At the headquarters of Zeus Corporation in Manhattan, Li Kangping had an interview with Anthony, the head of the purchasing department.

"I visited Xidian's West Street R&D base, and I knew what to do with the Zeus Lab expansion project. In fact, I've found a construction company that was involved in the construction of part of Xidian's West Street R&D base. Anthony said.

Li Kangping asked: "The construction company you are looking for has started to design drawings?" ”

"Not yet. They're going to explore those thirty acres in the next few days. ”

"Anthony, I want to add two workshops and a laboratory, which are called 'Film Equipment R&D Workshop', 'Film Equipment Testing Workshop', and 'Recording Laboratory'."

"Huh?"

Li Kangping explained: "The film equipment R&D workshop is an ordinary workshop, and it is enough to design and build according to the model of the tube workshop on West Street. Anthony, do you understand? ”

Anthony recalled what the tube shop on West Street looked like for a while, and he said, "I know, I know what to do." ”

"The film equipment test workshop is square feet in size and 80 to 90 feet in height, and the fewer support columns the better, and the walls and top surfaces need to be covered with light fixtures," Li added. Anthony, if you've ever been to a studio where you made a movie, you'll find that the film equipment testing workshop I'm talking about is actually a sound studio. ”

"Of course I've been to the studio, Mr. Lee, you shouldn't have forgotten that I accompanied you to California a few months ago to visit KBK's studio and Disney's cartoon studio."

"Yes, Anthony, you've been to a Hollywood studio, so that's fine. At this point, Anthony, you must understand, I want to start working on film equipment. ”

"I think I probably understood, Mr. Li, you want to study the equipment for sound films?"

"This spring, a sound film was staged in New York, but it did not attract too many positive, positive praise, and was even strongly criticized by star actors and directors such as Chaplin and Griffith. We will not evaluate the merits of sound films and silent films artistically, we will only talk about technology, and when it comes to technology, we have to mention Dr. Edison and Dr. Lee DeForicester......

Edison began working on sound films early on, and finally registered a patent for sound films in 1910.

Edison's sound film principle was to install an exposure lamp and an electromagnet with a slit diaphragm in the movie camera, and use the telephone-type receiver at that time to feed the language signal to the electromagnet, so that the diaphragm vibrates, so that the beam intensity projected on the motion picture film constantly changes with the change of sound, so that the sound is recorded on the same 35 mm motion picture film.

This optical trail takes up at least half of the 35mm motion picture film, so it has never been commercialized.

Dr. Lee DeForrest made technical improvements to Edison's sound films, which were first shown in movie theaters in New York in the spring of 1923.

However, Dr. Lee DeForicester's improved sound film technology is still insufficient? Resulting in a bad viewing experience? Therefore, he was severely criticized by silent film masters such as Chaplin and Griffith--- mainly in terms of art.

Dr. Lee DeForrest worked for Xidian and Xidian got Edison? Edison allowed Dr. Lee DeForrest to improve sound film technology based on his patented technology.

"Anthony? Could you please tell me, what is Dr. Lee DeForrest's Sound Film Lab like at West Street? ”

"Mr. Li? I have to say sorry, because the Sound Film Lab doesn't exist on West Street at all? Nor did I see Dr. Lee de Forrest on West Street. What if you met Dr. Lee DeForicester? I'm going to recognize him. Dr. Lee de Forrest, who was in the newspapers, was both the inventor of the electron tube and the first sound film---- even though it was described by Chaplin as an 'insult to the art of cinema'. Anyway, I remember Dr. Lee DeForrestal's look? And he didn't show up on West Street. ”

"Oh? Is it? Li Kangping fell into deep thought, and it seemed that Xidian Company had done a good job of secrecy.

