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Musical instrument

Phonograph

The phonograph is a musical instrument. Its invention is credited to Thomas Edison. Listen to 5 recordings and learn how it makes its sound.

Listen to the phonograph

Kolessa Phonograph Cylinder 44
4:11Public domainby Folklore materialWikimedia Commons
4:11
Kolessa Phonograph Cylinder 35
4:18Public domainby Folklore materialWikimedia Commons
4:18
Kolessa Phonograph Cylinder 61
4:20Public domainby Folklore materialWikimedia Commons
4:20
Kolessa Phonograph Cylinder 02
4:24Public domainby Folklore materialWikimedia Commons
4:24
Kolessa Phonograph Cylinder 24
4:30Public domainby Folklore materialWikimedia Commons
4:30

Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.

From Wikipedia

A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound.

The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physical deviations of a helical or spiral groove engraved, etched, incised, or impressed into the surface of a rotating cylinder or disc, called a record. To recreate the sound, the surface is similarly rotated while a playback stylus traces the groove and is therefore vibrated by it, faintly reproducing the recorded sound. In early acoustic phonographs, the stylus vibrated a diaphragm that produced sound waves coupled to the open air through a flaring horn, or directly to the listener's ears through stethoscope-type earphones.

Frequently asked questions

What does a phonograph sound like?

Listen to 5 recordings on this page.

Sources & credits