Phonograph record

For the magazine, seePhonograph Record(magazine).For cylinder recordings formerly commonly called phonograph records, seePhonograph cylinder.

Aphonograph record(also known as agramophone record,especially in British English) or avinyl record(for later varieties only) is ananalogsoundstorage mediumin the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near the outside edge and ends near the center of the disc. The stored sound information is made audible by playing the record on aphonograph(or "gramophone", "turntable", or "record player" ).

Three vinyl records of different formats, from left to right: a 12 inchLP,a 10 inch LP, a 7 inchsingle

Records have been produced in different formats with playing times ranging from a few minutes to around 30 minutes per side. For about half a century, the discs were commonly made fromshellacand these records typically ran at a rotational speed of 78rpm,giving it the nickname "78s"(" seventy-eights "). After the 1940s," vinyl "records made frompolyvinyl chloride(PVC) became standard replacing the old 78s and remain so to this day; they have since been produced in various sizes and speeds, most commonly 7-inch discs played at 45 rpm (typically forsingles,also called45s( "forty-fives" )), and 12-inch discs played at 33⅓ rpm (known as anLP,"long-playing records", typically for full-lengthalbums) – the latter being the most prevalent format today.

Overview

The phonograph record was the primary medium used for music reproduction throughout the 20th century. It had co-existed with thephonograph cylinderfrom the late 1880s and had effectively superseded it by around 1912. Records retained the largest market share even when new formats such as thecompact cassettewere mass-marketed. By the 1980s,digital media,in the form of thecompact disc,had gained a larger market share, and the record left the mainstream in 1991.Since the 1990s, records continue to be manufactured and sold on a smaller scale, and during the 1990s and early 2000s were commonly used bydisc jockeys(DJs), especially in dance music genres. They were also listened to by a growing number ofaudiophiles.The phonograph record has made a niche resurgence in the early 21st century,growing increasingly popular throughout the 2010s and 2020s.

Conductor and cast members of theD'Oyly Carte Opera Companywithacoustic recordinghorn atHMV,c. 1924

Phonographrecords are generally described by theirdiameterin inches (12-inch, 10-inch, 7-inch), therotational speedinrevolutions per minute(rpm) at which they are played (8+1⁄3,16+2⁄3,33+1⁄3,45, 78),and their time capacity, determined by their diameter and speed (LP [long play], 12-inch disc,33+1⁄3rpm; EP [extended play], 12-inch disc or 7-inch disc,33+1⁄3or 45 rpm; Single, 7-inch or 10-inch disc, 45 or 78 rpm); their reproductive quality, or level offidelity(high-fidelity, orthophonic, full-range, etc.); and the number of audio channels (mono,stereo,quad,etc.).

The phrasebroken recordrefers to a malfunction when the needle skips/jumps back to the previous groove and plays the same section over and over again indefinitely.

Naming

The various names have includedphonograph record(American English),gramophone record(British English), record, vinyl,LP(originally a trademark ofColumbia Records), black disc,album, and moreinformallyplatter,wax,or liquorice pizza.

Early development

Manufacture of disc records began in the late 19th century, at first competing with earlier cylinder records. Price, ease of use and storage made the disc record dominant by the 1910s. The standard format of disc records became known to later generations as "78s" after their playback speed in revolutions per minute, although that speed only became standardized in the late 1920s. In the late 1940s new formats pressed in vinyl, the 45 rpm single and 33 rpm long playing "LP", were introduced, gradually overtaking the formerly standard "78s" over the next decade. The late 1950s saw the introduction of stereophonic sound on commercial discs.

Predecessors

Main article:History of sound recording

Thephonautographwas invented by 1857 by Frenchman Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville.It could not, however, play back recorded sound,as Scott intended for people to read back the tracings,which he called phonautograms.Prior to this,tuning forkshad been used in this way to create direct tracings of the vibrations of sound-producing objects, as by English physicistThomas Youngin 1807.

In 1877,Thomas Edisoninvented the firstphonograph,which etched sound recordings ontophonograph cylinders.Unlike the phonautograph, Edison's phonograph could both record and reproduce sound, via two separate needles, one for each function.

