Wire recording

Wire recording is a type of analogue audio storage in which the recording is made onto thin wire. Wire recording devices have a high head speed and a low media speed, and can store either one audio track or many data tracks. Wire recording's most widespread use was in the 1930s and 1940s, after which it was replaced, in many uses, by magnetic tape. The audio fidelity of wire recording is generally low compared to other recording technologies. A common use for wire recording is in certain types of dictaphones, but it is most commonly seen in the flight data recorders in aircraft. Wire recorders were still common in Europe through the 1950s, and the fidelity had been increased to respectable 16 kHz, which is about the same range as a normal compact cassette.

Related Topics:
Audio storage - Wire - Audio - Data - 1930s - 1940s - Magnetic tape - Fidelity - Dictaphone - Flight data recorder - Aircraft - 1950s - Compact cassette

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The wire reels were recorded or listened at 24 inches per second (610 mm/s), making a typical one-hour reel 1,200 feet (365.76 m) long. Reels also came in different lengths, such as 15 or 30 minutes. After recording or playback, the reel had to be rewound, because, unlike a tape cassette, the wire could not be "flipped over" and taken off the take-up reel. The wire was easily tangled, especially when being rewound. The wire would run through a very small recording head slit on a bobbing head that ensured the wire was placed on the take-up reel evenly. The wire also had a tendency to tear, and would have to be knotted back together.

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