Ongoing History Daily: 100 years ago, we got this new thing called the “microphone”

Before February 25, 1925, singers were largely shouters. Because there was no such thing as electronic amplification, they had to be really loud if they wanted to be heard over the music in both live performance and for recording sessions. But on that Wednesday one hundred years ago, everything changed.

A singer named Art Gillham tested out a new electronic recording system that included a new thing called a “microphone.” Instead of having to sing loud, Gillham discovered he could use all the dynamics of the human voice—from a loud belt to a quiet whisper and everything in between—in his singing. This was unbelievably revolutionary.

It gave birth to the development of “microphone technique,” which changed how all singing was performed. The microphone also captured musical instruments with better accuracy. The balance between instruments and instruments and voice could be adjusted.

The introduction of the microphone was the beginning of the journey to high-fidelity sound.