The first disc records

Emile Berliner with disc record gramophone

The first commercially sold disc records were created byEmile Berlinerin the 1880s. Emile Berliner improved the quality of recordings while his manufacturing associateEldridge R. Johnson,who owned a machine shop inCamden, New Jersey,eventually improved the mechanism of the gramophone with a spring motor and a speed regulating governor, resulting in a sound quality equal to Edison's cylinders. Abandoning Berliner's "Gramophone" trademark for legal reasons in the United States, Johnson's and Berliner's separate companies reorganized in 1901 to form theVictor Talking Machine Companyin Camden, New Jersey, whose products would come to dominate the market for several decades.

Berliner's Montreal factory, which became the Canadian branch ofRCA Victor,still exists. There is a dedicated museum in Montreal for Berliner (Musée des ondes Emile Berliner).

78 rpm disc developments

Early speeds

HungarianPathérecord, 90 to 100 rpm

Early disc recordings were produced in a variety of speeds ranging from 60 to 130 rpm, and a variety of sizes. As early as 1894,Emile Berliner'sUnited States Gramophone Companywas selling single-sided 7-inch discs with an advertised standard speed of "about 70 rpm".

One standard audio recording handbook describes speed regulators, orgovernors,as being part of a wave of improvement introduced rapidly after 1897. A picture of a hand-cranked 1898 Berliner Gramophone shows a governor and says that spring drives had replaced hand drives. It notes that:

The speed regulator was furnished with an indicator that showed the speed when the machine was running so that the records, on reproduction, could be revolved at exactly the same speed...The literature does not disclose why 78 rpm was chosen for the phonograph industry, apparently this just happened to be the speed created by one of the early machines and, for no other reason continued to be used.

A multinational product: an operatic duet sung byEnrico CarusoandAntonio Scotti,recorded in the US in 1906 by theVictor Talking Machine Company,manufacturedc. 1908in Hanover, Germany, for theGramophone Company,Victor's affiliate in England

In 1912, the Gramophone Company set 78 rpm as their recording standard, based on the average of recordings they had been releasing at the time, and started selling players whose governors had anominalspeed of 78 rpm.By 1925, 78 rpm was becoming standardized across the industry. However, the exact speed differed between places withalternating currentelectricity supply at 60hertz(cycles per second, Hz) and those at 50 Hz. Where the mains supply was 60 Hz, the actual speed was 78.26 rpm:that of a 60 Hzstroboscopeilluminating 92-bar calibration markings. Where it was 50 Hz, it was 77.92 rpm: that of a 50 Hz stroboscope illuminating 77-bar calibration markings.

Edison Records Diamond Disc label, early 1920s.Edison Disc Recordsalways ran at 80 rpm.

At least one attempt to lengthen playing time was made in the early 1920s. World Records produced records that played at aconstant linear velocity,controlled byNoel Pemberton Billing's patented add-on speed governor.

Acoustic recording

Early recordings were made entirely acoustically, the sound was collected by a horn and piped to adiaphragm,which vibrated the cutting stylus. Sensitivity and frequency range were poor, and frequency response was irregular, giving acoustic recordings an instantly recognizable tonal quality. A singer almost had to put their face in the recording horn. A way of reducing resonance was to wrap the recording horn with tape.

Even drums, if planned and placed properly, could be effectively recorded and heard on even the earliest jazz and military band recordings. The loudest instruments such as the drums and trumpets were positioned the farthest away from the collecting horn.Lillian Hardin Armstrong,a member ofKing Oliver's Creole Jazz Band,which recorded atGennett Recordsin 1923, remembered that at first Oliver and his young second trumpet,Louis Armstrong,stood next to each other and Oliver's horn could not be heard. "They put Louis about fifteen feet over in the corner, looking all sad."

Electrical recording

An electronically recorded disc fromCarl LindströmAG, Germany,c. 1930

During the first half of the 1920s, engineers atWestern Electric,as well as independent inventors such asOrlando Marsh,developed technology for capturing sound with amicrophone,amplifying it withvacuum tubes(known asvalvesin the UK), and then using the amplified signal to drive an electromechanical recording head. Western Electric's innovations resulted in a broader and smoother frequency response, which produced a dramatically fuller, clearer and more natural-sounding recording. Soft or distant sounds that were previously impossible to record could now be captured. Volume was now limited only by the groove spacing on the record and the amplification of the playback device. Victor and Columbia licensed the newelectricalsystem from Western Electric and recorded the first electrical discs during the spring of 1925. The first electrically recorded VictorRed Sealrecord wasChopin's "Impromptus" andSchubert's "Litanei" performed by pianistAlfred Cortotat Victor's studios inCamden, New Jersey.

