An electrical centenary.

The article focuses on the centenary of electrical sound recording, tracing its development since 1925 and contrasting it with its mechanical predecessor, acoustic recording. It highlights how the introduction of the condenser microphone and electrical amplification revolutionized recording by enabling greater sensitivity, dynamic range, and sound manipulation, while also shifting control from musicians to recording engineers. Despite its technical superiority and widespread adoption, electrical recording altered listeners' perception of sound by mediating and standardizing musical experience, a change that some argue distances audiences from the immediacy and lifelikeness associated with mechanical recordings. The article emphasizes the complex interplay between technological innovation, artistic expression, and listener perception in the evolution of recorded sound.