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The Format You've Never Heard Of — and Why It Still Matters
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Discover how a restored 1947 wire recorder helped preserve rare Dave Brubeck recordings, combining vintage technology with modern audio restoration.
There are certain moments in archival audio work where history suddenly becomes very tangible. Recently, our studio had one of those moments when we acquired a functioning 1947 wire recorder we found on an auction site — a rare piece of recording technology that predates the widespread use of magnetic tape.
For many people, wire recorders are completely unfamiliar. Before reel-to-reel tape became the standard in the 1950s, wire recording was one of the earliest practical recording formats available. Instead of recording audio onto tape, these machines captured sound onto incredibly thin stainless-steel wire that was wound onto a spool. It was innovative technology for its time, even if it now feels almost unbelievable to watch in operation.
Finding a Working Machine
When we first brought the machine into the studio, it almost felt like opening a time capsule. The project began when we needed a way to transfer a collection of wire recordings that had come into our care. Primary Wave asked us to digitize some recordings by acclaimed American jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck. The challenge was simple in theory but difficult in practice: functioning wire recorders are increasingly rare, and even fewer are still capable of reliable playback.
After some searching, our team located a 1947 portable wire recorder online. Housed in what looks more like a small suitcase than a professional audio machine, the recorder represented an opportunity to preserve recordings that otherwise would have remained unplayable and certainly inaccessible.
Bringing a 1940s Machine Back to Life
Like many pieces of legacy technology, the recorder needed attention before it could safely handle archival material. One of the machine’s wire guide mechanisms was not functioning properly during rewind and playback. Fortunately, our studio engineer, Tom Miho, was able to diagnose the issue, fix the motion of the playback flash record head, and restore the transport system to working order, which was proved when the reel that came with the recorder started to play.
Because equipment like this was never designed to interface with modern digital systems, we also needed a way to connect the recorder’s output into a contemporary audio workflow.
Tom fabricated a custom connection that allowed us to route the machine’s signal into a modern analog-to-digital converter and capture the recordings directly into Pro Tools in real time.
Watching that process unfold was remarkable. Our audio engineer, Scott Delaney, performed the transfer work and audio sweetening. A machine built in the late 1940s was suddenly communicating with twenty-first century restoration software — nearly eighty years of audio technology working together in a single signal chain.
The Challenges of Wire Recording
Wire recording is both fascinating and delicate.
The recording medium itself is an extremely thin strand of stainless steel wire wound tightly onto a spool. Unlike tape, the wire can easily tangle if mishandled, creating what archivists sometimes refer to as a “bird’s nest” — a hopelessly tangled mass that requires patience and care to recover.
Playback also requires constant attention. If the wire breaks, the traditional repair method is surprisingly straightforward: carefully knot the wire back together and continue the transfer. Any audible disruption can later be minimized during digital restoration.
And because the recordings must be captured in real time, there is no shortcut to the process. Every transfer becomes a live performance of preservation work: part engineering, part restoration, and part historical stewardship.
Combining Vintage Hardware with Modern Restoration
Once Scott transferred the content into the digital environment, the recordings could be carefully restored using modern tools with audio restoration software. The goal is never to erase the character of the original recording, but rather to reduce distractions like hisses, hums, and mechanical noises in the background while preserving the authenticity of the source.
That balance is one of the most rewarding parts of archival audio work. We were not only just recovering sound but also recovering moments, performances, conversations, and history that may not have been heard in decades.
When Dave Brubeck’s unmistakable sound came through that 1947 machine, it was a reminder of why our work matters. Formats fade. Machines go silent. But with the right combination of engineering, patience, and a little luck, finding an ancient remnant of sound can make the performance live forever.
Thanks to Primary Wave and the Dave Brubeck Estate for granting permission to write about the wire recorder and the transfer work. I also extend my thanks to Studio Manager Domenica Giorgio and studio engineers Tom and Scott for their assistance in acquiring this machine and supporting this project.
John Scheaffer is a Project Manager with Iron Mountain, bringing more than 30 years of experience across media production, archival preservation, and project management. Since joining the Media and Archival Services division in 2015, John has specialized in media remediation, audio and video engineering, and the preservation of historical media assets. He is responsible for strategic planning, project execution, resource management, and ensuring successful project delivery and works closely with clients to establish expectations, optimize workflows, and deliver high-quality results while leveraging his deep knowledge of legacy and contemporary media formats. Throughout his career, John has built extensive expertise as a music composer and producer for television and film, a business manager and archivist for Ogilvy & Mather, and a post-production coordinator for Magno Sound & Video and Point 360. His professional credits include work with Sony DreamWorks, NBC, Showtime, OWN, MTV, and NPR’s New Music. He holds a B.A. in Mass Communications (Radio, Television & Film) from Temple University and an A.A.S. in Business from Widener University.