Part 3/8:
The phonographic journey begins with Thomas Edison’s first sound recording device, the phonograph, which used a wax cylinder to capture sound vibrations. This process involved a diaphragm that vibrated, feeding sound pressure to a stylus, which carved grooves into the wax.
Then came Emile Berliner with an innovative twist: the introduction of flat discs. Instead of the up-and-down motion required by cylinders, Berliner proposed a lateral wiggling gradation, producing a spiral groove that was much more efficient to mass-produce. This innovation provided significant advantages—flat discs were simpler to manufacture, less fragile, and allowed for recordings on both sides, leading to a more practical audio medium.