A 1926Wanamaker'sad inThe New York Timesoffers records "by the latest Victor process of electrical recording".It was recognized as a breakthrough; in 1930, aTimesmusic critic stated:

... the time has come for serious musical criticism to take account of performances of great music reproduced by means of the records. To claim that the records have succeeded in exact and complete reproduction of all details of symphonic or operatic performances... would be extravagant... [but] the article of today is so far in advance of the old machines as hardly to admit classification under the same name. Electrical recording and reproduction have combined to retain vitality and color in recitals by proxy.

Examples of Congolese 78 rpm records

A 10-inch blank for making an individually cut one-off recording made from Decelith, a proprietary PVC-based material produced by a German Company ECW that was used to make commercial flexible blanks prior to World War II

TheOrthophonic Victrolahad an interior folded exponential horn, a sophisticated design informed by impedance-matching andtransmission-linetheory, and designed to provide a relatively flat frequency response. Victor's first public demonstration of the Orthophonic Victrola on 6 October 1925, at theWaldorf-Astoria Hotelwas front-page news inThe New York Times,which reported:

The audience broke into applause...John Philip Sousa[said]: '[Gentlemen], that is a band. This is the first time I have ever heard music with any soul to it produced by a mechanical talking machine'... The new instrument is a feat of mathematics and physics. It is not the result of innumerable experiments, but was worked out on paper in advance of being built in the laboratory... The new machine has a range of from 100 to 5,000 [cycles per second], or five and a half octaves... The 'phonograph tone' is eliminated by the new recording and reproducing process.

Sales of records plummeted precipitously during the early years of theGreat Depressionof the 1930s, and the entire record industry in America nearly foundered. In 1932, RCA Victor introduced a basic, inexpensive turntable called the Duo Jr., which was designed to be connected to their radio receivers. According to Edward Wallerstein (the general manager of the RCA Victor Division), this device was "instrumental in revitalizing the industry".

78 rpm materials

The production of shellac records continued throughout the 78 rpm era, which lasted until 1948 in industrialized nations.

During the Second World War, the United States Armed Forces produced thousands of 12-inch vinyl 78 rpmV-Discsfor use by the troops overseas.After the war, the use of vinyl became more practical as new record players with lightweight crystal pickups and precision-ground styli made ofsapphireor an exoticosmiumalloy proliferated. In late 1945, RCA Victor began offering "De Luxe" transparent red vinylite pressings of someRed Sealclassical 78s, at ade luxeprice. Later,Decca Recordsintroduced vinyl Deccalite 78s, while other record companies used various vinyl formulations trademarked as Metrolite, Merco Plastic, and Sav-o-flex, but these were mainly used to produce "unbreakable" children's records and special thin vinyl DJ pressings for shipment to radio stations.

78 rpm recording time

The playing time of a phonograph record is directly proportional to the available groove length divided by the turntable speed. Total groove length in turn depends on how closely the grooves are spaced, in addition to the record diameter. At the beginning of the 20th century, the early discs played for two minutes, the same as cylinder records.The 12-inch disc, introduced by Victor in 1903, increased the playing time to three and a half minutes.Because the standard 10-inch 78 rpm record could hold about three minutes of sound per side, most popular recordings were limited to that duration.For example, whenKing Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, includingLouis Armstrongon his first recordings, recorded 13 sides atGennett Recordsin Richmond, Indiana, in 1923, one side was 2:09 and four sides were 2:52–2:59.

In January 1938,Milt Gablerstarted recording forCommodore Records,and to allow for longer continuous performances, he recorded some 12-inch discs.Eddie Condonexplained: "Gabler realized that a jam session needs room for development." The first two 12-inch recordings did not take advantage of their capability: "Carnegie Drag" was 3m 15s; "Carnegie Jump", 2m 41s. But at the second session, on 30 April, the two 12-inch recordings were longer: "Embraceable You" was 4m 05s; "Serenade to a Shylock", 4m 32s.Another way to overcome the time limitation was to issue a selection extending to both sides of a single record. Vaudeville starsGallagher and Sheanrecorded "Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean", written by themselves or, allegedly, by Bryan Foy, as two sides of a 10-inch 78 in 1922 forVictor.Longer musical pieces were released as a set of records. In 1903His Master's Voicein England made the first complete recording of an opera,Verdi'sErnani,on 40 single-sided discs.

