In the early days of radio broadcasting, the creation of live sound effects was an essential part of most dramatic shows. Sound effects were the "audio scenery" that aided the telling of a story when no visual aids were possible. The background sounds of footsteps, rainfall, a telephone ringing, or other effects helped the listener to visualize a scene in their minds. In broadcasting's early years, sound effects were created live in the studio because the poor quality of that era's recording technology was inadequate. In fact, the NBC network prohibited the broadcasting of ANY recordings. The creation of live sound effects thus became a specialized profession within the radio industry. Its practitioners were experts at devising ingenious methods and devices to recreate authentic sounds in the studios. By the 1940's, recording technology had improved to the point that certain sounds that were difficult to duplicate in the studio were generated from transcription disks, but live effects still provided a major part of the "scenery" throughout radio's "Golden Age". Here are some interesting images that show how these sounds were produced.
