An LP

Long playing (LP), either 10 or 12-inch diameter, "33" rpm (actually 33.3) vinyl gramophone records, first introduced in 1948, were the primary release format for recorded music for about 30 years, from the late 1950s until CDs effectively replaced them in the late 1980s. The primary competing format at this time was the audio cassette, which was gradually replacing the reel-to-reel tape. Music industry pundits and audiophiles of the era argued both for and against the audio quality of each format. Both formats were analog, as digital music recording was not technically feasible on any significant scale. from http://www. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 603 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1176 × 1170 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 603 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1176 × 1170 pixel, file size: 2. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... rpm or RPM may mean: revolutions per minute RPM Package Manager (originally called Red Hat Package Manager) RPM (movie) RPM (band), a Brazilian rock band RPM (magazine), a former Canadian music industry magazine In firearms, Rounds Per Minute: how many shots an automatic weapon can fire in one minute On... Chemical structure of the vinyl functional group. ... A 12-inch record (left), a 7-inch record (right), and a CD (above) Two 7 singles (left), two colored 7 singles (middle), and two 7 singles with large spindle holes (right). ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... “Sound recorder” redirects here. ... A year (from Old English gēr) is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. ... The 1950s decade refers to the years 1950 to 1959 inclusive. ... A compact disc or CD is an optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... For the meaning of cassette in genetics, see cassette (genetics). ... A reel-to-reel tape recorder (Sony TC-630), typical of those which were once common audiophile objects. ... An audiophile, most generally, is a lover of sound or music, but the word is more commonly used about someone who cares about hi-fi playback of sound recordings, rather than live performances. ... Analog recording is the first way humans were able to store sounds for later playback. ... 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. ...

Physical and Technical Aspects

Between 1948 and 1955, the majority of LPs were 25 cm (10") in diameter, matching that of 78 rpm singles. Eventually the diameter was increased to 30 cm (12") (matching higher-priced classical 78s), and 10" records were relegated to the status of EPs (extended play). When initially introduced LPs played for approximately 45 minutes maximum, divided over two sides. However, in 1952, Columbia Records began to bring out "extended play" LPs that played for as long as 52 minutes, or 26 minutes per side. These were used mainly for the original cast albums of some Broadway musicals, such as Kiss Me, Kate and My Fair Lady, or in order to fit an entire play, such as the 1950 production of Don Juan in Hell, onto just two LPs. The 52+ minute playing time remained rare however due to mastering limitations, and most LPs continued to be issued with a 30- to 45-minute playing time throughout the lifetime of their production. // Extended play (EP) is the name typically given to vinyl records or CDs which contain more than one single but are too short to qualify as albums. ... A cast recording or original cast recording is a recording of a musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. ... For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... Kiss Me, Kate is a Tony Award-winning musical with a book by Samuel and Bella Spewack and music and lyrics by Cole Porter. ... My Fair Lady is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, based on George Bernard Shaws Pygmalion. ... Man and Superman is a 1903 play in four acts by G. Bernard Shaw. ...

Even so, the 45-minute play time of the LP ("long player") was a significant improvement over the previous dominant format, the 45 rpm single, which were generally limited to 3- to 5-minutes. At around 15–20 minutes per side, LPs provided a measured time to enjoy a recording before having to flip sides. Incidentally, having both an A-side and a B-side (unlike the first 78s) also gave users the choice, at the end of the side, whether to continue playing the other side of the album or not. 45 RPM is a collection of songs by The The. ... In recorded music, the terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles have been released since the 1950s. ... In recorded music, the terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles have been released since the 1950s. ...

Some record turntables, called record changers, could play a "stack" of records piled on a specially-designed spindle and arm arrangement. Because of this, many multiple-record sets were released in what's called "automatic sequence." A two-record set would have Side 1 and Side 4 on one record, and Side 2 and Side 3 on the other, so that the first two sides could play in a changer without the listener's intervention, and then they could simply flip the stack over. Larger boxed sets used appropriate automatic sequencing (1+8, 2+7, 3+6, 4+5 for example) leading to a sometimes-bewildering search. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Records were unfortunately very susceptible to damage from mishandling. Mishaps such as dropping the record, bumping its surface against anything or laying anything on an exposed LP could easily result in a scratched record surface, which would cause a "tick" sound every revolution on playback, if it did not abort playback of one or more tracks entirely, due to physical mis-tracking of the record player stylus, a sapphire or diamond needle which tracked the groove. The large surface area of the record, being vinyl and therefore statically charged, would pull dust and smoke suspended particles out of the air, also causing ticks, pops and (in worst cases of contamination) distortion during playback. Therefore audiophiles would ritualistically clean the record surface carefully before playing, using an appropriate record cleaner and/or some antistatic record cleaning fluid. [1] 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. ... Electric charge is a fundamental conserved property of some subatomic particles, which determines their electromagnetic interactions. ... Look up dust in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Mixture. ... Vinyl Disc Records Preservation refers to the preventative measures taken to defend against damage, slow degradation, and maintain fidelity of singles, 12 singles, EP, LP in 45 or 33 1/3 rpm disc recordings. ...