In 1940, Commodore releasedEddie Condonand his Band's recording of "A Good Man Is Hard to Find"in four parts, issued on both sides of two 12-inch 78s. The limited duration of recordings persisted from their advent until the introduction of theLP recordin 1948. In popular music, the time limit of3+1⁄2minutes on a 10-inch 78 rpm record meant that singers seldom recorded long pieces. One exception isFrank Sinatra's recording ofRodgersandHammerstein's "Soliloquy",fromCarousel,made on 28 May 1946. Because it ran 7m 57s, longer than both sides of a standard 78 rpm 10-inch record, it was released onColumbia's Masterwork label (the classical division) as two sides of a 12-inch record.

In the 78 era, classical-music and spoken-word items generally were released on the longer 12-inch 78s, about 4–5 minutes per side. For example, on 10 June 1924, four months after the 12 February premier ofRhapsody in Blue,George Gershwinrecorded an abridged version of the seventeen-minute work withPaul Whitemanand His Orchestra. It was released on two sides of Victor 55225 and ran for 8m 59s.

Record albums

"Record albums" were originally booklets containing collections of multiple disc records of related material, the name being related to photograph albums or scrap albums.German record companyOdeonpioneered the album in 1909 when it released theNutcracker SuitebyTchaikovskyon four double-sided discs in a specially designed package.It was not until the LP era that an entire album of material could be included on a single record.

78 rpm releases in the microgroove era

In 1968, when the hit movieThoroughly Modern Milliewas inspiring revivals ofJazz Agemusic,Repriseplanned to release a series of 78-rpm singles from their artists on their label at the time, called the Reprise Speed Series. Only one disc actually saw release,Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going to Rain Today", a track from hisself-titleddebut album (with "The Beehive State" on the flipside).Reprise did not proceed further with the series due to a lack of sales for the single, and a lack of general interest in the concept.

In 1978, guitarist and vocalistLeon Redbonereleased a promotional 78-rpmsinglefeaturing two songs ( "Alabama Jubilee" and "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" ) from hisChampagne Charliealbum.

In the same vein ofTin Pan Alleyrevivals,R. Crumb & His Cheap Suit Serenadersissued a number of 78-rpm singles on their Blue Goose record label. The most familiar of these releases is probablyR. Crumb & His Cheap Suit Serenaders' Party Record(1980, issued as a "Red Goose" record on a 12-inch single), with the double-entendre "My Girl's Pussy"on the" A "side and the X-rated" Christopher Columbus "on the" B "side.

In the 1990sRhino Recordsissued a series of boxed sets of 78-rpm reissues of early rock and roll hits, intended for owners of vintagejukeboxes.The records were made of vinyl, however, and some of the earlier vintage 78-rpm jukeboxes and record players (the ones that were pre-war) were designed with heavy tone arms to play the hard slate-impregnated shellac records of their time. These vinyl Rhino 78s were softer and would be destroyed by old juke boxes and old record players, but play well on newer 78-capable turntables with modern lightweight tone arms and jewel needles.

As a special release forRecord Store Day2011, Capitol re-releasedThe Beach Boyssingle "Good Vibrations"in the form of a 10-inch 78-rpm record (b/w" Heroes and Villains "). More recently,The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Bandhas released their tribute to blues guitaristCharley PattonPeyton on Pattonon both 12-inch LP and 10-inch 78s.

New sizes and materials after WWII

See also:LP record

A 12-inch LP being played. The stylus is in contact with the surface.

Grooves on a modern 33 rpm record

Uncommon Columbia 7-inch vinyl33+1⁄3rpmmicrogrooveZLP from 1948

CBS Laboratorieshad long been at work forColumbia Recordsto develop a phonograph record that would hold at least 20 minutes per side.

Research began in 1939, was suspended during World War II, and then resumed in 1945.Columbia Recordsunveiled the LP at a press conference in theWaldorf-Astoriaon 21 June 1948, in two formats: 10 inches (25 centimetres) in diameter, matching that of78 rpmsingles, and 12 inches (30 centimetres) in diameter.

Boston PopsconductorArthur Fiedlerdemonstrating the new RCA Victor 45 rpm player and record in February 1949

Unwilling to accept and license Columbia's system, in February 1949, RCA Victor released the first 45 rpm single, 7 inches in diameter with a large center hole. The 45 rpm player included a changing mechanism that allowed multiple disks to be stacked, much as a conventional changer handled 78s. Also like 78s, the short playing time of a single 45 rpm side meant that long works, such as symphonies and operas, had to be released on multiple 45s instead of a single LP, but RCA Victor claimed that the new high-speed changer rendered side breaks so brief as to be inconsequential. Early 45 rpm records were made from either vinyl orpolystyrene.They had a playing time of eight minutes.

