# SoundScriber

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Dictation machine introduced in 1945

Soundscriber machine from 1944 advertisement

**SoundScriber** is a [dictation machine](/source/Dictation_machine) introduced in 1945 by The SoundScriber Corp. ([New Haven, Connecticut](/source/New_Haven%2C_Connecticut), United States).[1] It records sound with a groove embossed into soft [vinyl](/source/Gramophone_record) discs with a stylus.[1][2][3] Similar competing recording technologies are the [Gray Audograph](/source/Gray_Audograph) and Dictaphone [DictaBelt](/source/DictaBelt). The machine can record 15 minutes of dictation on each side of a thin (.01-inch)[3] flexible 6-inch vinyl disc spinning at a rate of 33+1⁄3 RPM, at a density of 200 grooves per inch.[1] The discs originally cost about 10 cents each.[1][3] The machine has two [tonearms](/source/Tonearm): a recording arm driven by a worm gear that creates the groove with a diamond [stylus](/source/Stylus), and a pickup arm with a sapphire stylus for playback.[1][3] A foot-operated playback/pause—and-reverse switch is used for transcribing.[1]

Unlike some other recording technologies of the time, the recording stylus creates the groove not by cutting the vinyl but by embossing (plastically deforming) the surface, leaving no waste plastic chips to get into the mechanical works.[1][3]

The format remained popular for two decades before it was superseded by magnetic tape recorders, due in part to the robustness of the discs and the ease with which they could be mailed. The green discs with their characteristic square center hole came in three sizes, 6 inches (known as "Mail Chute") that played for fifteen minutes per side, a 5-inch disc with 10 minutes of recording time per side, and 4-inch "Memo Discs" with eight minutes of recording time. The soft vinyl medium limited the number of times a disc could be played back without degradation of the audio quality.

A SoundScriber is a plot device in the 1952 [Joan Crawford](/source/Joan_Crawford) film [Sudden Fear](/source/Sudden_Fear), as the brand name can be clearly seen on it, even though Crawford's character claims that she had it built herself.

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Kempner_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Kempner_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Kempner_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Kempner_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Kempner_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Kempner_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-Kempner_1-6) Kempner, Stanley (September 1944). ["The Soundscriber"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Radio-News/40s/Radio-News-1944-09-R.pdf) (PDF). *Radio News*. **32** (3). Ziff-Davis Publishing Co.: 43, 103–106. Retrieved June 12, 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["History of the Dictating Machine - Postwar Diversity"](https://recordinghistory.org/the-history-of-sound-recording/business/building-the-american-dictating-machine-industry/postwar-diversity/). *www.recordinghistory.org*. Retrieved November 10, 2024.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Stone_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Stone_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Stone_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Stone_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Stone_3-4) Stone, Robert (November 1945). ["Business Recording Equipment"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Radio-News/40s/Radio-News-1945-11.pdf) (PDF). *Radio News*. **34** (5). Ziff-Davis Publishing Co.: 32–34. Retrieved June 12, 2014. by Soundscriber's chief engineer, has technical details of the machines

## External links

- [Picture of SoundScriber Disc](https://web.archive.org/web/20130311065608/http://www.aph.org/museum/virtual_exhibit/exhibit4/e40008b-2.htm)

- [SoundScriber S-124 tape machine](http://www.historyofwowo.com/soundscriber.html)

- [1962 SoundScriber ad](http://www.joancrawfordbest.com/adsoundscriber62big.htm) with [Joan Crawford](/source/Joan_Crawford)

- [Audio Recording History](http://www.videointerchange.com/audio_history.htm)

- [History of the Dictation Equipment Industry](https://recordinghistory.org/the-history-of-sound-recording/business/building-the-american-dictating-machine-industry/the-world-war-war-years)

- [Article about use of other media with SoundScriber](https://web.archive.org/web/20040130042531/http://www.geocities.com/amishfan/soundscriber.html)

v t e Physical audio recording formats Mechanical Music box cylinder or disc (9th century) Mechanical cuckoo (early 17th century) Punched card (1881) Music roll (1883) Analog Grooved surface Phonautogram (1857) Grooved cylinder Phonograph cylinder (1877) Graphophone/Dictaphone cylinder (1887) Perfected phonograph/Ediphone (1888) Salon cylinder (1890s) Stentor cylinder (1890s) Le Céleste cylinder (1890s) Gold moulded record (1902) Indestructible record (1907) Amberol record (1908) Blue Amberol record (1912) Paradis cylinder (1913) Grooved disc Phonograph record (1889) Pathé disc (1905) Diamond disc (1912) Pathé Actuelle (1920) Edison Voicewriter (late 1940s) SoundScriber (1945) Audograph (1945) Long play (1948) Highway Hi-Fi (1956) Grooved tape Tefiphon/Teficord (early 1930s), Tefifon Dictabelt (1947) Sound-on-film Phonofilm (1919) Tri-Ergon (1922) Movietone (1926) Photophone (1929) Fantasound (1940) Magnetic surface Magnetic stripe card (1900) Synchrofax (1959) Audio High Density (1978) Loose (reel-to-reel) magnetic tape Blattnerphone (1928) Magnetophon (1935) 1/4" tape (1949) 1/2" tape (1953) Fullcoat magfilm (1953) Stripe magfilm (1953) 1" tape (1957) 2" tape (1967) 3" tape (1978) Magnetic tape cartridge & cassette Optaphon (1951) Stenorette (1954) RCA tape cartridge (1958) Fidelipac (1959) 3M Scotch (1962) Cousino Echo-matic II (1962) Stereo-Pak (1962) Compact Cassette (1963) Sabamobil (1964) 8-track (1964) Micro pack 35 (1964) Cantata 700 (1965) DC-International (1965) PlayTape (1966) Microcassette (1969) HiPac (1971) Steno-Cassette (1971) Elcaset (1976) Picocassette (1985) Pocket Rockers (1988) Analog-to-digital converter Soundstream (1976) X80/ProDigi (1980) DASH (1982) PCM adaptor (1982) DTRS (1993) Digital Magnetic tape cartridge & cassette Digital Audio Tape (1987) NT (1992) Digital Compact Cassette (1992) Sound-on-film DD (1986) CDS (1990) SDDS (1993) Optical disc Compact Disc Digital Audio (1982) MiniDisc (1992) DTS (1993) HDCD (1995) Super Audio CD (1999) DVD-Audio (2000) DataPlay (2002) Hi-MD (2004) DualDisc (2004) BD-Audio (2008) HFPA (2013) MQA-CD (2014) Electronic circuit Sound chip (late 1970s) MP3 player (1996) HitClips (2000) USB flash drive (2004) MicroSD (2007) Hybrid Mini-cassette (1967) U-matic (1971) CD Video (1987) ADAT (1991) Timecode vinyl (2001) VinylDisc (2007)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [SoundScriber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SoundScriber) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SoundScriber?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.