NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Gramaphone record

A gramophone record (also phonograph record, or simply record) is an analogue sound recording medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed modulated spiral groove. Gramophone records were the primary technology used for personal music reproduction for most of the 20th century. They replaced the phonograph cylinder in the 1900s, and although they were supplanted in popularity in the late 1980s by digital media, they continue to be manufactured and sold. Analogue LP vinyl record album File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Analogue LP vinyl record album File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 as part of their first tour of the United States, promoting their first hit single there, I Want To Hold Your Hand. ... Magical Mystery Tour is an album and double EP by British rock band The Beatles, first released in late 1967. ... An analog or analogue signal is any variable signal continuous in both time and amplitude. ... A schematic representation of hearing. ... A recording medium is a physical material that holds information expressed in any of the existing recording formats. ... A disk or disc may be: Look up disc, disk in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which turns around some central point or axis, getting progressively closer to or farther from it, depending on which way you follow the curve. ... The earliest method of recording and reproducing sound was on phonograph cylinders. ... Digital audio comprises audio signals stored in a digital format. ...

The terms LP record (LP, 33, or 33-1/3 rpm record), 16 rpm record (16), 45 rpm record (45), and 78 rpm record (78) each refer to specific types of gramophone records. Except for the LP, these type designations refer to their rotational speeds in revolutions per minute (RPM). LPs, 45s, and 16s are usually made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and hence may be referred to as vinyl records or simply vinyl. Polyvinyl chloride Polyvinyl chloride, (IUPAC Polychloroethene) commonly abbreviated PVC, is a widely-used plastic. ...

History

Early history

A sound recording and reproduction device utilizing what were essentially disc records was described by Charles Cros of France in 1877 but never built. In 1878, Thomas Edison independently built the first working phonograph, a tinfoil cylinder machine, intending it for use as a voice recording medium, typically for office dictation. The phonograph cylinder dominated the recorded sound market beginning in the 1880s. Lateral-cut disc records were invented by Emile Berliner in 1888, and were used exclusively in toys until 1894, when Berliner began marketing disc records under the Berliner Gramophone label. The Edison "Blue Amberol" cylinder was introduced in 1912, with a longer playing time of around 4 minutes (at 160 rpm) and a more resilient playing surface than its wax predecessor, but the format was doomed due to the difficulty of reproducing recordings. By November 1918, the patents for the manufacture of lateral-cut disc records ran out, opening the field for countless companies to produce them, causing disc records to overtake cylinders in popularity. They would dominate the market until the 1980s. Production of Amberol cylinders ceased in the late 1920s. Victor Talking Machine Copany logo, from 1921 magazine advertisment This is a copyrighted and/or trademarked logo. ... Nipper shown on a 1920s HMV disc record label Nipper was the dog portrayed in the picture His Masters Voice, who was born in 1884 in Bristol, England, and died in September 1895. ... His Masters Voice, usually abbreviated to HMV, is a famous trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record company. ... Charles Cros (October 1, 1842 - August 9, 1888) was a French poet and inventor. ... Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 â€“ October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman who developed many devices which greatly influenced life in the 20th century. ... The earliest method of recording and reproducing sound was on phonograph cylinders. ... Emile Berliner with disc record gramophone. ... Berliner Gramophone was an early record label, the first company to produce disc gramophone records (as opposed to the earlier phonograph cylinder records). ...

Materials

Early disc records were originally made of various materials including hard rubber. From 1897 onwards, earlier materials were largely replaced by a rather brittle formula of 25% "shellac" (a material obtained from the excretion of a southeast Asian beetle), a filler of a cotton compound similar to manila paper, powdered slate and a small amount of a wax lubricant. The mass production of shellac records began in 1898 in Hanover, Germany. Shellac records were the most common until the 1950s. Unbreakable records, usually of celluloid (an early form of plastic) on a pasteboard base, were made from 1904 onwards, but they suffered from an exceptionally high level of surface noise. Edison cylinder phonograph, from de wikipedia GFDL according to de wikipedia. ... Edison cylinder phonograph, from de wikipedia GFDL according to de wikipedia. ... Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky emulsion (known as latex) in the sap of several varieties of plants. ... Shellac is a brittle or flaky secretion of the lac insect Coccus lacca, found in the forests of Assam and Thailand. ... A strong paper or thin cardboard with a smooth finish, usually buff in color, made from Manila hemp or wood fibers similar to it. ... Slate Slate is a fine-grained, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low grade regional metamorphism. ... Wax has traditionally referred to a substance that is secreted by bees (beeswax) and used by them in constructing their honeycombs. ... Hanover (German: Hannover []), on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. ... Celluloid is the name of a class of compounds created from nitrocellulose and camphor, plus dyes and other agents, generally regarded to be the first thermoplastic. ...

In the 1890s the early recording formats of discs were usually seven inches (nominally 17.5 cm) in diameter. By 1910 the 10-inch (25.4cm) record was by far the most popular standard, holding about three minutes of music or entertainment on a side. From 1903 onwards, 12-inch records (30.5cm) were also commercially sold, mostly of classical music or operatic selections, with four to five minutes of music per side. Historically there have beem hundreds of recording media and formats. ... Mid-19th century tool for converting between different standards of the inch An inch is an Imperial and U.S. customary unit of length. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Recreation. ... Classical music is a broad, somewhat imprecise term, referring to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, European art, ecclesiastical and concert music, encompassing a broad period from roughly 1000 to the present day. ... Sydney Opera House: one of the worlds most recognisable opera houses and landmarks. ...

Such records were usually sold separately, in plain paper or cardboard sleeves that may have been printed to show producer of the retailer's name and sometimes in collections held in paper sleeves in a cardboard or leather book, similar to a photograph album, and called record albums. Also, empty record albums were sold that customers could use to store their records. Cardboard is a lay term used to describe a variety of heavy wood-based types of paper, notable for their stiffness and durability. ... Modern leather-working tools Leather is a material created through the tanning of hides, pelts and skins of animals, primarily cows. ...

While a 78 rpm record is brittle and relatively easily broken, both the microgroove LP 33⅓ rpm record and the 45 rpm single records are made from vinyl plastic which is flexible and unbreakable in normal use. However, the vinyl records are easier to scratch or gouge. 78s come in a variety of sizes, the most common being 10 inch (25 cm) and 12 inch (30 cm) diameter, and these were originally sold in either paper or card covers, generally with a circular cutout allowing the record label to be seen. The Long-Playing records (LPs) usually come in a paper sleeve within a colour printed card jacket which also provides a track listing. 45 rpm singles and EPs (Extended Play) are of 7 inch (17.5 cm) diameter, the earlier copies being sold in paper covers. Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, r/min, or min-1) is a unit of frequency, commonly used to measure rotational speed, in particular in the case of rotation around a fixed axis. ...

In 1930, RCA Victor launched the first commercially-available vinyl long-playing record, marketed as "Program Transcription" discs. These revolutionary discs were designed for playback at 33⅓ rpm and pressed on a 30 cm diameter flexible plastic disc. In Roland Gelatt's book The Fabulous Phonograph, the author notes that RCA Victor's early introduction of a long-play disc was a commercial failure for several reasons including the lack of affordable, reliable consumer playback equipment and consumer wariness during the Great Depression.^[1] Sony BMG Music Entertainment is the result of a 50/50 joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment (part of Sony) and BMG Entertainment (part of Bertelsmann AG) completed in August 2004. ... The Great Depression was a worldwide economic downturn which started in 1929 (although its effects were not fully felt until late in 1930) and lasting through most of the 1930s. ...