At first the two systems were marketed in competition, in what was called "The War of the Speeds".

Speeds

Shellac era

ColumbiaandRCA Victor's competition extended to equipment. Some turntables includedspindle size adapters,but other turntables required snap-in inserts like this one to adapt Victor's larger 45 rpm spindle size to the smaller spindle size available on nearly all turntables.Shown is one popular design in use for many years.

The older 78 rpm format continued to be mass-produced alongside the newer formats using new materials in decreasing numbers until the summer of 1958 in the U.S., and in a few countries, such as thePhilippinesandIndia(both countries issued recordings bythe Beatleson 78s), into the late 1960s. For example,Columbia Records' last reissue ofFrank Sinatrasongs on 78 rpm records was an album calledYoung at Heart,issued in November 1954.

Microgroove and vinyl era

1959Seeburg16 rpm record (label only)

Columbia and RCA Victor each pursued theirR&Dsecretly.

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-inch (175 mm) 45 rpm disc, with a much larger center hole. 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 alsoFormat war). In 1949 Capitol and Decca adopted the new LP format and RCA Victor gave in and issued its first LP in January 1950. The 45 rpm size was gaining in popularity, too, and Columbia issued its first 45s in February 1951. By 1954, 200 million 45s had been sold.

Eventually the 12-inch (300 mm)33+1⁄3rpm LP prevailed as the dominant format for musical albums, and 10-inch LPs were no longer issued. The lastColumbia Recordsreissue of anyFrank Sinatrasongs on a 10-inch LP record was an album calledHall of Fame,CL 2600, issued on 26 October 1956, containing six songs, one each byTony Bennett,Rosemary Clooney,Johnnie Ray,Frank Sinatra,Doris Day,andFrankie Laine.

45 rpm vinyl record from 1965

The 45 rpm discs also came in a variety known asextended play(EP), which achieved up to 10–15 minutes play at the expense of attenuating (and possibly compressing) the sound to reduce the width required by the groove. EP discs were cheaper to produce and were used in cases where unit sales were likely to be more limited or to reissue LP albums on the smaller format for those people who had only 45 rpm players. LP albums could be purchased one EP at a time, with four items per EP, or in a boxed set with three EPs or twelve items. The large center hole on 45s allows easier handling byjukeboxmechanisms. EPs were generally discontinued by the late 1950s in the U.S. as three- and four-speed record players replaced the individual 45 players. One indication of the decline of the 45 rpm EP is that the lastColumbia Recordsreissue ofFrank Sinatrasongs on 45 rpm EP records, calledFrank Sinatra(Columbia B-2641) was issued on 7 December 1959.

TheSeeburg Corporationintroduced theSeeburg Background Music Systemin 1959, using a16+2⁄3rpm 9-inch record with 2-inch center hole. Each record held 40 minutes of music per side, recorded at 420 grooves per inch.

From the mid-1950s through the 1960s, in the U.S. the common home record player or "stereo" (after the introduction of stereo recording) would typically have had these features: a three- or four-speed player (78, 45,33+1⁄3,and sometimes16+2⁄3rpm); with changer, a tall spindle that would hold several records and automatically drop a new record on top of the previous one when it had finished playing, a combination cartridge with both 78 and microgroove styli and a way to flip between the two; and some kind of adapter for playing the 45s with their larger center hole. The adapter could be a small solid circle that fit onto the bottom of the spindle (meaning only one 45 could be played at a time) or a larger adapter that fit over the entire spindle, permitting a stack of 45s to be played.

RCA Victor 45s were also adapted to the smaller spindle of an LP player with a plastic snap-in insert known as a "45 rpm adapter".These inserts were commissioned by RCA presidentDavid Sarnoffand were invented by Thomas Hutchison.

Capacitance Electronic Discswerevideodiscsinvented by RCA, based on mechanically tracked ultra-microgrooves (9541 grooves/inch) on a 12-inch conductive vinyl disc.

