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A GUIDE TO THE PHYSICAL OBJECT COLLECTION

All object photographs & notes by John Kannenberg.

Items in the Physical Object Collection are available for view by our visitors.

Please request any physical objects you would like to inspect when arranging your visit.

DONATIONS ARE WELCOME. OBJECT INFORMATION •123

Sony Walkman model WM-11D. The First .

OBJECT 1 OBJECT 2

Sony Walkman WM-11D The First Compact Disc: Japan, 1985 Classics, Japan, 1980

Four years after Sony released the original The first commercially available Compact Walkman portable cassette player, they Disc was released by Philips Classics in released the WM-11D, a fairly standard 1980. The original recording for the model whose only standout feature was its album was made in 1979. In a ceremony ability to ‘auto-stop’ playing a tape when to launch the beginning of the manufacture it was finished. It originally retailed for of the disc, musician Claudio Arrau was US$35. invited to the factory to press the ‘start’ button on the machinery. Please note: The Museum’s copy of this object is broken and does not function. Please be aware of this if you request to examine this object in person.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused. 124• PHYSICAL OBJECT COLLECTION

Sharp MiniDisc recorder, User’s Manual, and unopened MiniDisc, donated to the collection by Lydie Valentin.

OBJECT 3

Sharp Minidisc Recorder France, 1990

As the Compact Disc format became the standard for music distribution, usage of other formats such as the LP record and the audio cassette rapidly – but as we have seen recently, temporarily – faded away. In an attempt to fill the gap left by the ‘death’ of the audio cassette, the Mini- Disc format was launched in 1992 – a tiny recordable compact disc that was capable of making digital recordings that was also easily re-recordable, unlike the confusing CD-R and CD-RW formats. Only about half the size of a standard CD, the MiniDisc was nonetheless capable of storing the same amount of CD-quality audio. The MiniDisc never caught on with mainstream listening audiences; however, it was briefly embraced by field recordists as an alternative to the bulkier DAT (). Once MP3 players began to capture the market, demand for the MiniDisc slowly faded, until all production of them was shut down for good in 2013. OBJECT INFORMATION •125

iPod Classic. iPhone 4S.

OBJECT 4 OBJECT 5 iPod Classic 160GB iPhone 4S 32GB US, 2012 US, 2014

At 160GB in capacity, the iPod Classic was The mobile phone that houses The Museum a way for a listener to carry their entire of Portable Sound also happens to be an audio collection with them wherever they object in the Museum’s collection – which went. Unfortunately, as times have changed means that when you visit the Museum, along with business models, the emphasis not only are you holding an entire museum on ownership of music has been eroded in your hand, but you’re also holding a sin- until streaming audio has replaced it; in gle object from its collections – frankly, we order to stream audio, you need a data find this to be a fascinating paradox! Add to transfer connection, either WiFi or this the fact that you can also listen to this mobile phone data. This means that iPhone’s electromagnetic field as one of the portable listening is gradually shifting permanent collection objects (see page 51, over to mobile phones, leaving standalone Object 3), and things go from paradoxical audio devices like the iPod looking a bit to downright metaphysical. No need to old fashioned. make a special request to inspect this item, it’s always available whenever you visit The Museum of Portable Sound! 126• PHYSICAL OBJECT COLLECTION

Ukrainian radio front (above) and inscription on FM3 Buddha Machine v.2 (purple). bottom reverse (below).

OBJECT 6 OBJECT 7

AM/FM Radio FM3 Buddha Machine v.2 Ukraine, 1988 China, 2008

Kate Yonova-Doing, the donor of this piece A self-contained portable sound machine, to our collections: ‘I wanted to tell you that the Buddha Machine was created by the my 85 year old grandma is donating her band FM3 and intended as a pre-loaded radio (made 1988 in Ukraine, still working) loop-playing device. Each Buddha Machine to the Museum of Portable Sound. It was came with a built-in speaker, a combined her best friend for the last 27 years and is power switch and volume control wheel, one of my favourite objects at home. and a chip containing nine pre-recorded With its help my musical culture was sound loops created by the band. Our object formed from classical music to alternative is the second version of the Machine that and modern composed etc...[S]he saved it was released in 2008, and which added a from going to the trash, and I [brought] it pitch control in addition to the nine new to London, [where] she hopes it will find loops contained on its chip. a happy new home in your museum.’ OBJECT INFORMATION •127

Portuguese disposable earbuds, donated by Lara Torres. Olympus Pearlcorder S711 microcassette recorder, donated by Matthew Sansom.