However, vinyl's lower playback noise level than shellac was not forgotten. During and after World War II when shellac supplies were extremely limited, some 78 rpm records were pressed in vinyl instead of shellac (wax), particularly the six-minute 12" (30 cm) 78 rpm records produced by V-Disc for distribution to US troops in World War II. Shellac is a brittle or flaky secretion of the lac insect Coccus lacca, found in the forests of Assam and Thailand. ... This article is becoming very long. ... V-Disc was a record label produced during the World War II era by special arrangement between the United States government and various private U.S. record companies. ...

Beginning in 1939, Columbia Records continued development of this technology. Dr. Peter Goldmark and his staff undertook exhaustive efforts to address problems of recording and playing back narrow grooves and developing an inexpensive, reliable consumer playback system. In 1948, the 12" (30 cm) Long Play (LP) 33⅓ rpm microgroove record album was introduced by the Columbia Record at a dramatic New York press conference. Columbia Records is the oldest continually used brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888. ... Peter Carl Goldmark (1906 â€“ 1977) was a Hungarian-born, American engineer who, during his time with Columbia Records, was instrumental in developing the long-playing (LP) microgroove 33-1/3 rpm vinyl phonograph discs which defined home audio for two generations. ... Columbia Records is the oldest continually used brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888. ...

During the Soviet time when the music of the Beatles and some other popular American and European music was banned in the USSR, the youth copied the songs illegally with combined devices made of radios and record players. They used x-ray sheets as the material for records. Now this kind of records is a rarity.

Speeds

Earliest speeds of rotation varied widely, but between 1900-1925 most records were recorded between 74-82 rpm. In 1925, 78.26 rpm was chosen as the standard because of the introduction of the electrically powered synchronous turntable motor. This motor ran at 3600 rpm with a 46:1 gear ratio which produced 78.26 rpm. In parts of the world that used 50 Hz current, the standard was 77.92 RPM, which was the speed at which a strobe disc with 77 lines would "stand still" in 50 Hz light. Thus these records became known as 78s (or "seventy-eights"). This term did not come into use until after World War II when a need developed to distinguish the 78 from other newer disc record formats, an example of a retronym. Earlier they were just called records, or when there was a need to distinguish them from cylinders, disc records. Standard records was also used, although the same term had also been used earlier for two-minute cylinders. Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, r/min, or min-1) is a unit of frequency, commonly used to measure rotational speed, in particular in the case of rotation around a fixed axis. ... This article is becoming very long. ... A retronym is a type of neologism coined for an old object or concept whose original name has come to be used for something else or is no longer unique. ... The earliest method of recording and reproducing sound was on phonograph cylinders. ...

After World War II, two new competing formats came on to the market and gradually replaced the standard "78": the 33⅓ rpm (often just referred to as the 33 rpm), and the 45 rpm. The 33⅓ rpm LP (for "long play") format was developed by Columbia Records and marketed in 1948. RCA Victor developed the 45 rpm format and marketed it in 1949, in response to Columbia. Both types of new disc used narrower grooves, intended to be played with a smaller stylus - typically 0.001" (25 µm) wide, compared to 0.003" (76 µm) for a 78 - so the new records were sometimes called Microgroove. In the mid-1950s all record companies agreed to a common recording standard called RIAA equalization; before then each company had used its own preferred standard, requiring discriminating listeners to use preamplifiers with multiple selectable equalization curves. This article is becoming very long. ... Columbia Records is the oldest continually used brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888. ... Marketing is a social and managerial function associated with the process of researching, developing, promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service. ... RCAs logo as seen today on many products. ... The RIAA equalization curve for playback of vinyl records. ...

The older 78 format continued to be mass produced alongside the newer formats into the 1950s, and in a few countries, such as India, into the 1960s. Beatles 78s produced in India are among the most collectable Beatles releases. The Beatles were an English rock group from Liverpool, and one of the most critically acclaimed, commercially successful musical groups of all time. ...

The commercial rivalry between RCA Victor and Columbia Records led to RCA Victor's introduction of what it had intended to be a competing vinyl format, the 7" (175 mm) /45 rpm disc. For a two-year period from 1948 to 1950, record companies and consumers faced uncertainty over which of these formats would ultimately prevail in what was known as the "War of the Speeds". (See also format war) A format war describes competition between competing, and typically mutually incompatible, media formats, usually very costly to the format-owning parties involved. ...

Eventually, the 12" (300 mm) 33⅓ rpm LP prevailed as the predominant format for musical albums, and the 7" (175 mm) 45 rpm disc or "single" established a significant niche for shorter duration discs typically containing one song on each side. The 45 rpm discs typically emulated the playing time of the former 78 rpm discs, while the LP discs provided up to one-half hour of time per side (though typically 15 to 20 minutes). The 45 rpm discs also came in a variety known as Extended play (EP) which achieved up to 25 minutes play at the expense of attenuating (and possibly compressing) the sound to reduce the width required by the groove. An extended play (or EP), is typically the name given to vinyl records or CDs which are too long to be called singles but too short to qualify as albums. ...

From the mid-1950s through the 1960s, in the U.S. the common home "record player" or "stereo" would typically have had these features: a three- or four-speed player with changer (78, 45, 33⅓, and sometimes 16⅔ rpm); a combination cartridge with both 78 and microgroove styluses; and some kind of adapter for playing the 45s with their larger center hole. The large center hole on 45s allows for easier handling by jukebox mechanisms. RCA 45s can also be adapted to the smaller spindle of an LP player with a plastic snap-in insert; such inserts were prevalent starting in the 1960s. For other uses, see Jukebox (disambiguation) A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that can play specially selected songs from self-contained media. ...

Deliberately playing or recording records at the wrong speed was a common amusement. For example, playing the song "I'm on Fire" from Bruce Springsteen's 33⅓ LP at a 45 speed gives the singer a falsetto singing voice that sounds very much like Dolly Parton. Bruce Frederick Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American rock and folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. ... Falsetto (IPA: Italian , General American , RP ) is a singing technique that produces sounds that are pitched higher than the singers normal range. ... Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American country singer, songwriter, composer, author and actress. ...

As late as the 1970s, some children's records were released at the 78 rpm speed.

Explanation

The normal commercial disc is engraved with two sound bearing concentric spiral grooves, one on each side of the disc, running from the outside edge towards the centre. Since the late 1910s, both sides of the record have been used to carry the grooves. The recording is played back by rotating the disc clockwise at a constant rotational speed with a stylus (needle) placed in the groove, converting the vibrations of the stylus into an electric signal (see magnetic cartridge), and sending this signal through an amplifier to loudspeakers. Clockwise can refer to: Clockwise and counterclockwise Clockwise (movie) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Modern stylus, used for touch-screen enabled devices such as the Nintendo DS and personal digital assistants Styli used in writing in the Fourteenth Century. ... A magnetic cartridge is a device used for the playback of gramophone records on a turntable or phonograph. ... Mission Cyrus 1 Hi Fi integrated audio amplifier An audio amplifier is an electronic amplifier that works with audio frequencies (generally 20 hertz to 20,000 hertz). ... Closeup of a loudspeaker driver Wall-mounted loudspeaker. ...

