How are sounds recorded and reproduced (played back)?

Sound recording is the transcription of invisible vibrations in air onto a storage medium such as a phonograph disc. The process is reversed in sound reproduction, and the variations stored on the medium are transformed back into sound waves.

1. How is sound played back?
2. How does a record record sound?
3. How are sound waves reproduced?
4. How sounds are recorded stored as audio files and played back on a computer?

How is sound played back?

It is a process wherein sound waves are captured by a machine. The machine converts the waves into electrical signals or digital data, that are then stored on recording media (such as gramophone records, cassette tapes, compact discs or computer hard drives). The sound can then be played back by reversing the process.

How does a record record sound?

When a record spins, it creates sound vibrations that get converted into electrical signals. These signals are fed into electronic amplifiers. Electric amps vibrate and feed the resulting sound into speakers, which amplify it and make it louder.

How are sound waves reproduced?

Sound waves are created by object vibrations and produce pressure waves, for example, a ringing cellphone. The pressure wave disturbs the particles in the surrounding medium, and those particles disturb others next to them, and so on.

How sounds are recorded stored as audio files and played back on a computer?

Recording devices capture sound waves from the air and convert them into electrical signals or digital data, which are then stored on media such as records, compact discs (CDs), and computer hard drives. Playback equipment reverses the recording process to reproduce the original sound.