Laurel outlook., 1946-11-20
Talkie Work Of
Many Experts
Large Contribution o. Bell
Laboratories to Fir7t
Sound Film Told.

NEW YORK. Scientists in many
fields and organizations have con-
tributed to the extensive improve
ments that have been mado in
sound motion pictures in thu 20
years since they were first rtro-
duced.
One of the leading contributors
was the Bell Telephone laboratories,
and its part in the development OF
sound pictures has been told by the
magazine of the American Tele-
phone and Telegraph company.
1.-THE story of the development of
successful sound picture apparatus
by the Bell system goes back to
1872" the magazine says. I'm that
year a young inventor named Lee
deForest showed to Western Elec-
trio engineers M of the great in
ventions of all time-the three-ele-
ment tube he called the "audion.'
In that tube, he was sure, would
be found the answer to the problem
of simplifying weakening telephone
conversations as they Travelled
along long-distance telephone lines.
Accordingly, the Bell system pur-
chased the deForest audion in 1913
and telephone engineers immediate
ly set to work to see what it could
do.
High Vacuum Tube.
Lied by H. D. Arnold, Bell sys-
tenn scientists emerged with the
high vacuum tube which was to be
the fundamental agent making it
possible to establish a t%ransconti-
mental telephone system. But more
than a first class amplifier was
needed. Higher quality transmitters
and a wide variety of associated ap-
paratus also had to be designed.
Much of it might be tested and COM
pared by using sound recordings.
"The engineers who began initial
ing these studies of sound found it
necessary to obtain recordings of
far higher quality than those avail
able by the commercial processes
of the contemporary monograph in
Therefore they began to ex-
pertinent with the recording of
sound on film Gan old but still fairly
primitive laboratory art) while SIM
ultaneously seeking to improve the
wax disk method of recording.
Meanwhile, attention was given
to the development of an improved
microphone which would give uni
response to all pitches in the
audible range. The magic of the
high u tube amplifier made it
possible to design the condenser
microphone, which, unlike previous
mikes did not need to generate
its w power.
Elements of Sound Film.
"The scientists working with
new recording techniques likewise
we're achieving superior results. By
1916 they had developed two i'm
proved methods of recording sound
IN film and also yer able to obtain
inc results from wax disk record
ngs. A high quality public address
was the next achievement.
"By this time, then, Western
Electric engineers had all essential
dement's for producing a sound mo-
ion picture, namely: C) a high
m~icrophone capable of
transmitting a wide range'of sound
requencies without distortion, ~
he vacuum tube amplifier, (3) supe-
ior methods of recording sound on
i'm and wax disks and az a loud
peaker of high quality capable of
e~livering undistorted and ampliied
ound in a wide range of frequen-
les.
"An improved device for syn !
hronizing motion pictures with {
Electrically produced sound was '
INSTRUCTED and the engineers be- {
eyed it was time to see whether
hey could successfully make
ound movies. Using the wax disk
lethod, they produced the first
Electrically recorded talking pic
Ire, which was exhibited at Yale j
University October 81, 1922" 7