech-synthesizer designed by Bell Labs.

Bell Labs Speech Synthesizer 1951 Download

This has got to be one of the wildest electro-mechanical synths every created. I wonder what New Jersey basement it ended up in. I’m preeeeetty sure that this abomination provided the historical-basis for the device that Tony Shaloub’s character was developing in the first season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Anyhow. It’s weird and far-out and I think you will enjoy reading about it.

T.F. provided us with this audio clip so that you can hear this device in action. it’s pretty remarkable TBH…

Out-of-print-book report: Magnetic Recording (1948)

chris — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 16:40:00 +0000

Not sure where I came across this obscure volume. Written by one S.J. Begun, then VP and chief engineer of recording-tech pioneer Brush Development Corp, ‘Magnetic Recording’ (h.f. ‘MR’) was completed in June 1948 and published the following year by Murray Hill Books.

There is a lot of information in this 235pp volume; the best feature by far, though, is that it contains diagrams and schematics for a great number of the recording devices discussed.

Here’s a quick survey of the machines covered in MR. Most are wire recorders. Remember that tape recording was still incredibly new in 1948; wire was still the dominant format. If you have any of these machines and need to service it, seek out this book. You might find what you need. Names are beneath each image.

The original circa 1948 Ampex tape recorder, which promised an unheralded 30-15k (+/- 1db) frequency response.

The WW11-era German Magnetophone, from which the Ampex was largely derived. The Magnetophone ran at 30 ips in order to achieve its (then) excellent performance.

The Armour Master wire recorder.

The Armour Model 50 wire recorder

The Bell Labs Mirrorphone

Brush Labs Model BK-303

Brush labs model BK-403, the portable Sound Mirror

Brush Labs model BK-503 ‘mail a voice,’ which recorded a magnetic signal on coated paper discs.

Brush Labs SoundMirror

Brush Labs model BK-401

The Lear Dyanport (pictured with American Dynamic mic)

The Magnecorder SD-1, a predecessor (prototype?) of my beloved Magnecord PT6.

The Nemeth Master Wire Recorder

The Peirce Dictation model 55-b

The Rangertone, by Rangertone

The Telegraphone, a pre-vacuum-tube wire recorder. See this earlier post for the details.

The Webster Wire Recorder. In my experience, these are the most commonly-found wire recorders that you may encounter.

The WiRecorder Model PA

bell labs – Preservation Sound

Bell Labs’ Electro-Mechanical ‘Speech Synthesizer’ circa 1951

Out-of-print-book report: Magnetic Recording (1948)