Soundstream Inc. was founded in 1975 in Salt Lake City, Utah by Dr. Thomas Stockham Jr. It was the world’s first digital audio recording company, providing commercial services for recording and computer-based editing (Easton 1976). 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... Nickname: Crossroads of the West Official website: http://www. ... Thomas Greenway Stockham, (December 22, 1933-January 6, 2004) was an American scientist who developed the first practical digital audio recording system, and pioneered techniques for digital audio recording and processing as well. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

In 1976 Soundstream made the first live digital recording of an orchestra (LA Times, 2004). Soundstream’s first commercially released recording (pop music on the Orinda label) in 1977 was a month shy of the world’s first digitally recorded commercial release. For the ensuing three years, 50% of all classical music recorded digitally used Soundstream equipment. 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

The Soundstream tape recorder consisted of a Honeywell instrumentation transport for 1" 32-track reel-to-reel tape, and analog and digital circuitry designed and built by Soundstream. In 1977 the company developed a four-channel version, with 16 bit converters operating at 50 kHz (unlike competitors JVC and Sony, which sampled at 44.1 kHz). The signal-to-noise ratio exceeded 90 dB, with total harmonic distortion as low as –92 dB. The frequency response was flat from O Hz to 22 kHz; wow and flutter were unmeasurable. Editing could be performed at sample accuracy (i.e., 1/50,000 of a second). Honeywell NYSE: HON is a major American multinational corporation that produces electronic control systems and automation equipment. ... An analog or analogue signal is any continuously variable signal. ... A digital system is one that uses numbers, especially binary numbers, for input, processing, transmission, storage, or display, rather than a continuous spectrum of values (an analog system) or non-numeric symbols such as letters or icons. ... JVC, or Japan Victor Company (日本ビクター株式会社) (TYO: 6792) is a Japanese consumer electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927. ... Sony is a Japanese leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications, and information technology products for the consumer and professional market. ... Signal-to-noise ratio (often abbreviated SNR or S/N) is meaningful both in the context of Electrical engineering and, informally, for Usenet or other newsgroup-like services. ... The total harmonic distortion, or THD, of a signal is a measurement of the harmonic distortion present, that is, any departure of the output signal waveform from that which should result from the input signal waveforms being operated on by the systems specified or ideal transfer function. ... Frequency response is the measure of any systems response to frequency, but is usually used in connection with electronic amplifiers and similar systems, particularly in relation to audio signals. ... Wow and flutter may refer to: Wow (recording) and flutter, two forms of noise which emanate from cassette tapes; The title of a critically-acclaimed single, from the 1994 recording by Stereolab, entitled Mars Audiac Quintet; and Wow & Flutter, an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon. ...

Unlike its competitors, Soundstream's analog circuitry was transformless, permitting a frequency response to 0 (DC). This accounted for the ‘bass drum heard round the world’ review of the 1978 Telarc recording of the Cleveland Symphonic Winds (World Book 1978; Eddy 2005). Telarc International Corporation is a Cleveland, Ohio based independent record label, founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods. ...

Soundstream collaborated with Telarc for several years, producing legendary symphonic recordings (the first ones are chronicled in Renner, 1992). The care with which Telarc selected and used its microphones and audio console, combined with the Soundstream recorder, created a gold standard for audiophile recording. An audiophile — from the Greek for lover of hearing — is a person dedicated to high-fidelity sound reproduction and achieving high-quality results in the recording and playback of music. ...

Soundstream recordings made before the CD were released as high-quality vinyl LP albums. Despite analog playback, many recordings were sufficiently impressive to gain an early acceptance for digital audio (Ranada 1980; BM/E 1977). The recording industry’s transition to digital was further facilitated by the many demonstrations given by Dr. Stockham, whose articulate explanations of digital audio theory and practice were renown (Stockham 1971b; Stockham 1977). A compact disc (or CD) is an optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio. ...

The corporate logo of Soundstream, Inc.