ImageMetadata File history File links Record. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Record. ... Image File history File links HOFXyellowsplatter3. ... Image File history File links HOFXyellowsplatter3. ... NOFX is a skate punk band from Los Angeles, California, USA, formed in 1983, by singer/bassist Fat Mike (Real name Mike Burkett), drummer Erik Sandin and guitarist Eric Melvin. ... HOFX is a 12single by NOFX that includes two songs from the Punk in Drublic period. ... The company logo of Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California based independent record label, focused on punk rock, which was started by Fat Mike the lead singer and bassist of the punk rock band NOFX and his wife Erin, in 1990. ...

Common formats

Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, r/min, or min-1) is a unit of frequency, commonly used to measure rotational speed, in particular in the case of rotation around a fixed axis. ... The 12-inch [30 cm] single gramophone record gained popularity with the advent of disco music in the 1970s. ... An extended play (or EP), is typically the name given to vinyl records or CDs which are too long to be called singles but too short to qualify as albums. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... An extended play (or EP), is typically the name given to vinyl records or CDs which are too long to be called singles but too short to qualify as albums. ...

Less common formats

See also:Unusual types of gramophone records which describes records which were produced in unusual sizes, shapes and colors. Flexi disc recordings are a thin format designed to be playable on standard phonograph turntables. ... Usual types of gramophone records (phonograph records in U.S. English) are discussed in the main article. ...

A very few (usually novelty) records used more than one groove per side in an otherwise-standard format.

Structure of a typical record

The majority of records are pressed on black vinyl. The colouring material used to blacken the transparent PVC plastic mix is carbon black, the generic name for the finely divided carbon particles produced by the incomplete burning of a mineral oil based hydrocarbon. Carbon black increases the strength of the disc and renders it opaque. Vinyl products (such as these records) come in many colors. ... Polyvinyl chloride Polyvinyl chloride, (IUPAC Polychloroethene) commonly abbreviated PVC, is a widely-used plastic. ... Carbon black is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of petroleum products. ...

Some records are pressed on coloured vinyl or with paper pictures embedded in them ("picture discs"). These discs can become collectors' items in some cases. During the 1980s there was a trend for releasing singles on colour vinyl— sometimes with large inserts that could be used as posters. This trend has been revived recently and has succeeded in keeping 7" singles a viable format.

Vinyl record standards for the United States follow the guidelines of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).^[6] The inch dimensions are nominal, not precise diameters. The actual dimension of a 12 inch record is 302 mm (11.89 in), for a 10 inch it is 250 mm (9.84 in), and for a 7 inch it is 175 mm (6.89 in). The Recording Industry Association of America (or RIAA) is the trade group that represents the recording industry in the United States. ...

Records made in other countries are standardized by different organizations, but are very similar in size. The record diameters are typically 300 mm, 250 mm and 175 mm.

There is an area about 6 mm (0.25″) wide at the outer edge of the disk, called the lead-in where the groove is widely spaced and silent. This section allows the stylus to be dropped at the start of the record groove, without damaging the recorded section of the groove.

Between each track on the recorded section of an LP record, there is usually a short gap of around 1 mm (0.04") where the groove is widely spaced. This space is clearly visible, making it easy to find a particular track. The word track can mean more than one thing. ...

Towards the label centre, at the end of the groove, there is another wide-pitched section known as the lead-out. At the very end of this section, the groove joins itself to form a complete circle; when the stylus reaches this point, it circles repeatedly until lifted from the record. Automatic turntables rely on the position or angular velocity of the arm, as it reaches these more widely spaced grooves, to trigger a mechanism that raises the arm and moves it out of the way of the record.

The catalog number and stamper ID is written or stamped in the space between the groove in the lead-out on the master disc, resulting in visible recessed writing on the final version of a record. Sometimes the cutting engineer might add handwritten comments or their signature, if they are particularly pleased with the quality of the cut.

When auto-changing turntables were commonplace, records were typically pressed with a raised (or ridged) outer edge and label area. This would allow records to be stacked onto each other, gripping each other without the delicate grooves coming into contact, thus reducing the risk of damage. Auto-changing turntables included a mechanism to support a stack of several records above the turntable itself, dropping them one at a time onto the active turntable to be played in order. Many longer sound recordings, such as complete operas, were interleaved across several 10-inch or 12-inch discs for use with auto-changing mechanisms, so that the first disk of a three-disk recording would carry sides 1 and 6 of the program, while the second disk would carry sides 2 and 5, and the third, sides 3 and 4, allowing sides 1, 2, and 3 to be played automatically, then the whole stack reversed to play sides 4, 5, and 6. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Progress, and the war of the speeds

About the same time the most common substance for making 33 rpm disc records became vinyl, while 45 rpm discs were made from either vinyl or polystyrene. All speeds of records were made in various sizes, mainly 17.5, 25, 30 cm (~7, 10 and 12 inches diameter); the 17.5 cm (~7-inch) being most common for the 45 rpm, the 25 cm (~10-inch) for the 78 (and the first few years of 33⅓ production), and the 30 cm (~12-inch) for the 33 from the mid 1950s on. 45 rpm record The image itself is copyright ©2004 by Daniel P. B. Smith and released under the terms of the Wikipedia license. ... 45 rpm record The image itself is copyright ©2004 by Daniel P. B. Smith and released under the terms of the Wikipedia license. ... Polyvinyl chloride Polyvinyl chloride, (IUPAC Polychloroethene) commonly abbreviated PVC, is a widely-used plastic. ... For other uses, see Polystyrene (disambiguation). ... Mid-19th century tool for converting between different standards of the inch An inch is an Imperial and U.S. customary unit of length. ...

Vinyl quality

The sound quality and durability of vinyl records is highly dependent on the quality of the vinyl. During the early 1970s, as a cost-cutting move towards use of lightweight, flexible vinyl pressings, much of the industry adopted a technique of reducing the thickness and quality of vinyl used in mass-market manufacturing, marketed by RCA Victor as the "Dynaflex" (125 g/m²) process. Most vinyl records are pressed on recycled vinyl. Vinyl products (such as these records) come in many colors. ... BIC pen cap, about 1 gram. ...

New "virgin" or "heavy" (180-220 g/m²) vinyl is commonly used for classical music, although it has been used for some other genres. Today, it is increasingly common in vinyl pressings that can be found in most record shops. Many classic rock albums have been reissued on 180 g/m² vinyl. Modern albums are also commonly pressed on 180 g/m². Many collectors prefer to have 180 gram vinyl albums, and also, they have been reported to have a better sound than normal vinyl. These albums tend to withstand the deformation caused by normal play better than regular vinyl. Classical music is a broad, somewhat imprecise term, referring to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, European art, ecclesiastical and concert music, encompassing a broad period from roughly 1000 to the present day. ... A genre is a division of a particular form of art or utterance according to criteria particular to that form. ...

Since most vinyl records are from recycled plastic, it can lead to impurities in the record, causing a brand new album to have audio artifacts like clicks and pops. Virgin vinyl means that the album is not from recycled plastic, and thus, will be immune from the possible impurities of recycled plastic.

While most vinyl records are pressed from metal master discs, a technique known as lathe-cutting was introduced in the late 1980s by Peter King in Geraldine, New Zealand. A lathe is used to cut microgrooves into a clear polycarbonate disc. Lathe cut records can be made inexpensively in small runs. However, the sound quality is significantly worse than proper vinyl records, and lathe cut records tend to degrade further in quality after repeated playing. Geraldine is a town in the Canterbury region on the South Island of New Zealand. ...

