A recording made by Thomas Edison in 1877 has long been thought to
be the first artificially recorded sound. It turns out, the
first recordings were made in 1860 by Frenchman, Edouard-Leon Scott
de Martinville, using a Phonautograph. The recording medium
was merely paper covered in soot, so the sound literally emerges
from smoke. As a result of advances in audio
technology, these phonautograph recordings can now be heard again
using lasers which do not damage or degrade these precious
artifacts.
This Deedlecast starts with the very first sound ever recorded
using the phonautograph (albeit altered quite a bit by dj
magic). There are some other similarly altered
phonautographic bits and pieces sprinkled throughout the
show.