City of Westminster in Greater London, England, United Kingdom — Northwestern Europe (the British Isles)

Invention of Stereo Sound Reproduction, 1931

Abbey Road Studios

— IEEE Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing —

Invention of Stereo Sound Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Baker, 2016

1. Invention of Stereo Sound Marker

Inscription. Alan Dower Blumlein filed a patent for a two-channel audio system called “stereo” on 14 December 1931. It included a “shuffling” circuit to preserve directional sound, an orthogonal “Blumlein Pair” of velocity microphones, the recording of two orthogonal channels in a single groove, stereo disc-cutting head, and hybrid transformer to mix directional signals. Blumlein brought his equipment to Abbey Road Studios in 1934 and recorded the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Erected 2015 by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment • Industry & Commerce • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the IEEE Milestones in Electrical Engineering and Computing, and the The Beatles series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1931.

Location. 51° 31.932′ N, 0° 10.67′ W. Marker is in City of Westminster, England, in Greater London. Marker is on Abbey Road just north of Grove End Road, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3 Abbey Rd, City of Westminster, England NW8 9AY, United Kingdom. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Sir Alfred Ayer (approx. 1.8 kilometers away); Sir Gerald Kelly

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(approx. 1.8 kilometers away); Jacqueline du Pré (approx. 1.8 kilometers away); Tony Ray-Jones (approx. 1.9 kilometers away); John Lennon (approx. 2 kilometers away); Anthony Trollope (approx. 2 kilometers away); Leopold (Leo) Samuel Marks, MBE (approx. 2 kilometers away); William Wilkie Collins (approx. 2 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in City of Westminster.

More about this marker. The studio's most notable client was the Beatles, who used the studio, originally called EMI, for many of the innovative recording techniques that they adopted throughout the 1960s. In the 1970s, the studio was renamed in honor of the group's 1969 album Abbey Road.

Abbey Road Studios image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Baker, 2016

2. Abbey Road Studios

Sir Edward Elgar, Composer image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Baker, 2016

3. Sir Edward Elgar, Composer

Opened and recorded in these studios, 1931

Credits. This page was last revised on December 21, 2022. It was originally submitted on April 12, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 335 times since then and 61 times this year. Last updated on February 18, 2021, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 12, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.