Stereo and beyond

In 1958 the first stereo two-channel records were issued – by Audio Fidelity in the USA and Pye in Britain, using the Westrex "45/45" single-groove system. While the stylus moves horizontally on monophonic records, on stereo records the stylus moves vertically as well as horizontally. Label for 2. ...

One could envision a system in which the left channel was recorded laterally and the right channel was recorded with a "hill-and-dale" vertical motion, and such systems were actually proposed, but not adopted. In the Westrex system, each channel drives the stylus at a 45 degree angle to the vertical. During playback, the combined signal is sensed by a left channel coil mounted diagonally opposite the inner side of the groove, and a right channel coil mounted diagonally opposite the outer side of the groove.^[7]

It is, however, helpful to think of the motion in terms of the vector sum and difference of the two channels. Effectively, horizontal stylus motion carries an L+R sum signal, and vertical stylus motion carries an L-R difference signal. The advantages of the 45/45 system are:

This system was invented by Alan Blumlein of EMI in 1931, and patented the same year. EMI cut the first stereo test discs using the system in 1933. However it was not exploited commercially until a quarter of a century later. Alan Dower Blumlein was an electronics engineer who made a great many inventions in telecommunications, sound recording, stereo, television and radar. ... The EMI Group is a major record label, based in Kensington in London, in the United Kingdom. ...

Stereo sound provides a more natural listening experience where the spatial location of the source of a sound is, at least in part, reproduced.

The development of quadraphonic records was announced in 1971. These recorded four separate sound signals. This was achieved on the two stereo channels by electronic matrixing, where the additional channels were combined into the main signal. When the records were played, circuits in the amplifiers were able to decode the signals into four separate channels. There were two main systems of matrixed quadrophonic records produced, confusingly named SQ (by CBS) and QS (by Sansui). They proved commercially unsuccessful, but were an important precursor to later 'surround sound' systems, as seen in SACD and home cinema today. A different format, CD-4 (not to be confused with compact disc), by RCA, encoded rear-channel information on an ultrasonic carrier, which required a special wideband cartridge to pick it up. Typically the high-frequency information wore off after only a few playings, and CD-4 was even less successful than the two matrixed formats. Quadraphonic sound uses four channels in which speakers are positioned at all four corners of the listening space, reproducing signals that are independent of each other. ... It has been suggested that CBS evening news anchors be merged into this article or section. ... Sansui 9090DB receiver/amplifier Sansui Electric Co. ... Surround sound is the concept of expanding the spatial imaging of audio playback from one dimension (mono/Left-Right) to two or three dimensions. ... Super Audio CD (SACD) is a read-only optical audio disc aimed at providing higher fidelity digital audio reproduction than the compact disc. ... A 119 inch projection screen with a high-definition television image. ... Quadraphonic sound uses four channels in which speakers are positioned at all four corners of the listening space, reproducing signals that are independent of each other. ... The Compact Disc logo was inspired by that of the previous Compact Cassette. ... RCAs logo as seen today on many products. ...

Other developments

In 1951, under the direction of C. Robert Fine, Mercury Records initiated a minimalist single-microphone monaural recording technique. The first record, Kubelik/Chicago's performance of "Pictures at an Exhibition" was described as "being in the living presence of the orchestra" by the NY Times music critic. The series of records was then named “Mercury Living Presence.” In 1955, Mercury began 3-channel stereo recordings, still based on the principle of the single microphone. The center (single) mic was of paramount importance, with the two side mics adding depth and space; record masters were cut directly from a 3-track to 2-track mixdown console, with all editing of the master tapes done on the original 3-tracks. In 1961, Mercury enhanced this technique with three-microphone stereo recordings using 35mm magnetic film instead of half-inch tape for recording. The greater thickness and width of 35mm magnetic film prevented tape layer print-through and pre-echo and gained in addition extended frequency range and transient response. The Mercury Living Presence recordings were remastered to CD in the 1990s by the original producer, using the same method of 3-to-2 mix directly to the master recorder. Mercury Records was a record label founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1945 by Irving Green, Berle Adams and Arthur Talmadge. ...

On a small number of early phonograph systems and radio transcription discs, as well as some entire albums, such as Goodbye Blue and White by Less Than Jake, the direction of the groove is reversed, beginning near the centre of the disc and leading to the outside. A small number of records (such as Jeff Mills' Apollo EP or the Hidden In Plainsight EP from Detroit's Underground Resistance) were manufactured with multiple separate grooves to differentiate the tracks (usually called 'NSC-X2'). X2 was pioneered by Ron Murphy and Heath Brunner from Sound Enterprises (formerly National Sound Corporation), a record mastering company in Detroit. Goodbye Blue and White, album by Less Than Jake I Think I Love You 2:04 Losing Streak 1:56 Mixology of Tom Collins 2:06 Modern World 2:03 Yo-Yo Ninja Boy 1:05 Dopeman (Remix) 2:32 Rock-N-Roll Pizzeria [7 Version) 1:54 Were... Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida, originally formed in 1992 as a power pop trio with heavy punk rock influences. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815 County Wayne County Mayor... Underground Resistance (commonly abbreviated to UR) are a musical collective from Detroit, Michigan, in the United States of America. ... Ronald Ron Murphy (born April 10, 1933 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a retired former professional ice hockey player who played for the New York Rangers, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins over the course of an 889-game NHL career. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815 County Wayne County Mayor...

In the late 1970s, "direct-to-disc" records were produced, aimed at an audiophile niche market, which completely bypassed use of magnetic tape in favor of a "purist" transcription directly to the master lacquer disc. Also during this period, "half-speed mastered" and "original master" records were released, using expensive state-of-the-art technology.

The early 1980s saw the introduction of "dbx-encoded" records, again for the audiophile niche market. These were completely incompatible with standard record playback preamplifiers, relying on the dbx compandor encoding/decoding scheme to greatly increase dynamic range (dbx encoded disks were recorded with the dynamic range compressed by a factor of two in dB: quiet sounds were meant to be played back at low gain and loud sounds were meant to be played back at high gain, via automatic gain control in the playback equipment; this reduced the effect of surface noise on quiet passages). A similar and very short-lived scheme involved using the CBS-developed "CX" noise reduction encoding/decoding scheme. The logo represents both the company and its noise reduction system dbx is a noise reduction system for analog tape recording, North American TV broadcasting, and, less commonly, vinyl LPs. ... A compandor is an electronic circuit to compress or expand the dynamic range of an analog electronic signal such as sound. ... CX is a form of noise reduction for recorded audio in the analog domain. ...

Also in the late 1970s and 1980s, a method to improve the dynamic range of mass-produced records involved highly advanced disc cutting equipment. These techniques, marketed as the CBS Discomputer and Teldec Direct Metal Mastering, were used to reduce inner-groove distortion.

Record mastering and pressing

Recording the disc

For the first several decades of disc record manufacturing, sound was recorded directly on to the master disc (also called the matrix, sometimes just the master) at the recording studio. From about 1950 on (earlier for some large record companies, later for some small ones) it became usual to have the performance first recorded on audio tape, which could then be processed and/or edited, and then dubbed on to the master disc. Audio storage refers to techniques and formats used to store audio with the goal to reproduce the audio later using audio signal processing to something that resembles the original. ... In sound recording, dubbing is the transfer of recorded audio material from one medium to another of the same or a different type. ...

A record cutter would engrave the grooves into the master disc. Early on these master discs were soft wax, later on a harder lacquer was used. Wax has traditionally referred to a substance that is secreted by bees (beeswax) and used by them in constructing their honeycombs. ... In a general sense, lacquer is a clear or colored coating, that dries by solvent evaporation only and that produces a hard, durable finish that can be polished to a very high gloss, and gives the illusion of depth. ...

