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celluloid— much harder substance than the stearic wax
compound— the early years the twentieth century but had
not secured patent protection for this area research.
. A
legal solution was eventually found this problem the
purchase rights foreign patents celluloid, but until a
harder material could developed Edison's customers were not
. 49
satisfied with the Amberol cylinders.
Edison's response growing competition the
phonograph industry was improve the sound his phonograph
to make recreate music more realistically. This
line experiments led both improved reproducers and better
cutters— the tool that incised the sound waves the masters. found that
semi-viscous compounds— goo the muckers— performed well not
only seal around the vibrating membrane but also managed
to dampen the sound prevent excessive highs and lows. The Columbia
Company gave the National Phonograph administration fright by
ruthlessly cutting prices during the first years the new
century. He
tried many combinations organic and inorganic materials in
the reproducer design achieve the right sound. Gilmore confidently wrote Edison that hope you
have had good results with your new recorder experiments, and
that you will soon able produce much better record,
which will offset this very radical move their part." The
laboratory had made considerable investment basic
knowledge sound during the nineteenth century and Edison
continued exploit this information base the twentieth
