RetroTech: Recordable Paper - The 3M Sound Page

In this video I take a look at a multimedia educational format from the 1970s, the 3M Sound Page (AKA Ricoh Synchrofax)

UPDATE
I’ve seen a few comments where the assumption has been made that this device was still in use as an educational tool in the 1990s. I think this is highly unlikely. Here’s my take on this - if you’ve ever gone to school, you’ll know that they rarely throw anything away. I know in my school there were things in storage cupboards that hadn’t been used in decades. My theory is that this was used in the 1970s and then stored away until being discovered in the 1990s by some mischievous children who liberated it and used it to record music off the radio (over the top of the old teachers programmes).

COMPLAINTS RECEIVED (SO FAR)

1) The use of the term ‘ASMR Nuts’
The definition of Nut as used in this context is as follows:
A person who is enthusiastic about a specific thing;
e.g.
Car nut
Football Nut
Health Nut

I am a Technology Nut - and I’m proud of it.
So you’ll have to find something else to pretend to get outraged by today.

2) ‘Fat Shaming’
3) ‘Flat Earth”

The recordings used in this video are taken from educational programmes made in 1974. Your 2018 complaints or observations on something from 44 years ago will need to be addressed to the creator of those programmes.

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Muppet Teletext Graphic - courtesy of @ZXGuesser (on Twitter)

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[Crazy_Borg]

Well, the idea sounded pretty good...on paper.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

I'm honestly surprised our family didn't own one of these. We were _always_ on the wrong side of history. We had a Betamax, and when they stopped releasing movies for it, we switched to Laserdisc. My father had an 8-track player both in our home and in his car, and when they stopped releasing albums for it, he bought a reel-to-reel, convinced it was the next big thing. All my friends had an Atari 2600, while we had an Intellivision. And when I asked for a home computer, I got a Coleco Adam.

[simplesimon]

"Only available on misappropriated school equipment" cracked me up. This guy always bring the unexpected deadpan hilarity.

[marika]

As an Ilustrator, i really would love an alternative timeline where instead of casette tapes we used this type of format, and the pages had amezing artwork, or carring a literal folder with all your music on it.

[Hawk]

That lady's voice is going to turn up in my nightmares, I just know it.

[BillBard]

"To convert this raw score of 48, to IQ score, you will now how to change to sound page... *SHUFFLESHUUFFLE OH CRAP OH DAMN WHERE IS IT OH MAN IM MESSING THIS UP* number ssss... eight!" Nailed it.

[izzyosborn]

I feel this would be a great prop for a horror movie or something like that, a group of policeman are investigating a cold case at an abandoned school and information left by the kids is discovered by playing these.

[primtones]

'70s equipment with '90s pop songs played on YouTube in the '10s. Love those layers!

[DissociatedWomenIncorporated]

You know I hear Shelly the shoemaker's shoes are a bit shit. Shoddy workmanship, not to mention the shady shell corporations.

[RichGwilliam]

"Is he going to play the music? The copyright system might recognise them and... ah, right. Never mind. Nobody's recognising this."

[gisellevelazquez]

Forget the vinyl and cassette resurgence -- misappropriated school equipment is going to be THE format trend for 2018!

[RickBoat]

Apparently, the supply of old recording formats will never dry up.

The glue on the media must have been great, and the density low cause the DO sound surprisingly good.

[GuestZer]

Idea: music sheets with the actual music recorded on them.

[mazinz]

I need one of these, such a neat concept. Actually I can see younger kids having fun with it if you tell them "hey you can record your voice on this piece of paper"

[brantisonfire]

I laughed uncontrollably when you were pronouncing the way those music artists names were misspelled. That was hilarious.

[graverboi]

What a small world. I currently work for Ricoh and live in Oklahoma.

[robinw]

Interesting! Also, I almost spat my beer all over my laptop when you did the music compilation voiceover part haha! Keep up the good work mate!

[mcolville]

Man for some reason the idea of kids in the 90s still using these things in school depresses the hell out of me.

[ChrisWalshZX]

Pretty amazing! When I read the title, I was thinking it was going to read a 1-bit digital audio signal from black and white dots off the paper! Sound quality is pretty good!

[Shermanbay]

The "draw a man" test was an integral part of IQ tests for young children in the 1950's at least, and was scored similarly with respect to age. It made up only a part of the complete IQ test which included questions in text form.