The mastering process was originally something of an art as the operator had to manually allow for the changes in sound which affected how wide the space for the groove needed to be on each rotation. Sometimes the engineer would sign his work, or leave humorous or cryptic comments in the run-off groove area, where it was normal to scratch or stamp identifying codes to distinguish each master.

Mass producing records

The soft master known as a lacquer would then be electroplated with a metal, commonly a nickel alloy. This and all subsequent metal copies were known as matrices. When this metal was removed from the lacquer (master), it would be a negative master since it was a negative copy of the lacquer. (In the UK, this was called the master; note the difference from soft master/lacquer disc above). In the earliest days the negative master was used as a mold to press records sold to the public, but as demand for mass production of records grew, another step was added to the process. Electroplating is the coating of an electrically conductive item with a layer of metal using electrical current. ... General Name, Symbol, Number nickel, Ni, 28 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 10, 4, d Appearance lustrous, metallic Atomic mass 58. ... Industrial processes are procedures involving chemical or mechanical steps to aid in the manufacture an item or items. ...

The metal master was then electroplated to create metal positive matrices, or "mothers". From these negatives, stampers would be formed. The stampers would be used in hydraulic presses to mould the LP discs. The advantages of this system over the earlier more direct system included ability to make a large number of records quickly by using multiple stampers. Also, more records could be produced from each master since moulds would eventually wear out.

Since the master was the unique source of the positive, made to produce the stampers, it was considered a library item. Accordingly, copy positives, required to replace worn positives, were made from unused early stampers. These were known as copy shells and were the physical equivalent of the first positive.

The "pedigree" of any record can be traced through the stamper/positive identities used, by reading the lettering found on the record run-out area.

Packaging and Distribution

Singles are typically sold in plain paper wrappers, though EPs are often treated to a cover in similar style to an LP. LPs are universally packaged in cardboard covers with a paper liner protecting the delicate surface of the record. Also, with the advent of long-playing records, the album cover became more than just packaging and protection, and album cover art became an important part of the music marketing and consuming experience. In the 1970s it became more common to have picture covers on singles. However, many singles with picture sleeves (especially from the 1960s) are sought out by collectors, and the sleeves alone can go for a high price. LPs can have embossed cover art (with some sections being raised), an effect rarely seen on CD covers. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 1146 KB) Summary A psychedelically coloured record, â€œThe CBS Rock Machine Turns You Onâ€ from approximately 1969. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 1146 KB) Summary A psychedelically coloured record, â€œThe CBS Rock Machine Turns You Onâ€ from approximately 1969. ... Cardboard is a lay term used to describe a variety of heavy wood-based types of paper, notable for their stiffness and durability. ... An album cover is a printed cardboard cover that was typically used to package 12 gramophone records from the 1960s through to the 1980s when the 12 record was the major format for distribution of popular music. ... An album cover is a printed cardboard cover that was typically used to package 12 gramophone records from the 1960s through to the 1980s when the 12 record was the major format for distribution of popular music. ...

Records are made at large manufacturing plants, either owned by the major labels, or run by independent operators to whom smaller operations and independent labels could go for smaller runs. A band starting out might get a few hundred disks stamped, whereas big selling artists need the presses running full time to manufacture the hundreds of thousands of copies needed for the launch of a big album. An independent record label is variously described as a record label operating without the funding (or outside the organizations) of the major record labels, and/or a label that subscribes to indie philosophies such as DIY and anti-corporate art. ...

Records are generally sold through specialist shops, although some big chain-stores also have record departments. Many records are sold from stock, but it is normal to place special-orders for less common records. Stock is expensive, so only large city center stores can afford to have several copies of a record.

Record Labels

Record companies organised their products into labels. These could either be subsidiary companies, or they could simply be just be a brand name. For example, EMI published records under the His Master's Voice (HMV) label which was their classical recording brand, Harvest for their progressive rock brand, home to Pink Floyd. They also had Music for Pleasure and Classics for Pleasure as their economy labels. EMI also used the Parlophone brand in the UK for Beatles records in the early 1960's. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The EMI Group is a major record label, based in Kensington in London, in the United Kingdom. ... His Masters Voice, often abbreviated to HMV, is a famous trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record company. ... Harvest Records was a record label, formed by EMI in 1969 to promote progressive rock music and to compete with Philips Vertigo label and Deccas Deram labels. ... Progressive rock (sometimes shortened to prog rock, prog, or progrock) is a subgenre of rock music which arose in the late 1960s, reached the peak of its popularity in the 1970s, and continues as a musical form to this day. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band noted for philosophical lyrics, classical rock compositions, sonic experimentation, innovative cover art, and elaborate live shows. ... Music for Pleasure is the second album by the punk rock band The Damned. ... Parlophone is a record label which was founded in Germany prior to World War I by the Carl Lindstrom Company. ... The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 as part of their first tour of the United States, promoting their first hit single there, I Want To Hold Your Hand. ...

In the 1970's, successful musicians sought greater control and one way they achieved this was with their own labels, though normally they were still operated by the large music corporations. One of the most famous early examples of this was the Beatles' Apple Records and Led Zeppelin's Swan Song Records Apple Records logo, featuring a Granny Smith apple. ... Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, and are one of the most successful and influential groups in popular music history. ... Swan Song Records was a record label launched by Led Zeppelin on May 10, 1974. ...

In the late 1970's, the anarchic punk rock movement gave rise to the independent record labels. These were not owned or even distributed by the main corporations. In the UK, examples were Stiff Records who published Ian Dury and the Blockheads and Two Tone Records, label for The Specials. These allowed smaller bands to step onto the ladder without having to conform to the rigid rules of the large corporations. Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Ian Dury (May 12, 1942 - March 27, 2000) was a rock and roll singer, songwriter, and bandleader. ... 2Tone Records was a UK record label which released ska and reggae influenced music with a punk overtone. ... The Specials are a British band formed in 1977 in Coventry (see 1977 in music). ...

Disc limitations

Shellac

Shellac 78's are brittle, and must be handled carefully. In the event of a 78 breaking, the pieces might remain loosely connected by the label and still be playable if the label holds them together, although there is a loud 'pop' with each pass over the crack, and breaking of the needle is likely. Shellac is a brittle or flaky secretion of the lac insect Coccus lacca, found in the forests of Assam and Thailand. ...

Breakage was a very common accident in the shellac era. In the 1934 novel, Appointment in Samarra, the protagonist "broke one of his most favorites, Whiteman's Lady of the Evening ... He wanted to cry but could not." A poignant moment in J. D. Salinger's 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye occurs after the adolescent protagonist buys a record for his younger sister but drops it and "it broke into pieces ... I damn near cried, it made me feel so terrible." Appointment in Samarra, published in 1934, is the first novel by John OHara. ... 1928 Columbia Records label with caricature of Paul Whiteman Paul Whiteman (March 28, 1890 â€“ December 29, 1967) was a popular american orchestral leader. ... Jerome David Salinger (b. ... The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by J. D. Salinger. ...