OBJECT 8 OBJECT 9

Disposable Earbuds Olympus Pearlcorder S711 Portugal, 2016 Tokyo, 1990s

When traveling on the Alfa train line in Olympus created the Microcassette format Portugal, it is possible to obtain a free set in 1969. The format was primarily used for of disposable earbuds for listening to the recording voice, and became a standard for on-board entertainment. Our earabuds machines. Its variable speed were obtained on a train travelling from allowed for recording up to three hours on Lisbon to Algarve. a single 90-minute microcassette. Later models of the S711 were available in Please note: ‘champagne gold’ or blue, and had a slightly The Museum intends to keep these earbuds more swooping, tapered design. mint in package, so if requesting to inspect The Museum’s S711 came with an opened them, we will not allow you to open the microcassette still inside; we have yet to package. listen to its contents.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused. 128• PHYSICAL OBJECT COLLECTION

Olympus XB60 microcassette in package, donated by Normal bias audio cassettes in original packaging Matthew Sansom. (lot of two), donated by Matthew Sansom.

OBJECT 10 OBJECT 11

Olympus XB60 Microcassette Normal Bias Audio Cassette Tapes Shinjuku, Date Unknown Shropshire & Germany, 1990s

The Microcassette has proven to be a Bias in refers to a magnetic stalwart , particularly signal applied to the tape as it is being due to its longstanding use as the primary recorded; the higher the bias signal, the format of dictation machines. While some higher the sound quality, particualrly in Microcassettes are still available for the high end of the recorded signal. High purchase, Olympus and other producers bias cassette tapes exhibit much less ‘tape discontinued their manufacture in the hiss’ than normal bias tapes do. These two hopes that customers would switch to normal bias tapes were manufactured by digital recorders. Maxell (Shropshire) and Emtec (Germany).

Please note: Please note: The Museum intends to keep this object mint The Museum intends to keep these objects mint in package, so if requesting to inspect it, in package, so if requesting to inspect them, we will not allow you to unwrap it. we will not allow you to unwrap it.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. OBJECT INFORMATION •129

Impega CD-RW 650MB, donated by Matthew Sansom. HHB DAT65 Digital Audio Tape, donated by Matthew Sansom.

OBJECT 12 OBJECT 13

Impega CD-RW 650MB HHB DAT65 Digital Audio Tape Switzerland, pre-2010 Toronto, Date Unknown

Swiss office products brand Impega was Initially released by Sony in 1987, Digital a significant presence on the European Audio Tape was initially intended to be a recordable media market before it was replacement for magnetic audio tape. acquired by Lyreco, who replaced the Instead of recording an analogue signal, Impega branding with its own name in DAT tape stored its recorded information 2010. digitally at CD quality or higher. Its was to be its death warrant, as the Please note: recording industry helped block DAT’s The Museum intends to keep this object mint implementation as a widespread audio tape in package, so if requesting to inspect it, replacement due to fears of consumers we will not allow you to unwrap it. being able to make perfect copies of Compact Discs. DAT tape became a niche We apologise for any inconvenience caused. product for musicians and field recordists, but its quirky combination of digital record- ings with analogue retrieval proved unwieldy upon the widespread adoption of recordable CDs.

Please note: The Museum intends to keep this object mint in package, so if requesting to inspect it, we will not allow you to unwrap it.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused. 130• PHYSICAL OBJECT COLLECTION

Sony MZ-R30 Minidisc Walkman recorder with extra Nature Observing-Recording & Playback Dish, battery pack, donated by Matthew Sansom. donated by Matthew Sansom.

OBJECT 14 OBJECT 15

Sony MZ-R30 Minidisc Walkman Nature Observing-Recording & Japan, 1996 Playback Dish China, 2007 The Sony MZ-R30 Minidisc Walkman was released in 1996, featuring one major Intended primarily for bird-watching innovation which set it apart from its (although that may have been a ruse to get competition: a vertical-scrolling ‘jog wheel’ around the morally grey area of selling which aided in entering track information surveillance toys), this all-in-one handheld in the recorder’s tiny LCD interface screen spy kit includes a parabolic dish for ampli- much easier than other Minidisc recorder fying distant sounds and a ‘monocular’ for interfaces. This model also featured an viewing birds and other things one might expansion slot for a remote control as well listen to at a distance. A built-in digital as an extra battery pack (shown in the recorder allows the capture of 12 seconds photo above). of audio, and a frequency adjustment dial helps to eliminate background hiss. The Please note: need to punch a sizable hole through the The Museum’s copy of this object is broken and parabolic dish in order to accomodate the does not function. Please be aware of this if viewfinder might possibly adversely affect you request to examine this object in person. the dish’s functionality. Each unit comes with a pair of headphones; unfortunately, We apologise for any inconvenience caused. the Museum’s specimen does not include the original headphones, but does include the instruction manual and original box. OBJECT INFORMATION •131

OBJECT 16

Sony YPPY Walkman YP-ER20 UK, 1996

Olympus Pearlcorder S711 microcassette recorder, In 1996, Sony released a designer series donated by Matthew Sansom. of Walkmans in the UK, the YPPY series. Featuring fashionable designs that were intended to change seasonally, the YPPY series was a commercial failure due to its high price point and low quality. The YP- ER20 featured a presciently pre-iMac see- through plastic casing that slid out of a metal protective container for access to the cassette.

Please note: The Museum’s specimen includes the original box, interior packaging, manuals, and earbuds for this item.