Pavek Museum of Broadcasting The premier audio museum in the United States, open to the public in St. Louis Park, Minnesota (near Minneapolis/St. Paul). Extensive collections of antique radio, television, recording and broadcast equipment. Home to the Jack Mullin Collection, documenting the arrival and early development of magnetic tape recording in North America.
Museum of Sound Recording Founded in 1991, a -hands-on- museum with education as part of its mission. The Museum has led a peripatetic existence, and is currently without a location open to the public. Plans are underway, however, to move to a site in Yonkers, just outside New York City.
Magnetic Disk Heritage Center Based in the building in San Jose in which IBM scientists invented the hard disk drive, an MDHC display of the historical events that occurred here is now located in the building and available for public viewing.
Memphis Rock-n-Soul Museum Recreation of early Sun Records recording studio in Memphis
Smithsonian Institution Computer History Collection 14,000 square foot display at the National Museum of American History devoted to the history of the computer.
Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin Encyclopedic museum of technology; of particular interest is the film technology section. Soon to be the home of the Thiele papers.
History of Public Address Interesting website, with physical museum, located in the UK. As the name implies, devoted to PA equipment, with some specialization in WW2 air base kit.
National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, Bradford, Yorkshire, UK Large facility in north of England focused on visual media, with some attention paid to the technology for same
American Widescreen Museum Site focused on the history of sound in the movies. Extensive archives available online. Equipment viewed by invitation only.
Ampex Virtual Museum Online resource for information on Ampex recorders
Audio History Library A
collection of files on over 1,000 companies in 34 countries, and
growing constantly. The library endeavors to become an online
encyclopedia covering the development of audio recording and storage,
broadcasting, and sound reproduction technologies. The website currently
has a few interesting links to photos and documents. Don't toss your
un-wanted documents, sales literature, spec sheets, etc. on audio
equipment. See the web site for contact details.
Chalk Hill Virtual Museum East Texas video and audio recording history site, with active equipment acquisition program.
The Computer History Museum Just what you-d think - specializing in post-WW2 electronic computers. Well-done, comprehensive web site.
Museum of Broadcast Communications Located in Chicago, an archive-focused center devoted to the history of radio and TV in the US.
Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording Created in 2012, the Austin, Texas Museum was established to provide a permanent public non-profit museum that preserves the history of sound recording and its impact on music, broadcasting, film, video, games and science. Currently online only, they hope to draw significant collections from all those areas, adding to the broad appeal of the Museum. It will include the history of sound recording from the 1800s "soot" recording to today's digital. The University of Texas' School of Architecture will provide interior design development. The Museum is committed to preserving the vintage technology as well as commemorating the people who invented, manufactured, and benefited from sound recording. The Museum will have family-friendly interactive educational displays along with two period recording studios (1950s to 1970s, and 1970s to 1990s) tied to a live performance theater. There will be early acoustical devices, through wire, reel-to-reel, cassette, CD, and digital displays.
"Recordgraph", a 1940s sound recorder/reproducer that embosses a groove on an endless loop of uncoated 35-mm film. The technical description and its history and applications.
Stefano Pasini's Turntable and Tape Recorder Page: History, Restoration, Modification of reel-to-reel tape decks (with consumer focus) and turntables. Extensive private collection of both.
Twelve Microphones That Changed History Reprint of Mix Magazine article on vintage microphones.
Vintage Broadcast Microphones. Private site focused on broadcast microphones. Includes links for parts and repair.
Links updated; deleted dead links not found 2012-08-05 jm
Update 2014-07-16 wfw&jm
