Early recording studio
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The photo above is a band making a recording in an acoustic recording studio.
It is said to be "acoustic" because no electricity is used in the recording process.

There are no microphones, instead they used a large "horn" to collect the sound. The collection
horn is easy to find in the photo, it's the long metal cone. Musicians tightly pack around the opening so it
picks up the sound of their instruments. Some instruments recorded better than others.
The more sensitive or loud instruments were placed further from the opening.

The recordist worked his equipment at the other end of the horn, literally behind a veil of secrecy.
He'd work behind a privacy curtain and nobody would be allowed to watch or even peek at him.
Every recordist had his own cutter designs and therefore carried closely guarded studio secrets.

Basically, The sound which was traveling down the horn was focused upon a flexible diaphragm, causing it to
vibrate with the sound. A cutting needle was attached to the vibrating diaphragm, and the needle placed in hot,
rotating wax to cut the record grooves.
Masters are made from the wax originals and eventually stamped into shellac records.

Our phonograph recreates sound very similar to the process above, but reversed.
The needle rides in the rotating groove which contain the music information, causing it to vibrate.
The needle is also attached to a flexible diaphragm, causing it to vibrate with the music information.
The diaphragm is located at the narrow end of a long horn, and the horn amplifies the sound created
at the diaphragm.
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