| The record player was a marvel for music | | | | though large amounts of use, as cassette tapes |
| enthusiasts world wide. It begun in mono though a | | | | would. Four, the ability to read CD's was much more |
| simple amplifier of sound waves carved into a vinyl | | | | efficient and effective allowing CD Players to convert |
| disc. This technology was amazing at its time. The | | | | digital audio into analogue sound with less errors. |
| disc then developed into dual sound waves storing | | | | With the rise of Personal Computers (PC) and the |
| left and right sounds on the single disc on waving up | | | | internet, two things came from digital audio that |
| and down, the other left and right. No longer would | | | | would change the way people listen to music forever. |
| people have to go out for musical performances! | | | | This was the ability to store music on computers and |
| They could simply listen to it in their own homes. | | | | computer storage mediums, and the ability to quickly |
| In the late 1970s the cassette player became the | | | | and easily download digital audio from the internet in |
| most popular audio medium, replacing big chunky | | | | the form of an MP3. |
| records with small easy to insert tapes. These tapes | | | | The MP3 is a form of digital audio that is compressed. |
| used a new form of media. Rather then using | | | | The compression follows an algorithm of taking out |
| analogue sound waves this new technology used | | | | the unneeded frequency's while leaving the song still |
| digital ones and zeros to represent the details of a | | | | listen able. Though this new file format digital audio |
| sound wave. This sparked the beginning of the digital | | | | companies such as Apple, Sony and Walkman were |
| age for music, allowing music to be stored in many | | | | able to develop MP3 Players that could decompress |
| different ways physically while still representing the | | | | these digital files and convert the digital audio into |
| same ones and zeros. The tape was able to do this | | | | that of analogue sound waves. This form of digital |
| though holding magnetic charges to record ones and | | | | audio storage trumped the rest with its ability to |
| not having a charge to record zeros. | | | | store hundreds and even thousands of songs on a |
| Digital storage was also a huge improvement in sound | | | | single device. Done though a new form of technology |
| quality, no longer will people rely on amplification of | | | | called solid-state flash memory, where billions of |
| sound waves. These sound waves could be perfectly | | | | electrons are stored within a device to represent |
| represented in digital form, limiting sound quality by | | | | digital ones and zeros. Flash memory is also much |
| two factors; quality of equipment, and amount of | | | | more durable than visual, magnetic or analogue |
| sound channels. | | | | storage mediums. Having files saved on a flash drive |
| The next storage medium to hit the stage was the | | | | means you can also store video files, documents and |
| Compact Disc (CD). The CD used optical data | | | | any form of computer files on your MP3 player. |
| storage to record ones and zeros. This was done by | | | | With this new and exciting form of audio storage on |
| pits and pins. A pin or micro bump in the disc would | | | | the rise, and microchips physically shrinking flash |
| reflect a laser back up to a sensor letting the CD | | | | memory is continually getting smaller and smaller, able |
| Player know its a one. Where as a pit or micro ditch | | | | to hold vast amounts of songs and files. Recently |
| in the disc would not reflect back up letting the CD | | | | designers have created wearable MP3 Players that |
| Player know its a zero. What differed about this | | | | look great and are able to clip onto your clothes, belt |
| form of storage was that while data was still stored | | | | or even your pocket! This funky innovation allows |
| sequentially around the disc. The CD also stored a | | | | people to take their MP3 player with them |
| map at the beginning of the CD allowing CD Players | | | | everywhere and listen to music anywhere. Not to |
| to know how many songs there are on the CD, and | | | | mention the ability to take any other files along with |
| where on the CD they could be found. In layman's | | | | you in such a tiny storage device. |
| terms you could easily jump to a particular song | | | | And so we head into the future with our favorite |
| without fast forwarding or rewinding the CD. | | | | songs and important files literally close to our hearts. |
| This form of audio storage was favored over the | | | | Having the ability to listen to them on demand |
| cassette for four main reasons, these being. One, the | | | | without swapping disc or cassettes. This is the |
| fact that you can 'jump' between tracks. Two, you | | | | biggest thing in audio so far, and will continue to |
| can store much more data on a single disc than a | | | | upgrade over the next few years to become |
| cassette. Three, the discs would not get warped | | | | physically smaller while digitally larger. |