Delicate as well as deceptively heavy for their size, people were less inclined to lug the significant weight of a stack of records around with them, for example when visiting friends or when traveling, than a similar quantity of music compiled onto 90-minute cassette compilation-tapes or in comparison with today's digital formats. The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. ... The compact audio cassette brought homemade mixes of pop songs within the reach of the casual music fan. ...

The average LP had about 1,600 feet of groove on each side, or about a third of a mile. The needle travels approximately 1 mph on average (it travels fastest on the outside edge -- unlike CDs which change their speed of rotation to provide constant linear velocity. CDs also play from the inside outward).

The RIAA equalization curve (used since 1954) provided a de-emphasis in the bass notes, allowing closer spacing of record grooves and hence more playing time. Turntable cartridge pre-amps reversed the RIAA curve to flatten out the frequencies again. The RIAA equalization curve for playback of vinyl records. ...

Record disc jockeys (or DJs) still rely heavily on vinyl records, as there is no efficient way to cue tracks from cassette tapes and Compact Discs do not allow any creative playback options. The term "DJ" has come to encompass all kinds of skills in "scratching" (record playback manipulation) and mixing dance music, rapping over the music or even playing musical instruments, but the original definition was simply somebody who played records (LP tracks or 12" singles) in a club, alternating between two turntables. The skill came in subtly matching beats or instruments from one song-to-the-next, providing a consistent dancefloor tempo. DJs also made occasional announcements and chatted with patrons to take requests while songs were actually playing. For other meanings of DJ, see DJ (disambiguation). ... 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 České Dráhy (Czech Railways) Chad (NATO country code) Chalmers Datorförening (computer club of the Chalmers University of Technology) a 1960s... Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce sounds for some types of music. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... RAP may mean: the IATA airport code for Rapid City Regional Airport Rassemblement pour lalternative progressiste, a Québecois political party. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... The 12-inch [30 cm] single gramophone record gained popularity with the advent of disco music in the 1970s. ... High Fidelity is a 2000 film directed by Stephen Frears, starring John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Jack Black, Todd Louiso, Tim Robbins, Lisa Bonet, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joan Cusack, Joelle Carter, and Lili Taylor. ...

In contrast to today's CD players, very few record players (turntables) could provide a per-track programmable interface, so the record albums tended to play in exactly the same order every listening. As the LP achieved market dominance, musicians and producers began to pay special attention to the flow from song-to-song, to keep a consistent mood or feel or to provide thematic continuity (concept albums). Some musicians today complain about the loss of this control over how their compositions are presented. A laser turntable is a phonograph that plays gramophone records using a laser beam as the pickup, rather than a stylus in mechanical contact with the disc. ... An album (from Latin albus white, blank, relating to a blank book in which something can be inserted) is a packaged collection of related things. ... Usually, in popular music, an album of an artist or group simply consists of a number of unconnected songs that the members of the group or the artist have written or have chosen to cover. ...

Fidelity and Formats

The audio quality of LPs increased greatly over time, and a small contingent of analog fans still maintain they are superior to digital media. Vinyl's current resurgence in popularity may be due, in part, to its tendency to hide a multitude of sins: poor recordings, sloppy mastering, botched editing. Digital is not so forgiving.

Early LP recordings were monaural, but stereo LP records became commercially available in 1957. In the 1970s, 4-channel records became available. These did not achieve the popularity of stereo records, partly due to scarcity of consumer playback equipment and partly due to the lack of quality in quad-remix releases. Quad never escaped the reputation of being a "gimmick." Label for 1. ... Label for 2. ... 4 channels quadraphonic label 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. ... A gimmick is a unique or quirky special feature that makes something stand out from its contemporaries. ...

Besides the standard black vinyl, specialty records were also pressed on different colors of vinyl or special "picture discs" with a cardboard picture sandwiched between two clear sides. Records in different novelty shapes were also produced.

Although most LPs played at 33-1/3 rpm, some "super fidelity" discs were designed to play at 45 rpm. There were also, early in the evolution of the LP, some records (primarily spoken word) designed to play at 16-2/3 rpm, though players were rare.

The composition of vinyl used to press records varied considerably over the years. Virgin vinyl is preferred, but during the petrochemical crisis on the late 1970s it became commonplace to use recycled vinyl, melted unsold records with all the impurities. Sound quality suffered, with increased ticks, pops and other surface noises. Other experiments included reducing the thickness of LPs, leading to inherent warpage or increased susceptibility to damage. Using a bead of 130 grams of vinyl had been the standard, but some labels experimented with as little as 90 grams per LP. Today, high fidelity pressings follow the Japanese standard of 160 grams, or even 180 or 200.

See also

• Gramophone record