Vinyl

Vinyl records do not break easily, but the soft material is easily scratched. Vinyl readily acquires a static charge, attracting dust that is difficult to remove completely. Dust and scratches cause audio clicks and pops. In extreme cases, they can cause the needle to skip over a series of grooves, or worse yet, cause the needle to skip backwards, creating a "locked groove" that repeats the same 1.8 seconds of track (at 33⅓ rpm) over and over again. Locked grooves were not uncommon and were even heard occasionally in broadcasts. After just three years of use dust has blocked this laptop heat sink, making the computer unusable Dust is a general name for minute solid particles with diameter less than 500 micrometers (otherwise see sand or granulates) and, more generally, for finely divided matter. ...

Vinyl records can be warped by heat, improper storage, or manufacturing defects such as excessively tight plastic shrinkwrap on the album cover. A small degree of warp was common, and allowing for it was part of the art of turntable and tonearm design. "Wow" (once-per-revolution pitch variation) could result from warp, or from a spindle hole that was not precisely centered. In physics, heat, symbolized by Q, is defined as energy in transit. ... Shrinkwrap is a material made up of polymer plastic, usually PVC with a mix of polyesters. ... Wow is a relatively slow form of flutter (pitch variation) which can affect both gramophone records and audio cassettes. ... In music, pitch is the psychological correlate of the fundamental frequency of a note. ... The word spindle might (or might not) have several meanings: A spindle (shrub), a poisonous shrub or small tree of the genus Euonymus. ...

As a practical matter, records provide excellent sound quality when treated with care. They were the music source of choice for radio stations for decades, and the switch to digital music libraries by radio stations has not produced a noticeable improvement in sound quality. Casual ears cannot detect a difference in quality between a CD and a clean new LP played in a casual environment with background noise. There is controversy about the relative quality of CD sound and LP sound when the latter is heard under the very best conditions (see Analog vs. Digital sound argument). The limitations of recording and mastering techniques had a greater impact on sound quality than the limitations of the record itself, at least until the 1980s. To meet Wikipedias quality standards and appeal to a wider international audience, this article may require cleanup. ... Electronic music is a loose term for music created using electronic equipment. ... Alternative meanings: Library (computer science), Library (biology) Modern-style library In its traditional sense, a library is a collection of books and periodicals. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

A further limitation of the record is that with a constant rotational speed, the quality of the sound may differ across the width of the record because the inner groove modulations are more compressed than those of the outer tracks. The result is that inner tracks have distortion that can be noticeable at higher recording levels.

7" singles were typically poorer quality for a variety of the reasons mentioned above, and in the 1970s the 12" single, played at 45 rpm, became popular for DJ use and for fans and collectors.

Another problem arises because of the geometry of the tonearm. Master recordings are cut on a recording lathe, where a diamond cutter moves radially across the blank, suspended on a straight track and driven by a lead screw. Most turntables use a pivoting tonearm, introducing side forces and pitch and azimuth errors, and thus distortion in the playback signal. Various mechanisms were devised in attempts to compensate, with varying degrees of success. See more at phonograph. Azimuth is the horizontal component of a direction (compass direction), measured around the horizon toward the East, i. ... Edison cylinder phonograph ca. ...

Frequency response and noise

In 1925, electric recording extended the recorded frequency range from acoustic recording (168-2000 Hz) by 2½ octaves to 100-5000 Hz. Even so, these early electronically recorded records used the exponential-horn phonograph (see Orthophonic Victrola) for reproduction. Victor logo with the famous Nipper dog. ...

The frequency response of vinyl records may be degraded by frequent playback if the cartridge is set to track too heavily, or the stylus is not compliant enough to trace the high frequency grooves accurately, or the cartridge/tonearm is not properly aligned. The RIAA has suggested the following acceptable losses: down to 20 kHz after one play, 18 kHz after three plays, 17 kHz after five, 16 kHz after eight, 14 kHz after fifteen, 13 kHz after twenty five, 10 kHz after thirty five, and 8 kHz after eighty plays. While this degradation is possible if the record is played on improperly set up equipment, many collectors of LPs report excellent sound quality on LPs played many more times, when using care and high quality equipment. The RIAA Logo. ... A kilohertz (kHz) is a unit of frequency equal to 1,000 hertz (1,000 cycles per second). ...

Gramophone sound suffers from rumble, low-frequency (below about 30 Hz) mechanical noise generated by the motor bearings and picked up by the stylus. Equipment of modest quality is relatively unaffected by these issues, as the amplifier and speaker will not reproduce such low frequencies, but high-fidelity turntable assemblies need careful design to minimise audible rumble. Bearing is the following: Often, bearing is the state of having something as a quality, characteristic, or permanent attribute. ...

Room vibrations will also be picked up if the pedestal - turntable - pickup arm - stylus system is not well damped.

Tonearm skating forces and other perturbations are also picked up by the stylus. This is a form of frequency multiplexing as the "control signal" (restoring force) used to keep the stylus in the groove is carried by the same mechanism as the sound itself. Subsonic frequencies below about 20 Hz in the audio signal are dominated by tracking effects, which is one form of unwanted rumble ("tracking noise") and merges with audible frequencies in the deep bass range up to about 100 Hz. High fidelity sound equipment can reproduce tracking noise and rumble. During a quiet passage, woofer speaker cones can sometimes be seen to vibrate with the subsonic tracking of the stylus, at frequencies as low as about 0.5 Hz (the frequency at which a 33-1/3 rpm record turns on the turntable). In telecommunications, multiplexing (also muxing or MUXing) is the combining of two or more information channels onto a common transmission medium using hardware called a multiplexer or (MUX). ... A Sony 9 inch woofer Woofer is the term for a loudspeaker driver that is designed to produce low frequency sounds, typically from around 40 hertz up to a few hundred hertz. ...

At high audible frequencies, hiss is generated as the stylus rubs against the vinyl, and from dirt and dust on the vinyl. Hiss may be a phonetic element of a sibilant consonant, or of a lisp a verb close in meaning to whisper a noise characteristic of some snakes, or a different noise made for example by a cat an onomatopeic word for some noises, such as the release of air brakes...

45 rpm record insert Image copyright ©2004 by Daniel P. B. Smith and released under the terms of the Wikipedia license. ... 45 rpm record insert Image copyright ©2004 by Daniel P. B. Smith and released under the terms of the Wikipedia license. ... RCAs logo as seen today on many products. ...

Equalization

Due to recording mastering and manufacturing limitations, both high and low frequencies were removed from the first recorded signals by various formulae. With low frequencies, the stylus must swing a long way from side to side, requiring the groove to be wide, taking up more space and limiting the playing time of the record. At high frequencies noise is significant. These problems can be compensated for by using equalization to an agreed standard. This simply means reducing the amplitude at low-frequencies, thus reducing the groove width required, and increasing the amplitude at high frequencies. The playback equipment boosts bass and cuts treble in a complementary way. The result should be that the sound is perceived to be without change, thus more music will fit the record, and noise is reduced.

The agreed standard has been RIAA equalization since 1952, implemented in 1955. Prior to that, especially from 1940, some 100 formulae were used by the record manufacturers. The RIAA equalization curve for playback of vinyl records. ...

