The idea
By observing the surface of a record with the assistance of a microscope, the variation of the groove is easily visible. It should be possible to restore the sound starting from a picture of a record!
This idea was born in the summer of 1999, in a three-parties discussion, sitting comfortably on the banks of lake Lugano on a warm, sunny day, between the technical manager of the FN Stefano S. Cavaglieri (creator and holder of the intellectual property, initiator of the project), the former director of M & C Management and Communications SA Pierre Hemmer (co-initiator of the project), and the Director of the FN Pio Pellizzari (co-initiator of the project).
The research, combined with a bit of luck, allowed us to find, in the school of engineering and architecture of Fribourg (mettere link), the ideal partner to at first study the feasibility, and then start a multidisciplinary project that, thanks to the enthusiasm of professors and students, has progressed with great success over the years.
The principle
A high-resolution picture of each side of the record is taken. The film becomes the carrier containing the information. The information is digitized using a circular scanner. Various algorithms process the image in order to extract and reconstruct the sound.
For further information, technical details, and some sound samples: English