Immediately, Li Kangping said: "I will continue to talk about our recording laboratory, I want to tell you an important technical parameter, called 'noise floor'? The background noise floor of the recording laboratory should be controlled at about -30dB. In order to meet the technical standards of the recording laboratory, it is necessary to ensure sound insulation. Let me tell you a little bit about the physics of sound. We know that sound travels faster in solids than in air, so the interference from the recording lab is most noticeable from the vibrations of the ground. So? Is it necessary for the recording laboratory we are going to build to adopt a double-soundproof architectural structure, dividing the wall into two parts, the inner and the outside? As much as possible, the transmission of vibrations from the ground or underground is attenuated to a minimum. Anthony? Do you understand what I'm talking about? ”

"Mr. Li? You know, I'm glad I got a B or higher in several physics courses when I was in college. Anthony said without looking easy.

"What was your grade in acoustics in college?" Li Kangping asked with interest.

"We don't have a special acoustics course, in fact, acoustics, optics, mechanics, and electromagnetism are all written in a textbook called Physics."

"That's a physics course, how do you say 'a few courses on physics'?"

"Sorry, I may not have been able to describe it accurately, but to be exact, I got a B in physics when I was in college."

"Anthony, let's get back to the topic. In addition to sound insulation, our recording laboratory also has to ensure sound absorption. In order to maintain the consistency of the acoustic conditions in the recording laboratory, it is necessary to lay sound-absorbing materials and reflective materials on the interior wall, so that the sound field environment in the recording laboratory tends to be uniform and interferes with the sound quality as little as possible...... I'd better write it down, Anthony, and you'll come to the office tomorrow morning for me. ”

Sound film technology is actually very complex, it is the process of generation, propagation, recording and restoration of sound signals. This complex process includes physical principles such as acoustics, electricity, magnetism, optics, and mechanics, and is a highly comprehensive and laborious R&D project.

The construction of a recording laboratory only needs to consider the acoustic principle, and the development of recording equipment needs to consider various physical principles.

Li Kangping made the "Technical Standards for the Construction of the Zeus Laboratory Recording Laboratory" in the form of pictures and texts, and handed it over to Anthony the next morning.

"It will take some time for the film equipment R&D workshop, film equipment testing workshop and recording lab in Queens to be completed, and we will have to rent R&D space before these three buildings can be put into use. As I said yesterday, our film equipment R&D workshop should be similar to the tube workshop on West Street, and this kind of conventional workshop is easy to rent. The temporarily rented recording laboratory needed to be renovated, because I felt that it was difficult to rent a ready-made experimental space that met the 'Technical Standards for the Construction of Zeus Laboratory's Recording Laboratory'. All in all, Anthony, I ask you to do the business of renting a temporary experimental site, and my request is that in January next year, my sound film R&D team and I will be able to work in the temporarily rented film equipment R&D workshop. And in March next year, the temporarily rented recording laboratory will also be put into use. ”

Li Kangping explained the above matters clearly, and then summoned Alex.

Alex lives in Manhattan and drives to work at the Poseidon Radio Company in Jersey City every day. This is the case for most of the Poseidon Radio technicians, who travel between New York and Jersey City every day.

Li Kangping said bluntly: "Alex, what I want to tell you is that I am about to start researching sound film equipment, and I need ten technicians to form a research team in the initial stage of sound film equipment. These ten technicians will be from the technical department of the Poseidon radio company, so I have to ask for your consent and hope that you will recommend ten suitable people to me. ”

Sound movies are not new, and Alex's personality is relatively calm, so Alex did not show too much surprise, he said: "Mr. Lee, you know, sound movies are not just technical issues, artistic issues, it even involves Wall Street conglomerates. Dr. Lee de Forrest was a well-known physicist and inventor who made public the technical details of the tube, but he was extremely wary of sound film technology. The electron tube is an important component, and the film conveys the content of the cultural and spiritual level...... I don't know what I'm talking about, I just think there's a lot of things to consider when it's making a film, distributing a movie, or researching film equipment. Of course, since you have decided to do this, Mr. Li, I will definitely support you and will immediately recommend ten technicians to interview you. ”