- published: 16 Apr 2013
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A laugh track (a.k.a. canned laughter, laughter track, fake laughter) is a separate soundtrack with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into television programming of comedy shows. It was invented by American sound engineer Charles "Charley" Douglass.
Prior to television, audiences often experienced comedy—whether performed live on stage, on radio, or in a movie—in the presence of other audience members. Later, radio and early television producers attempted to recreate this atmosphere by introducing the sound of laughter or other crowd reactions into the soundtrack.
In 1946, Jack Mullin had brought a Magnetophon magnetic tape recorder back from Radio Frankfurt, along with 50 reels of tape (it was one of the magnetic tape recorders that BASF and AEG had built in Germany starting in 1935). The 6.5mm tape could record 20 minutes per reel of high-quality analog audio sound; Alexander M. Poniatoff then ordered his Ampex company to manufacture an improved version of the Magnetophon for use in radio production.Bing Crosby eventually adopted the technology to pre-record his radio show to both avoid having to do it live as well as performing it again for West Coast audiences.