Soundstream provided on-location recording services to Telarc, Delos, RCA, Philips, Vanguard, Varese Sarabande, Angel, Warner Brothers, CBS, Decca, Chalfont, and others. It also leased recorders to a few record labels. Although most of its recordings were classical, the range of recorded music included country, rock, jazz, pop, and avant-garde. Image File history File links Soundstream_logo. ... Image File history File links Soundstream_logo. ... For other uses, see RCA (disambiguation). ... Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Royal Philips Electronics N.V.), usually known as Philips, (Euronext: PHIA, NYSE: PHG) is one of the largest electronics companies in the world. ... Vanguard Records was a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. ... Varèse Sarabande is a record label, which specialises in soundtrack record releases, and reissues of hard-to-find (sometimes long- or previously-unavailable) albums, and singles collections. ... The Recording Angel as it appeared on early Gramophone discs. ... Warner Bros. ... For other uses, see CBS (disambiguation). ... Decca Records is a record label that was established in 1929. ... Classical music in its widest sense is held to refer to music deriving from learned traditions, taught through institutions either specifically devoted to music (e. ... Country music, also called country and western music or country-western, is an amalgam of popular musical forms developed in the Southern United States, with roots in traditional folk music, Celtic Music, Blues, Gospel music, and Old-time music. ... Rock is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars, a bass guitar, and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, trumpet, and trombone are common in some styles, however, horns have been omitted from newer subgenres of rock music since... Jazz is an original American musical art form originating around the early 1920s in New Orleans, rooted in Western music technique and theory, and is marked by the profound cultural contributions of African Americans. ... For the 1979 song by M, see Pop Muzik. ... Experimental music is any music that challenges the commonly accepted notions of what music is. ...

Soundstream’s digital editing system was the first instance of a computer used to edit commercial recordings. It consisted of a Digital Equipment PDP 11/60 computer, Soundstream’s interface to transfer data between its recorder and the computer’s disks, digital-to-analog playback hardware, and editing software. In addition to its own facility, Soundstream installed editing systems at Paramount Pictures (Hollywood), RCA (New York), and Bertelsmann (Germany). A system was delivered to the United States Department of Justice to aid its analyses of bootleg recordings. The PDP-11 was a 16-bit minicomputer sold by Digital Equipment Corp. ... The Paramount Pictures logo used since 2003. ... Bertelsmann AG is a transnational media corporation founded in 1835, based in Gütersloh, Germany. ... Justice Department redirects here. ...

Soundstream also restored much of the famed Enrico Caruso portfolio for RCA, using the process of ‘blind deconvolution’ (Stockham 1971a). Some of these Caruso recordings restored by Soundstream were released on the album "Caruso-A Legendary Performer" on RCA in 1976. Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (February 25, 1873–August 2, 1921) was one of the most famous tenors in the history of opera. ... Caruso-A Legendary Performer is an album by the Italian tenor Enrico Caruso. ...

In 1980, Soundstream merged with Digital Recording Corp. and became DRC/Soundstream. It attempted to develop a home digital player that would use a photographically reproducible ‘optical card’ as opposed to the mechanically pressed CD (Miklosz 1981). This effort failed, leading to the company’s demise in 1983.

References

BM/E, New Audio Tape Machine Delivers ‘Digital Fidelity’, Feb. 1977.

Robert Easton, Soundstream, the first Digital Studio, Recording Engineeer/Producer, April 1976.

Tracy Eddy, The Bass Drum Heard `Round the World”: Telarc, Frederick Fennell, and an Overture to Digital Recording, IEEE Today's Engineer Online, July 2005.

Los Angeles Times, January 9, 2004.

John Miklosz, Digital Audio System uses Rectangular Records, Electronic Engineering Times, Nov. 23, 1981.

David Ranada, A Dozen Digital Demo Discs, Stereo Review, Jan. 1980.

Jack Renner, The Roots of Telarc, Telarc newsletter, Fall 1992.

Thomas Stockham, Restoration of Old Acoustic Recordings by means of Digital Signal Processing, 41st Convention of the Audio Engineering Society, 1971a.

Thomas Stockham, A-D and D-A Converters: their Effect on Digital Audio Fidelity, 41st Convention of the Audio Engineering Society, 1971b.

Thomas Stockham, Records of the Future, Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, Oct. 1977.

World Book Encyclopedia Yearbook, 1978.

See also

• Thomas Stockham