Apple posts "the story behind the Song" featuring old and new music recording technology

Following the weekend release of its tearjerker holiday ad featuring a girl who records a duet with a discovered vinyl recording by her grandmother, Apple has posted a video showing the technology behind both recordings.

Apple's original ad, named "the Song," implies that the grandmother recorded a song for her husband in the military.

A follow up video Apple posted to its YouTube account (embedded below) serves as a mini-documentary of "Voice-o-Graph" recording booths from the 1940s that let people record their own voice to a record, complete with a stamped envelope for mailing the recording as an audio postcard.

The original ad was filmed with the help of Third Man Records, which maintains an original recording booth from the WWII era.

The video also presents the granddaughter as being a musician who regularly uses Garage Band, Apple's music recording and editing software that's now bundled for free with new iPhones, iPads and Macs.

The original ad was published with a description reading, "With a Mac, iPhone or iPad you have the power to create thoughtful, emotional gifts and memories that transcend time. It could be a movie, a homemade card or a song that brings two generations closer together."

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29 Comments

daven

said about 9 years ago

Great and touching commercial. I ran across one of those recording years ago that was made by my uncle to my Grandmother. I'll never forget it. I sent it to my cousins and they also enjoy it.

badmonk

said about 9 years ago

Vinyl voice recordings were common in that era. My mother was a recipient of several of these from a WWIi serviceman. Always thought the idea was magical. Glad to see Apple bringing this culture forward into the moment. Good job Apple. Class act as always.

rob53

said about 9 years ago

What the extra video didn't say was how she got the recording into Garageband. If she just played it on a record player and let her Mac record the sound through it's microphone might have been inferred but I was hoping for a reference to an analog-to-digital input device.

Still like both videos.

bobschlob

said about 9 years ago

Funny that Apple did this, as I was certainly having the thought while watching the commercial, that there would be tons of people asking "what the hell is that weird flat circular thing?".

jungmark

said about 9 years ago

[quote name="rob53" url="/t/183956/apple-posts-the-story-behind-the-song-featuring-old-and-new-music-recording-technology#post_2652685"]What the extra video didn't say was how she got the recording into Garageband. If she just played it on a record player and let her Mac record the sound through it's microphone might have been inferred but I was hoping for a reference to an analog-to-digital input device. Still like both videos. [/quote] I think it was analog to digital. In the commercial you can sort of see a wire from the MacBook lead to the turntable.