Experimental Talking Clock
Encyclopedia
The Experimental Talking Clock was recorded circa 1878 by inventor Frank Lambert
. It was long thought to be the world's oldest playable sound recording and is listed in both the Guinness Book of World Records and The Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound
as such; however, an older phonautogram recording from 1857 by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville
was reproduced for the first time in 2008 with the aid of modern technology. It is still the oldest recording that can be played back with its own mechanism, without the involvement of digital technology.
Unlike modern recordings, the recording medium of the Experimental Talking Clock is a part of the primitive recording device itself and cannot be easily changed. Seeking to create a more durable recording, Lambert chose to experiment with a cylinder made of lead
rather than the more common practice of recording onto a wrapping of tin foil
. Lasting 1 minute 40 seconds, the hand-cranked recording features an assortment of peculiar sounds, from Lambert calling out the hours of the day to indistinct speech and what may be chimes or bells. Portions of the recording sound in reverse, which raises the possibility that the phonograph
may have been cranked counter-clockwise during certain points of recording.
The 'Experimental Talking Clock' was discovered by early phonograph and recordings collector Aaron Cramer. The device and its recording are currently on display at the National Watch and Clock Museum
in Columbia, Pennsylvania
.
Frank Lambert (inventor)
Francois Lambert was a French American inventor. Lambert is perhaps best known today for making the second-oldest playable sound recording , on his own version of the phonograph...
. It was long thought to be the world's oldest playable sound recording and is listed in both the Guinness Book of World Records and The Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound
Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound
The Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound is a reference work which describes the history of sound recordings, dating from Thomas Edison forwards....
as such; however, an older phonautogram recording from 1857 by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville
Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville
Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville was a French printer and bookseller who lived in Paris. He invented the earliest known sound recording device, the phonautograph, which was patented in France on 25 March 1857....
was reproduced for the first time in 2008 with the aid of modern technology. It is still the oldest recording that can be played back with its own mechanism, without the involvement of digital technology.
Unlike modern recordings, the recording medium of the Experimental Talking Clock is a part of the primitive recording device itself and cannot be easily changed. Seeking to create a more durable recording, Lambert chose to experiment with a cylinder made of lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
rather than the more common practice of recording onto a wrapping of tin foil
Tin foil
Tin foil, also spelled tinfoil, is a thin foil made of tin. Actual tin foil was superseded by cheaper and more durable aluminium foil after World War II, and aluminium foil is sometimes confused with "tin foil" because of its similarity to the former material.-History:Foil made from a thin leaf of...
. Lasting 1 minute 40 seconds, the hand-cranked recording features an assortment of peculiar sounds, from Lambert calling out the hours of the day to indistinct speech and what may be chimes or bells. Portions of the recording sound in reverse, which raises the possibility that the phonograph
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
may have been cranked counter-clockwise during certain points of recording.
The 'Experimental Talking Clock' was discovered by early phonograph and recordings collector Aaron Cramer. The device and its recording are currently on display at the National Watch and Clock Museum
National Watch and Clock Museum
The National Watch and Clock Museum , located in Columbia, Pennsylvania, is one of a very few museums in the United States dedicated solely to horology, which is the history, science and art of timekeeping and timekeepers....
in Columbia, Pennsylvania
Columbia, Pennsylvania
Columbia, once colonial Wright's Ferry, is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 28 miles southeast of Harrisburg on the left bank Susquehanna River across from Wrightsville and York County. Originally, the area may have been called Conejohela Flats, for the many islands and islets in the...
.