A D V E N T U R E S   in   C Y B E R S O U N D

Ever since it was thought to be possible, men have tried to store sound by different means, whether it be Edison with wax rolls, or Poulsen with metallic wire...

1807 : The American Thomas Young builds an instrument capable of inscribing acoustic vibrations on the surface of a soot-coated cylinder.

1877 : Thomas Edison builds the first device allowing recording and playback of sounds, the phonograph.  The conversion of acoustic waves into recorded information was accomplished by engraving an aluminum foil covering a rotating cylinder.

1888 : Oberlin Smith studies the fundamental idea of magnetic recording and propounds some experiments.

1889 : The first magnetic recording is achieved by the Danish physicist Valdeman Poulsen. This device, The "Telegraphon", is made of a steel sire wound helically on a cylinder rotating under an electromagnet connected to a carbon microphone or an earphone.

1903 : Poulsen uses biasing by a continuous magnet field, which constitutes an important improvement.

1905-1926 : The 78 rpm record industry grows rapidly and research on magnetic recording is slowed down.

1927 : Carlson and Carpenter invent alternating magnetic field biasing.  At the same time, O'Neil test flexible magnetic base materials.

1930 : The German based Marconi-Stille Company builds the first steel band recorders for the BBC.  The material specifications are as follows: 1/8" wide, 3 x 10 mm thick, 60 ips (1.5 m/s) record speed, and weighed 55 lbs.   These machines were fairly dangerous to use, as operators risked deep gashes.

1931 : In Germany, Pfleumer and AEG design and build the first magnetic tape recorder, close to what is still in use today.

1934 : The I.G. Farben Company (BASF), at the request of AEG, manufacture the first magnetic tape on a plastic base whose specifications are good enough for industrial production.  160,000 ft. were manufactured.

1941 : Weber and Von Braunmuhl from AEG develop the high frequency biasing technique; the improvement is decisive, and the "Magnetophone" becomes a machine of excellent quality.

1947 : Launching of the microgroove 45 rpm record.

1948 : Use of recorders becomes more widespread, but they are still heavy and bulky; mobile recorders are installed in trucks.  They require a lot of electrical power, and are impractical to use.  In Switzerland, several research workers try to improve on these points.

1949 : In Zurich, Willi Studer develops a high quality portable tape recorder, but it must still be powered by mains.

1951 : Stephan Kudelski, a physics student at what is now the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, working at home in his spare time, built the first Nagra portable, self-contained audio recorder.  This prototype was followed by several Nagra I machines, manufactured with the modest means then available to the young inventor.  Two Nagra I recorders, purchased by Radio-Geneva, were taken on the Everest expedition led by Raymond Lambert; Professor Augustine Piccard used another during his deep-sea dives in the bathyscaph Trieste; and the French radio station Europe acquired a machine for its news gathering campaign.

1955 : Stereophonic tape recorders are marketed.

1957 : The Nagra III, a transistorized tape recorder with electronic speed control, was launched.  For the first time ever, a unit weighing only five kilograms could be relied upon to produce recordings of the same quality as those achieved by the best non-portable studio recorders.

1959 : Instrumentation tape recorders are marketed.

1960 : The Italian radio and television corporation (RAI) purchases about one hundred Nagra III machines for the Summer Olympics in Rome.  Kudelski is producing 480 recorders yearly.  The Nagra SN, a new model no bigger than a wallet, is received enthusiastically by sound recordists.

1961 : Invention of the "NEOPILOT" system.

1964 : At this time, Stefan Kudelski's workshop was located in Paudex, to the east of Lausanne.  A subsidiary is opened in Renens, and a large plot of land is purchased at Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne for the building of a new factory.  Low priced, medium quality cassette recorders appear in large numbers.

1968 : Stefan Kudelski's private company becomes KUDELSKI SA.   Series production of the first multitrack (16 and more) audio tape recorders begins.

1969 : The Nagra IV, equipped with silicon transistors, is launched.  KUDELSKI SA moves into its new factory at Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne.

1970-77 : Several Nagra models are launched into the market: Nagra 4.2 for the cinema, the Nagra IV-S (stereo) for film and record industries, the Nagra SJ for acoustic instrumentation use, the Nagra IS for reporters in the field, the Nagra E for low-budget professional user, and the miniature Nagra SNST for security applications.

1974 : The first digital PCM instrumentation tape recorders appear.

1975 : Prototypes of recorders with static digital memories appear.

1977 : The Nagrafax, a meteorological receiver/recorder system, designed specially for use by both commercial and private vessels, was introduced.   This system soon became standard on-board equipment for ocean-going ships.

1978 : This year sees the introduction of the Nagra TI instrumentation recorder.

1980 : KUDELSKI SA takes its first step into video with a portable, professional-standard 1" C-format video recorder.  An agreement with Ampex is signed for marketing the Ampex/Nagra VPR-5.  A small studio machine, the Nagra TA, derived from the Nagra TI, joins the product range.

1987 : KUDELSKI SA and Honeywell Inc. (USA) sign a cooperation agreement for the development of a rotating head data recorder (RTU) for instrumentation applications.

1988 : Development begins on the Nagra-D digital audio recorder.

1989 : CANAL+ decides to replace all of its decoders with the DECODEX system, developed by NagraVision.  This division of KUDELSKI SA is formed to carry the responsibility for all pay-TV activities.  CANAL+ (Spain) adopts the NagraVision system during this year.

1990 : The NagraVision system is adopted by the "Premiere" German TV channel.  Development for the Nagra-D 4-channel digital recorder, intended for music and cinema industries, nears completion.

1991 : Andre Kudelski takes over the leadership of the company, and is appointed president of KUDELSKI SA.  The millionth decoder, built under license from NagraVision, leaves the factory.  The Nagra-D development team is reinforced, and the first industrial prototype is made ready.

1992 : The Nagra-D is officially launched at the AES exhibition in Vienna.  NAGRA KUDELSKI GmbH (Munich) becomes a fully owned subsidiary of KUDELSKI SA, and NAGRA KUDELSKI (GB) LTD. (London) is formed.

1993 : The Nagra-D achieves many success stories in music and film applications.

1995 : Unveiled at the NAB '95 Convention in Las Vegas, the Nagra ARES-C is a portable solid-state, digital recorder.  The ARES-C is initially designed for radio reporting with on-board editing capabilities and built-in ISDN functions for data transmission.

1996 : The Kudelski Group received an EMMY AWARD by The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in recognition of efforts in the development of digital Pay-TV in the United States.  24-bit 96 kHz digital recording is now achievable using our Nagra-D and external A/D and D/A converters. 

Source: http://www.nagra.com/nagra/history.htm

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