Are the daily bugle calls heard from Hanscom AFB live or recorded?

Lexington’s Maria Cue has lived a stone’s throw from Hanscom Air Force Base, a military installation where more than 10,000 people live and work, for decades. That means the regular hum of planes taking off and landing have long been a part of her day-to-day life. But something else that she hears emanating from the base that led her to us: The sound of music.

Cue said she regularly hears the sound of a single bugle. Sometimes she hears tunes familiar to her, like "Reveille" and "Taps," but other times it’s melodies that she can’t quite place. She’d been hearing this for years, and for years she has been convinced that what she hears is the work of a live musician.

“That's what I picture,” she said. “And that's what it has to be.”

But a friend of hers is not so sure. And it’s become a bit of a thing between them.

“He just thinks it's a recording, and I don't think it's a recording,” said Cue. “He calls it buglegate.”

Determined to get an answer. Maria decide to call in the heavy artillery — so to speak — which, in this case, was us. So, we hopped in the car and took the short drive to Hanscom to get to the bottom of things.

WATCH: Are the daily bugle calls heard from Hanscom AFB live or recorded?

Maria is certain that “Reveille” and “Taps” are among the calls she regularly hears, but mentioned others as well. So, our first order of business was to establish what gets played here, when and how often.

And at Hanscom, as it is on nearly all military installations, the same bugle calls are sounded on a strict Monday through Friday schedule.

“Every morning at zero 6:30… 'Reveille' is played,” explained Chief Master Sergeant William Hebb, the Installation Command Chief. Reveille is immediately followed by another bugle call named “To the Color.”

“And so, that signifies the official start of the duty day,” said Hebb.

"Reveille" should be familiar as a wake-up call to just about anyone who has seen a military movie. Like most of the U.S. military’s bugle calls, it’s actually a French tune. In fact, the word reveille literally means “wake up” in French.

“To the Color” also originated as a French call, though the version heard today replaced the French melody in the 1870s. It was once a signal for troops to assemble in formation near a battle flag, hence the name, but today it’s more symbolic.

“The whole purpose of that song is to honor our nation,” said Hebb.

At 5 p.m., the end of the duty day is marked with a bugle call named "Retreat," followed by the national anthem. Retreat is French yet again, officially composed in the early 1800s, though the basic melody dates all the way back to the crusades.

“When you hear that... you'll stop and kind of face the music or the flag if one is visible to you,” said Hebb. “And then once the national anthem plays, your service members will salute the flag.”

Then at 9 p.m. comes the traditional quiet-hours signal: "Taps." "Taps" has been the military’s lights-out tune since the Civil War, when a union general, Daniel Butterfield, adapted it to replace the then current lights-out call, which he hated.

The name, "Taps," refers to three distinct drum taps that once followed the call, signaling that all lights should be extinguished. The now-familiar tune began to take on a deeper meaning not long after its composition, as it began to be played at funerals of fallen soldiers and memorial services.

“It's a little more of a somber feeling because it signifies quiet hours,” said Hebb. “But at the same time, it honors our men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice and gave their life for the United States of America."

The bugle calls Maria hears are just a few of more than 50 from the Civil War era that once signaled everything from critical battlefield maneuvers to “hey, it’s time for lunch.” And while only this handful are still sounded today, we spoke with a number of airmen who said they are nevertheless a vital part of 21st century military life.

As for Maria Cue's big question, are these calls sounded by a musician — or an mp3?

“In the mid nineteen forties, you might have found a man or woman playing the bugle, you know, in the morning, in the evening,” said Hebb. “However, nowadays it's done through technology.”

Indeed, the calls are recordings programmed into an automated system run by a pretty unremarkable looking computer in a windowless room.

They are played over six loudspeakers atop towers around the base, which are referred to collectively as the “Giant Voice.” And that’s how it is these days at nearly all military installations.

So, with answers in hand, I returned to Cue’s, feeling a little bit like the Great British Baking Show host who drew the short straw that week and instead of announcing who had won star baker was tasked with sending somebody home.

I killed some time by explaining to Cue all about the tunes and their timing. But eventually, I had to put an end to buglegate, and break the bad news. She was disappointed to learn the answer, to say the least.

Still, I was able to offer her a silver lining. Unfortunately, it would require her to move, but there are still two places where Cue can still hear daily military bugle calls performed by a live musician: The U.S. Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C., and The U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

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