High fidelity

Further information:High fidelity

The term "high fidelity" was coined in the 1920s by some manufacturers of radio receivers and phonographs to differentiate their better-sounding products claimed as providing "perfect" sound reproduction.The term began to be used by some audio engineers and consumers through the 1930s and 1940s. After 1949 a variety of improvements in recording and playback technologies, especially stereo recordings, which became widely available in 1958, gave a boost to the "hi-fi" classification of products, leading to sales of individual components for the home such as amplifiers, loudspeakers, phonographs, and tape players.High FidelityandAudiowere two magazines that hi-fi consumers and engineers could read for reviews of playback equipment and recordings.

Stereophonic sound

Decoding the left channel

Astereophonicphonograph provides two channels of audio, one left and one right. This is achieved by adding another vertical dimension of movement to the needle in addition to the horizontal one. As a result, the needle now moves not only left and right, but also up and down. But since those two dimensions do not have the same sensitivity to vibration, the difference needs to be evened out by having each channel take half its information from each direction by turning the channels 45 degrees from horizontal.

As a result of the 45-degree turn and somevector addition,it can be demonstrated that out of the new horizontal and vertical directions, one would represent the sum of the two channels, and the other representing the difference. Record makers decide to pick the directions such that the traditional horizontal direction codes for the sum. As a result, an ordinary mono disk is decoded correctly as "no difference between channels", and an ordinary mono player would simply play the sum of a stereophonic record without too much loss of information.

In 1957 the first commercialstereotwo-channel records were issued first by Audio Fidelity followed by a translucent blue vinyl on Bel Canto Records, the first of which was a multi-colored-vinyl sampler featuring A Stereo Tour of Los Angeles narrated byJack Wagneron one side, and a collection of tracks from various Bel Canto albums on the back.

Noise reduction systems

A similar scheme aiming at the high-end audiophile market, and achieving a noise reduction of about 20 to 25 dB(A), was theTelefunken/NakamichiHigh-Com IInoise reductionsystem being adapted to vinyl in 1979. A decoder was commercially availablebut only one demo recordis known to have been produced in this format.

The availability of encoded disks in any of these formats stopped in the mid-1980s.

Yet another noise reduction system for vinyl records was theUC compander systemdeveloped byZentrum Wissenschaft und Technik(ZWT) ofKombinat Rundfunk und Fernsehen(RFT).The system deliberately reduced disk noise by 10 to 12 dB(A) onlyto remain virtually free of recognizable acoustical artifacts even when records were played back without an UC expander. In fact, the system was undocumented yet introduced into the market by several East-German record labels since 1983.Over 500 UC-encoded titles were producedwithout an expander becoming available to the public. The onlyUC expander was built into a turntable manufactured byPhonotechnik Pirna/Zittau.

Formats

Types of records

The usual diameters of the holes on an EP record are 0.286 inches (7.26 mm).

Sizes of records in the United States and the UK are generally measured in inches, e.g. 7-inch records, which are generally 45 rpm records. LPs were 10-inch records at first, but soon the 12-inch size became by far the most common. Generally, 78s were 10-inch, but 12-inch and 7-inch and even smaller were made—the so-called "little wonders".

Standard formats

A standard wide-hole 7-inch vinyl record from 1978 on its sleeve

Diameter	Finished Diameter	Name	Revolutions per minute	Approximate duration (minutes) per side
16 in (41 cm)	15+15⁄16″ ±3⁄32″	Transcription disc	33+1⁄3	15
12 in (30 cm)	11+7⁄8″ ±1⁄32″	LP(Long Play)	33+1⁄3	22
		Maxi Single,12-inch single	45	15
		Single	78	4–5
10 in (25 cm)	9+7⁄8″ ±1⁄32″	LP(Long Play)	33+1⁄3	12–15
		EP(Extended Play)	45	9–12
		Single	78	3
7 in (18 cm)	6+7⁄8″ ±1⁄32″	EP(Extended Play)	33+1⁄3	7
		EP (Extended Play)	45	8
		Single	45	5+1⁄3

Example of 7″ EMI single with notched center hole

Notes:

Less common formats

Main article:Unusual types of gramophone records

Flexi discswere thin flexible records that were distributed with magazines and as promotional gifts from the 1960s to the 1980s.

