The O.G. 'Take one'

The canvas for sound and music is neither digital nor analog. It's time while the ultimate storage medium is your memory. Since the beginning of sound, people have been trying to find a way to record it. Every technology brings a unique set of compromises and a unique way of working the world. First heard recorded sound carved into a wax cylinder by Thomas Edison.

It was the precursor to the phonograph. And the sound you're hearing right now is a time machine to the year 1890. You're in London and that's Big Ben. Which brings every day to this day. But the first actual recording predates that by 30 years was made by a gentleman named Edward Leon Scott de Martinville, which is French.

It never really occurred to Ed that anyone would ever want to play back his recordings. What um, ed wanted to do was to take pictures of sounds, which if you've ever used a d, is actually pretty handy. Ed's contraption used a needle to scratch images into paper coated with smoke. Turns out that in 2008 we were able to dig up these pictures.

And decode them and reconstitute this original recording of the Children's song. Okay, I'll do that again. It's a little pitchy, but then again, it's the OG take one. But with all the formats available today, what's the difference? Well stick around because you may be surprised to find out.