Memory Drum

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Lesson Today is the Memory Drum

My grandfather once told me when I was a kid, in my bedroom when I was sit on my bed and lean to the headboards, “Do everything with hard work, buddy. There is nothing instant in this world. Something great like city of Rome didn’t built in just one night.” Well, I bet Grandpa knew nothing about how Rome was built, but he was right; there is nothing instant for everything including to mastery on musical recording instruments like memory drum (read: drum machines).

drum machines

We are not talking about the memory drum tutorial in this article but anyone who name their profession as sound specialist or musicians should know about memory drum since it’s one of the most important components in music recording since a long time ago.

What do you know about this instrument? The only thing that I know, memory drum is a device to keep and store music in the computer system. Memory drum used as the music recorded when we use paper tape. So, I was surprised when a friend of mine showed me the shape of the former memory drum. The shape was big, made of metal cylinder. He said people since 1950s used it to help record things in computer. First it was invented to keep a memory in computer, then after 1970s, people back then used it as music recorded. People who wanted to record music with memory drum need to turn on the punch cards. It has to be done because it is only able to do storage when the things loaded. Unlike the modern storage disk, memory drum work one by one. I said to my friend that it was so complicated and difficult to just keep one file of music with this memory drum then. He laughed and agreed. Then he said that even though it was complicated for producers and the crews, the music result was better and more powerful since it was keep in semiconductor.

The time goes by and technology became modern. But memory drum at the past had given a big influence in music industry, especially in the method of music storage in computer. After many developments, memory drum has become much modern and efficient to storage music and now known as drum machines. Thanks God then, I can’t imagine to record music in months!