Recording medium comparison

The typical duration of a vinyl album was about 15 to 25 minutes per side, except classical music which could extend to over 30 minutes on a side. If a side exceeds the average time, the maximum groove amplitude is reduced to make room for the additional program material. This can cause hiss in the sound from lower quality amplifiers when the volume is turned up to compensate for the lower recorded level. An extreme example, Todd Rundgren's Initiation LP, with 36 minutes of music on one side, has a "technical note" at the bottom of the inner sleeve: "if the sound does not seem loud enough on your system, try re-recording the music onto tape." The total of around 40–45 minutes often influenced the arrangement of tracks, with the preferred positions being the opening and closing tracks of each side. Image File history File links Splitsection. ... 78 (seventy-eight) is the natural number following 77 and followed by 79. ... 45 is the natural number following 44 and followed by 46. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Gramophone_record. ... For the meaning of cassette in genetics, see cassette (genetics). ... A blank 8-track cartridge The 8-track cartridge is an audio storage magnetic tape cartridge technology, popular from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. ... The Compact Disc logo was inspired by that of the previous Compact Cassette. ... A megabyte is a unit of information or computer storage equal to approximately one million bytes. ... A megabyte is a unit of information or computer storage equal to approximately one million bytes. ... A Sony TC-630 reel-to-reel recorder, once a common household object. ... // Overview The MiniDisc logo A MiniDisc (MD) is a disc-based data storage device intended for storage of digitized audio. ... The Sony MZ1 MiniDisc player, the first to hit the market in 1992. ... An embedded hard drive-based player (Apple iPod) An MP3 CD player (Philips Expanium) A flash-based player (iBox Mediaman) A digital audio player (DAP) is a device that stores, organizes and plays digital music files. ... A gigabyte (derived from the SI prefix giga-) is a unit of information or computer storage equal to one billion bytes. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Super Audio CD (SACD) is a read-only optical audio disc aimed at providing higher fidelity digital audio reproduction than the compact disc. ... HD-DVD disc HD DVD (High Density Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical media format which is being developed as one standard for high-definition DVD. HD DVD is similar to the competing Blu-ray Disc, which also uses the same CD sized (120 mm diameter) optical data storage... Blu-ray discs Blu-ray Disc is a next-generation optical disc format jointly developed by a group of leading consumer electronics and PC companies called the Blu_ray Disc Association (BDA), which succeeds the Blu_ray Disc Founders (BDF). ... Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948 in Upper Darby, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. ... Initiation is an album by Todd Rundgren, released in 1975. ...

Although the term EP was commonly used to describe a 7" single with more than two tracks, technically they were not different from a normal 7" single. The EP used reduced dynamic range and a smaller run-off groove area to extend the playing time. However, there are examples of singles, such as The Beatles' "Hey Jude" or Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", which were six minutes long or more. These longer recordings would require the same technical approach as an EP. The term EP has also been used for 10" 45 rpm records, typically containing a reduced number of tracks. The Beatles were an English rock group from Liverpool, and one of the most critically acclaimed, commercially successful musical groups of all time. ... Hey Jude is a song recorded by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney but credited to Lennon-McCartney. ... Queen are an English rock band formed by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, and Roger Taylor in London, England in 1970 from the remains of Smile, with John Deacon completing the lineup the following year. ... Bohemian Rhapsody is a song written by Freddie Mercury, originally recorded by the band Queen for their 1975 album A Night at the Opera. ...

Vinyl albums had a large 12" album cover, which also allowed cover designers scope for imaginative designs, often including fold-outs and leaflets. An album cover is a printed cardboard cover that was typically used to package 12 gramophone records from the 1960s through to the 1980s when the 12 record was the major format for distribution of popular music. ...

Records in the present day

Groove recordings, first designed in the final quarter of the 19th century, held a predominant position for an impressive amount of time - just about a century - withstanding competition from reel-to-reel tape, the 8-track cartridge and the compact cassette. However, by 1988, the compact disc had surpassed the gramophone record in popularity. A Sony TC-630 reel-to-reel recorder, once a common household object. ... A blank 8-track cartridge The 8-track cartridge is an audio storage magnetic tape cartridge technology, popular from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. ... For the meaning of cassette in genetics, see cassette (genetics). ... The Compact Disc logo was inspired by that of the previous Compact Cassette. ...

In spite of their obvious flaws, such as the lack of portability, records still have enthusiastic supporters. Vinyl records continue to be manufactured and sold today, although record sales are considered to be a niche market comprised of audiophiles, collectors and DJs. Second-hand records are also available, often less than $1. Old records in particular are in much demand by collectors the world over. (See Record collecting.) A niche market is a focused, targetable portion of a market. ... Audiophile, from Latin audio hear and Greek Ï†Î¹Î»ÎµÎ¹Î½ (philein) love, is a word used to describe a person dedicated to achieving high fidelity in the recording and playback of music. ... Collector - in electronics, the amplified terminal on a Bipolar junction transistor (PNP) or (NPN) list of collectors- People with note-worthy collections. ... DJ or dj may stand for Disc jockey, dinner jacket The DeadJournal website, or Djibouti. ... Record collecting has been around probably nearly as long as recorded sound. ...

In the UK, sales of new vinyl records (particularly 7 inch singles) have increased significantly in recent years, ^[8] ^[9] somewhat reversing the downward trend seen during the 1990s.

Arguments about sound fidelity

In the early days of compact discs, vinyl records were still prized by audiophiles because of better reproduction of analog recordings; however, the drawback was greater sensitivity to scratches and dust. Early compact discs were perceived by some as screechy, distorting sounds on the high end, and not as "warm" as vinyl especially in recordings that require a wide dynamic range (e.g. classical recordings). In some cases, this was the result of record companies hastily issuing CDs produced from master recordings that were compressed and equalized for vinyl, and distortions and noise introduced by early digital-to-analogue converters (DACs) in primitive CD players. In any case, the poor sound quality resulted in a slower acceptance of digital music in its early years by some listeners. The Compact Disc logo was inspired by that of the previous Compact Cassette. ...

Though digital audio technology has improved over the years, some audiophiles still prefer what they perceive as the warmer and more natural sound of vinyl over the harsher sound of digitals. "Natural" stated as keeping the spatial origins, sensivity to detail, tone, clarity, richness, fullness, phase, body, timbre and dynamic range. Some listeners were also disappointed by what they considered to be unfaithful remastering of analog recordings as evidenced by low peak amplitudes, and rms power. Digital audio comprises audio signals stored in a digital format. ... In mathematics, the root mean square or rms is a statistical measure of the magnitude of a varying quantity. ...

The arguments about the superior quality of vinyl records are wide-ranging. Proponents of analog audio argue that, unlike digital audio, it is not affected by the sharp frequency cutoff and phase characteristics, including group delay, near the Nyquist frequency and the quantization noise of 16 | 24-bit linear quantization, but that analog recording has a wider frequency range, both low and high, allowing for harmonics, echos and beats, giving what they consider to be a more natural descent into the analog noise floor. Also that to get back from a Nyquist compression, one must use infinite number of samples. The Nyquist frequency, named after the Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem, is half the sampling frequency for a signal. ... Quantization noise is a noise error introduced by the analogue to digital conversion (ADC) process in telecommunication systems and signal processing. ... In signal theory, the noise floor is the measure of the signal created from the sum of all the noise sources and unwanted signals within a measurement system. ...

Proponents of digital audio state that these differences are generally inaudible to normal human hearing, and the lack of clicks, hiss and pops from digital recordings greatly improved sound fidelity. They also state that more modern anti-aliasing filters and oversampling systems used in modern digital recordings greatly reduce the problems observed with early CDs. Certainly, the digital capabilities will improve with time as new media and techniques will enable more information to be placed upon a convenient and inexpensive recording for the consumer to use, eg: DVD, Blu-ray media; HVD-A format.

