Stereo Sound

Alan Dower Blumlein (1903-1942) was born in London and became a pioneer in the field of sound technology. He carried out work on standards for long-distance telecommunications and the reduction of cross-talk effects and filed a total of 128 patents. At EMI (Electric and Musical Industries) in Hayes, Middlesex, he invented stereo sound in 1931, devising techniques still in use today. It was first used on a musical recording at London’s Abbey Road Studios (made famous by The Beatles).

It is said that he was prompted by the abysmal sound distribution through speakers at a cinema. He realised that a new model of sound was needed which did not assume that two speakers represented two ears. His solution ~ to record two channels that are replayed simultaneously ~ received a prestigious recognition posthumously, with a Grammy Award in 2017.

He was carrying out top secret research on aeronautical radar equipment during WW2 when his Halifax bomber aeroplane crashed in a field and he and the rest of the passengers were killed. Crucially, his work was recovered and was of immense importance in operations such as D-Day.

(Images LtoR: Abbey Road studios by Dr Ronald Kunze at Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 & Technical Grammy by AlanBlumlein at Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0)