ABSTRACT
Yesterday I’ve always looked at the history of music and sound technology and applied techniques with a sense of awe and wonder, although I really can’t explain why. Like so many in this industry, I tend to get shivers when I see a wonderful old tape machine or an original tube compressor. For no reason whatsoever, I get all giggly and woozy when I read about the Redd 37 console that was used to record many of the early Beatles albums at Abbey Road (including Sergeant Pepper) or see an original Ampex 200 (the first commercially available professional tape machine). I experience the same sense of awe when I read about my personal historical heroes such as Alan Dower Blumlein (Figure 19.1), who was instrumental in developing stereo mic techniques, the 45?/45? stereo disc-cutting process, the TV camera, and radar. To many, his list of accomplishments is second only to those of Edison. Mary C. Bell (Figure 19.2) who was probably the first woman sound engineer also comes to mind, along with another unsung hero, the late John (Jack) T. Mullin (Figure 5.1), who stumbled across a couple of German Magnetophones at the end of WWII and was smart enough to send them back to San Francisco. With the help of Alexander M. Poniatoff (founder of ‘‘AMP’’ex) and Bing Crosby, Jack and his machines played a crucial role in bringing the magnetic tape recorder into commercial existence (Figure 19.3).