Most of the damage to any of the media occurs during handling: scratches, gouges, dirt, poor storage, incompatible solvents applied during cleaning or of label glue. Optical discs are not subject to physical wear during playing, whereas even a high quality pickup will wear the surface of a record and cause noticeable degradation over time. However this depends on the wear-resistance of the record itself, which is subject to the quality of the surface material used. Though neither medium is immune from damage, optical discs are more robust and modern players can play discs without noticeable problems even when scratched (Reed-Solomon error correction); a vinyl record suffering the same treatment could well be unplayable. Early on, poorly made optical disks however, are subject to a form of "wear" known as disc rot, laser rot or CD rot. This is due to the oxidisation of the aluminium layer, degrading reflective properties and thus increasing error rate. Medical grade optical discs are estimated to have a life of 50 years for CDs, 100 years for DVDs, but they cost 10 times more than the standard grade CD | DVD. Reed-Solomon error correction is a coding scheme which works by first constructing a polynomial from the data symbols to be transmitted and then sending an over-sampled plot of the polynomial instead of the original symbols themselves. ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ...

The "warmer" sound of analog records is generally believed on both sides of the argument to be an artifact of dynamic harmonics. It is thought by supporters of digital audio that the fans of vinyl got so used to it they think it is actually more "faithful" to the real sound. Audiophiles believe lots of harmonics are necessary for good sound, especially of music. (This phenomenon of a preference for the sound of a beloved lower-fidelity technology is not new; a 1963 review of RCA Dynagroove recordings notes that "some listeners object to the ultra-smooth sound as … sterile … such distortion-forming sounds as those produced by loud brasses are eliminated at the expense of fidelity. They prefer for a climactic fortissimo to blast their machines …") Dynagroove is a recording system introduced in 1963 exclusive to RCA Victor that utilized electronic brains (computers) to control devices and processes used in disc recording (the phonograph record). ...

ELPJ, a Japanese-based company, has developed a player that uses a laser instead of a stylus to read vinyl discs. In theory the laser turntable eliminates the possibility of scratches and attendant degradation of the sound, but its expense limits use primarily to digital archiving of analog records. ELPJ is a Japanese audio equipment company started by Sanju Chiba. ... A laser turntable is a phonograph that plays gramophone records using a laser beam as the pickup, rather than a stylus in physical contact with the disc. ...

Various other laser-based turntables were tried during the 1990s, but while a laser reads the groove very accurately, since it does not touch the record, the dust that vinyl naturally attracts due to static charge is not cleaned from the groove.

Disc jockeys

For disc jockeys ("DJs"), mostly in the electronic dance music or hip hop genres, vinyl has another advantage over the CD — direct manipulation of the medium. DJ techniques such as slip-cueing, beatmatching and scratching originated on turntables. With CDs or compact audio cassettes one normally has only indirect manipulation options, e.g., the play, stop and pause buttons. With a record one can place the stylus a few grooves farther in or out, accelerate or decelerate the turntable, or even reverse its direction, provided the stylus, record player and the record itself are built to withstand it. Most CDJs and DJ software these days have some of these capabilities. For other meanings of DJ, see DJ (disambiguation). ... Electronic music is a loose term for music created using electronic equipment. ... Hip hop music (also referred to as rap or rap music) is a style of popular music which came into existence roughly the mid 70s but became a large part of modern day pop culture in the late 80s. ... Slip-cueing is a DJ technique originated by Francis Grasso that consists of holding a record still with his thumb and forefinger while a protective slipmat and the steel platter of the turntable revolved underneath. ... Beatmatching is a technique employed by DJs to transition between two songs while performing either live at a club or event, for radio broadcast or for distribution on prerecorded mix tapes/cds, achieved by changing the tempo of a new track to match that of the currently playing track, then... Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique originated by Grand Wizard Theodore, an early hip hop DJ from New York (AMG). ... Typical 60-minute Compact Cassette. ... Edison cylinder phonograph from about 1899 The phonograph, or gramophone, was the most common device for playing recorded sound from the 1870s through the 1980s. ...

Creating homemade records

The record enthusiast has two choices for creating a record. There are still some studios that allow the performer the option of recording a record. For someone seeking to make a single record, there is the option of purchasing a recording lathe and suitable record blanks. These machines can be occasionally found on online auctions. They allow the user to cut a record, which is afterwards playable on the appropriate turntable speed.

Home phonograph disk recorders, such as the Wilcox-Gay Recordio line, were sold during the late 1940s and early 1950s. They operated at 78 RPM only and were similar in appearance to (and not much larger than) a portable phonograph of the era. One 1941 model that included a radio sold for $39.95, approximately equivalent to $500 in 2005 dollars. The fidelity was adequate for clear voice recordings.

In the past (approximately from the 1940s through the 1970s), there were booths that let the user record their own voice onto a record, when money was inserted. These were often found at arcades and tourist attractions alongside other vending and game machines. The Empire State Building's 86th floor observatory in New York City is one of the locations which had such a machine for a long time. The Empire State Building is a 102-story contemporary Art Deco style building in New York City, declared by the American Society of Civil Engineers to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. ... Nickname: Big Apple Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area - City 1,214. ...

Currently, two companies (Vestax and Vinylrecorder) offers disk recorders priced in the high four figures which enables "experienced professional users" and enthusiasts to produce high-fidelity stereo vinyl recordings.

As an alternative, one can record to tape, cassette, computer, in analogue or digital format, depending upon the equipment capabilities.

Preservation of disc recordings

Due to the nature of the medium, playback of "hard" records, eg: LPs, causes gradual degradation of the recording. The recordings are best preserved by transferring them onto more stable media and playing the records as rarely as possible. They, in fact all, disks, need to be stored on edge in an atmosphere similar to that of human needs. The medium needs to be kept clean -- but use alcohol only on PVC or optical media, NOT on 78s. The equipment for playback of certain formats (e.g. 16 and 78 rpm) is manufactured only in small quantities, leading to increased difficulty in finding equipment to play the recordings.

Where old disc recordings are considered to be of artistic or historic interest, record companies or archivists play back the disc on suitable equipment and record the result, typically onto a digital format which can be copied and converted without any further damage to the recording. For example, Nimbus Records uses a specially built horn record player to transfer 78's. However, anyone can do this using a standard record player with a suitable pickup, a phono-preamp (pre-amplifier) and a typical personal computer. Once a recording has been digitized, it can be manipulated with software to restore and, hopefully, improve the sound, for example by removing the result of scratches. It can also be easily converted to other digital formats such as DVD-A, CD and MP3. CD may stand for: Compact Disc Canadian Forces Decoration Cash Dispenser (at least used in Japan) CD LPMud Driver Centrum-Demokraterne (Centre Democrats of Denmark) Certificate of Deposit ÄŒeskÃ© DrÃ¡hy (Czech Railways) Chad (NATO country code) Chalmers DatorfÃ¶rening (computer club of the Chalmers University of Technology) a 1960s... MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a popular digital audio encoding and lossy compression format, designed to greatly reduce the amount of data required to represent audio, yet still sound like a faithful reproduction of the original uncompressed audio to most listeners. ...

As an alternative to playback with a stylus, a recording can be read optically, processed with software that calculates the velocity that the stylus would be moving in the mapped grooves and converted to a digital recording format. This does no further damage to the disc and generally produces a better sound than playback. This technique also has the potential to allow for reconstruction of damaged or broken disks.^[10] In digital recording, the analog signal of a motion-picture/sound is converted into a stream of discrete numbers, representing the changes in air pressure (chroma and luminace values in case of video) through time; thus making an abstract template for the original sound. ...

Contents