In March 1949, as RCA Victor released the 45, Columbia released several hundred 7-inch,33+1⁄3rpm, small-spindle-hole singles. This format was soon dropped as it became clear that the RCA Victor 45 was the single of choice and the Columbia 12-inch LP would be the album of choice. The first release of the 45 came in seven colors: black 47-xxxx popular series, yellow 47-xxxx juvenile series, green (teal) 48-xxxx country series, deep red 49-xxxx classical series, bright red (cerise) 50-xxxx blues/spiritual series, light blue 51-xxxx international series, dark blue 52-xxxx light classics. Most colors were soon dropped in favor of black because of production problems. However, yellow and deep red were continued until about 1952. The first 45 rpm record created for sale was "PeeWee the Piccolo" RCA Victor 47-0147 pressed in yellow translucent vinyl at the Sherman Avenue plant, Indianapolis on 7 December 1948, by R. O. Price, plant manager.

In the 1950s and 1960sRibswere created within Soviet Union countries as a result of cultural censorship. These black market records were of banned music, printed onto x-ray films scavenged from hospital bins.

In the 1970s, the government ofBhutanproduced now-collectible postage stamps on playable vinyl mini-discs.

Recent developments

In 2018, an Austrian startup, Rebeat Innovation GmBH, receivedUS$4.8 million in funding to develop high definition vinyl records that purport to contain longer play times, louder volumes and higher fidelity than conventional vinyl LPs.Rebeat Innovation, headed by CEO Günter Loibl, has called the format 'HD Vinyl'.The HD process works by converting audio to a digital 3D topography map that is then inscribed onto the vinyl stamper via lasers, resulting in less loss of information. Many critics have expressed skepticism regarding the cost and quality of HD records.

In May 2019, at the Making Vinyl conference in Berlin, Loibl unveiled the software "Perfect Groove" for creating 3D topographic audio data files.The software provides a map for laser-engraving for HD Vinyl stampers. The audio engineering software was created with mastering engineersScott HullandDarcy Proper,a four-time Grammy winner. The demonstration offered the first simulations of what HD Vinyl records are likely to sound like, ahead of actual HD vinyl physical record production. Loibl discussed the software "Perfect Groove" at a presentation titled "Vinyl 4.0 The next generation of making records" before offering demonstrations to attendees.

Structure

Comparison of several forms of disk storage showing tracks (tracks not to scale); green denotes start and red denotes end.
* Some CD-R(W) and DVD-R(W)/DVD+R(W) recorders operate in ZCLV, CAA or CAV modes.

Increasingly from the early 20th century, and almost exclusively since the 1920s, both sides of the record have been used to carry the grooves. Occasional records have been issued since then with a recording on only one side. In the 1980s Columbia records briefly issued a series of less expensive one-sided 45 rpm singles.

Since its inception in 1948, vinyl record standards for the United States follow the guidelines of theRecording Industry Association of America(RIAA).

Vinyl quality

The composition of vinyl used to press records (a blend ofpolyvinyl chlorideandpolyvinyl acetate) has varied considerably over the years. Virgin vinyl is preferred, but during the1970s energy crisis,as a cost-cutting move, much of the industry began reducing the thickness and quality of vinyl used in mass-market manufacturing. Sound quality suffered, with increased ticks, pops, and other surface noises.RCA Recordsmarketed their lightweight LP asDynaflex,which, at the time, was considered inferior by many record collectors.

It became commonplace to use recycled vinyl. New or "virgin" heavy/heavyweight (180–220 g) vinyl is commonly used for modern audiophile vinyl releases in allgenres.Many collectors prefer to have heavyweight vinyl albums, which have been reported to have better sound than normal vinyl because of their higher tolerance against deformation caused by normal play.

Following thevinyl revivalof the 21st century, select manufacturers adoptedbioplastic-based records due to concerns over the environmental impact of widespread PVC use.

Limitations

Shellac

One problem with shellac was that the size of the disks tended to be larger because it was limited to 80–100 groove walls per inch before the risk of groove collapse became too high, whereas vinyl could have up to 260 groove walls per inch.

Vinyl

"Broken record" redirects here. For other uses, seeBroken Record (disambiguation).

Although vinyl records are strong and do not break easily, they scratch due to its soft material sometimes resulting in ruining the record. Vinyl readily acquires a static charge, attractingdustthat is difficult to remove completely. Dust and scratches cause audio clicks and pops. In extreme cases, they can cause the needle toskipover a series of grooves, or worse yet, cause the needle to skip backward, creating a "locked groove" that repeats over and over. This is the origin of the phrase "like a broken record"or" like a scratched record ", which is often used to describe a person or thing that continually repeats itself.

