STEREOPHONIC SOUND

by Jerome Joffe

In 1950 recorded music was flat. The sound resonated from one location in one speaker. Flat sound evaporated when stereophonic sound emerged commercially in 1958.

Recordings in stereo seemed like you were in a concert hall with the musicians. Voices felt closer to the listener.

How does this new technology work? The needle on a record player moves vertically and horizontally to produce two channels of sound.

The channels scoot from the record player into two speakers. One channel plays in each speaker. This technology seems elementary today.

However, two-channel sound was stunning in the 1950's.

This technology was implemented to mimic hearing music live at a concert. Early two channel experiments were conducted at a concert hall. In an auditorium music reaches the audience at different places. If a violin is on the left it is heard in the left ear.

When a singer performs in the middle of the auditorium, the singer is heard in the middle of a person's forehead. Stereo creates the depth that is felt in a concert hall.

The public and retailers swooned over the introduction of stereo. This was fantastic for record sales. Since the music sounded crisper, people bought more records. Stereo got folks energized to collect music and started a boom in high fidelity components.

Speakers improved to take advantage of the enhanced sound. Separate units were created for the receiver, turntable and speakers.

In the recording studio, producers created special effects to enhance the two-channel experience. These effects were experimental. The purpose was to stimulate the senses rather than copy the depth felt in a concert hall.

Voices floated from the left speaker across to the right speaker in one second. A quick note scooted into the right channel followed by two notes in the left channel then an unexpected howl between the two speakers.

The experiments continue today as producers find new ways to enhance the stereophonic experience.


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