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New Sound Equipment During The Film Industry

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Once the Vitaphone staked its claim in the film industry the research and application of new sound equipment began to grow rapidly. First moving to even louder speakers for the audience to enjoy the music even more. Then moving to stereo speakers having different sounds coming from different speakers. Then moving to surround sound where the audience is engulfed in music and sound effects from all around them. Finally to our current technology of IMAX sound adding even more speakers and pushing sound to the point of shaking the seats in the theaters. One of the most important contributions that the talkies provided was the technique of sound mixing. Going back to the rituals of the Sumerians and through Greek and Roman period through classical and romantic opera the instrumentalist would either have to play soft or not at all when there was singing or talking because the instruments would drown out the voices. Now with sound mixing that is not the case. They can always raise the voice and lower the instrumental music from machines instead of the singers trying to sing over the orchestra. A perfect example of this explanation was given by one of the greatest film music composers of his time Bernard Herrmann, “For by separately recording music and sound and voice, we are able to mix them together at the proper volume. The speaking voice and the music can achieve a perfect balance. That is the greatest contribution of the genuine sound film”. Without this invention the

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