The times., 1901-03-17
MAKING SOUND RECORDS
How Talking Machine Should BE
Addressed.
Difficulties in the S'sy of Obtaining
Good ResuItS-Thc Experience of n
Fnmii, Circic-Esprrss Employed
in Rendering Popular Selections.

1t is natural for a person ia wish to
hear his own voice and as in this age of
scientific achievement this is said to be
rendered possible without the aid uf ma
sic the means artualiy employed toward
the end in view become matter of curl
osity. The testimony OF those who have
heard their own or their friends voices
reproduced by q talking machine is both
interesting and curious.
The accuracy OF the mimic sound is
here brought in question; but there is
also involved the consideration as to
whether the person making the record
is ines 0Crieutc,, or nervous tthe one, by
the way. nearly always presupposing the
other} IN the latter case, il is almost
unnecessary to observe the voice becomes
raore or loss unlike the normal tones Of
the speaker. an absence Of expression
ANA melody being especially noticeable
Iut even this explanation can scarcely
account for the very weird effects de
scrihed by a gentleman who formed one
Of Il family party. the members of which,
as a matter OF amusement, tested the
capabilities of the talking machine. The
gentleman who owned the contrivance,
and who was quite an expert in it's mys-
teres, explained just how it was to be
manipulated and the manner in which
the talking or singing should be done in
order to obtain a thoroughly good re-
cord.
The thing seemed simple enough. All
one had to do, apparently, was TO stand
in front of the metal horn ana talk in
strong. even tone, taking care not to
stop except at periods. But this, in itself
was somewhat disconcertfng to novice
as it conveyed the idea that he must
articulate as rapidly as possible or some
thing disastrous would happen.
Just what share the mental and vocal
conditions thus induced had in the uiti-
mate result, or what was due 70 the nat
ural. or rather artificial, deficiencies of
the machine itself. the narrator was un-
able to determine with any degree of sci
entifc exactness Certain it is. however
that the result itself was startling. Can
that be my voice-impossibet' gasped the
amateur record maker as, pale and dis
mayed, he listened to sounds which were
evidently not of this earth. The words,
such of them as were audible, he had GER
tainly spoken into the horn, but he was
utterly unprepared for the manner in
which they came out. He had had the
temerity to essay a humorous introduc-
tion 10 the divers vocal contributions of
those present. Following this, and in
tone calculated to move the very metal
itself, he delivered the beautiful passage
from Robert ingersOll upon the laughter
of q child His wife and little boy, re-
spectively, spoke and. sang into the in
strument. The gentleman who operated
the contrivauce, ana to whom it belonged,
concluded the performance with the Omi-
nous and, rs il proved, prophetic obser-
vation, Il think this viii be very bad
record.
process, substituted for the recorder. a
large horn attached TO that part OF the
apparatus from whence the sound issued,
and the cylinder set in action by a spring
motor. The emotion Of the gentleman
who had led off. ana who naTrates the
occurrence, has already been alluded to.
The hUmor of his introduction was over
whelmed in the plaintiye. soul ul-harrowing
tones in which the words were rendered.
The crOak of the raven of limited conver
sational powers immortalized by Poe
was music itself 10 the sound which is
sued from the brass horn. The eXpectant
smile upon the cOunteHanCc of the record
maker died away and ne braced himself,
evidently with strong effort for what
remained Worse, indeed, was to come
The delicate sentiment of IngerSoll 5
passage. To which the speaker had given
full expression, was lost and the tiowery
metaphors We're delivered in the tone OF
a Scotch landlord contending for his over
due rent. Some of the words, indeed. the
inst rument did not render at all. as II II
conceived that the passage sounded as
We'll or better without them. Such blanks.
moreover. IL filed up on it's own account
with a sort of surly murmuring. as
though il grudged the concession of
speaking at all.
The little son of the narrator. had sung
a song. and when the machine com
menced- TO repeat it. it was quite inter
eSting TO observe the expression of the
youthful vocalist. as he exclaimed. in
indignant disgust. why. it's no more
like me than a hog" The concluding
words of the gentleman who performed
the part Of operator sounded fearfully dis
tinct by comparison. So. doubtless there
was some justice in his observations to
the effect that the art of talking into
the machine was one which had TO be
acquired.
In fact. the truth of this remark was
borne out in the statements Of an expert
in this city. who is the manager OF a
large agency for the instruments. 1t ap
pears that professional record makers are
employed for turning out the popular