Wire Reel Recordings

Wire Recordings

If asked today, most people will tell you they have never heard of a wire recorder. In fact, between the 1940's and 1960's, before the acceptance of the oxide based magnetic tape as the standard, stainless steel piano-type wire was not an uncommon format.

These wire recorders were marketed for both office use and as home entertainment devices. They were often used for making family recordings or for recording radio broadcasts. Unlike home-cut phonograph records, which could accommodate only a few minutes of audio on each side, the steel wire could be repeatedly re-recorded and allowed much longer uninterrupted recordings to be made.

During the first half of the 1950's, tape recorders, which became affordable, simple and compact to be suitable for home and office use started appearing and they rapidly drove wire recorders from the market.

Audio reliability of a wire recording is very limited by today's standards, but still quite acceptable considering the technology at the time. What's amazing is how well those early recordings are holding up. Using modern transfer and restoration technology we are able to capture what was previously thought to be lost recordings from this outdated format.

A Wire Recording may be transferred to almost any modern format such as a CD, DVD or as an audio file on a hard drive. Typical Webster style wire recorder spools hold approximately 7200 ft. of wire, which allows approximately 1 hour of play/record time at 24 IPS (inches per second).

Although the wire recordings are holding up remarkably well, the main concern in the near future will be the ability to locate a functional wire recorder. This is yet another case where the media will out survive the hardware upon which to play it.