In 1877, Thomas Edison first recorded sound. Today, when you speak into a(n) microphone, the diaphragm vibrates. This produces a current of electricity that is sent to an amplifier. The amplifier makes the current up to 50,000 times stronger. During recording the electric current from the amplifier arranges magnetic particles on blank tapes into a pattern. This entire process reverses when you play a recording. Instead of storing sound in patterns, compact discs translate the sound waves into a code. A combination of 1s and 0s create this code.