<P> The wax cylinder got a competitor with the advent of the Gramophone , which was patented by Emile Berliner in 1887 . The vibration of the Gramophone 's recording stylus was horizontal , parallel to the recording surface , resulting in a zig - zag groove of constant depth . This is known as lateral recording . Berliner 's original patent showed a lateral recording etched around the surface of a cylinder , but in practice he opted for the disc format . The Gramophones he soon began to market were intended solely for playing prerecorded entertainment discs and could not be used to record . The spiral groove on the flat surface of a disc was relatively easy to replicate : a negative metal electrotype of the original record could be used to stamp out hundreds or thousands of copies before it wore out . Early on , the copies were made of hard rubber , and sometimes of celluloid , but soon a shellac - based compound was adopted . </P>
<P> The wax cylinder got a competitor with the advent of the Gramophone , which was patented by Emile Berliner in 1887 . The vibration of the Gramophone 's recording stylus was horizontal , parallel to the recording surface , resulting in a zig - zag groove of constant depth . This is known as lateral recording . Berliner 's original patent showed a lateral recording etched around the surface of a cylinder , but in practice he opted for the disc format . The Gramophones he soon began to market were intended solely for playing prerecorded entertainment discs and could not be used to record . The spiral groove on the flat surface of a disc was relatively easy to replicate : a negative metal electrotype of the original record could be used to stamp out hundreds or thousands of copies before it wore out . Early on , the copies were made of hard rubber , and sometimes of celluloid , but soon a shellac - based compound was adopted . </P>
who invented a method for recording sound on flat discs
who invented a method for recording sound on flat discs
Emile Berliner
Emile Berliner