A dusty/scratched vinyl record being played. The dust settles into the grooves.

A further limitation of the gramophone record is that fidelity steadily declines as playback progresses; there is more vinyl per second available for fine reproduction of high frequencies at the large-diameter beginning of the groove than exist at the smaller diameters close to the end of the side. At the start of a groove on an LP there are 510 mm of vinyl per second traveling past the stylus while the ending of the groove gives 200–210 mm of vinyl per second—less than half the linear resolution.

There is controversy about the relative quality of CD sound and LP sound when the latter is heard under the best conditions (seeComparison of analog and digital recording). One technical advantage with vinyl compared to the optical CD is that if correctly handled and stored, the vinyl record can be playable for decades and possibly centuries,which is longer than some versions of the optical CD.For vinyl records to be playable for years to come, they need to be handled with care and stored properly. Guidelines for proper vinyl storage include not stacking records on top of each other, avoiding heat or direct sunlight and placing them in a temperature-controlled area that help prevent vinyl records from warping and scratching. Collectors store their records in a variety of boxes, cubes, shelves and racks.

Sound fidelity

At the time of the introduction of thecompact disc(CD) in 1982, the stereo LP pressed in vinyl continued to suffer from a variety of limitations:

The stereo image was not made up of fully discrete left and right channels; each channel's signal coming out of the cartridge contained a small amount of the signal from the other channel, with more crosstalk at higher frequencies. High-quality disc cutting equipment was capable of making a master disc with 30–40 dB of stereo separation at 1,000 Hz, but the playback cartridges had lesser performance of about 20 to 30 dB of separation at 1000 Hz, with separation decreasing as frequency increased, such that at 12 kHz the separation was about 10–15 dB.A common modern view is that stereo isolation must be higher than this to achieve a proper stereo soundstage. However, in the 1950s theBBCdetermined in a series of tests that only 20–25 dB is required for the impression of full stereo separation.

Thin, closely spaced spiral grooves that allow for increased playing time on a33+1⁄3rpm microgroove LP lead to a tinny pre-echo warning of upcoming loud sounds. The cutting stylus unavoidably transfers some of the subsequent groove wall's impulse signal into the previous groove wall. It is discernible by some listeners throughout certain recordings, but a quiet passage followed by a loud sound allows anyone to hear a faint pre-echo of the loud sound occurring 1.8 seconds ahead of time.

LP versus CD

Further information:Comparison of analog and digital recording

Audiophileshave differed over the relative merits of the LP versus theCDsince the digital disc was introduced.In large part, the claim for vinyl superiority is due to the necessity for digital recordings to presume upper and lower bounds, sampling the tones and soundwaves within those limits and using the resulting information to store and recall the audio. Effectively, the digital recording is an idealized representation of a physical soundwave, while an analog recording captures the physical vibrations across their full frequency. Because most modern vinyl records are made from playbacks of files recorded digitally, there is no out-of-bounds audio to transfer to the disc.Vinyl's drawbacks, however, include surface noise, less resolution due to a lower dynamic range, and greater sensitivity to handling.Modernanti-aliasing filtersand oversampling systems used in digital recordings have eliminated perceived problems observed with early CD players.

There is a theory that vinyl records can audibly represent higher frequencies than compact discs, though most of this is noise and not relevant to human hearing. According toRed Book specifications,the compact disc has a frequency response of 20 Hz up to 22,050 Hz, and most CD players measure flat within a fraction of a decibel from at least 0 Hz to 20 kHz at full output. Due to the distance required between grooves, it is not possible for an LP to reproduce as low frequencies as a CD. Additionally, turntable rumble and acoustic feedback obscures the low-end limit of vinyl but the upper end can be, with some cartridges, reasonably flat within a few decibels to 30 kHz, with gentle roll-off. Carrier signals of Quad LPs popular in the 1970s were at 30 kHz to be out of the range of human hearing. The average human auditory system is sensitive to frequencies from 20 Hz to a maximum of around 20,000 Hz.The upper and lower frequency limits of human hearing vary per person. High frequency sensitivity decreases as a person ages, a process calledpresbycusis.

Preservation

45 rpm records, like thissinglefrom 1956, usually had a chosen A-side, for radio promotion as a possible hit, with a flip side orB-sideby the same artist—though some had two A-sides.

As the playing of gramophone records causes gradual degradation of the recording, they are best preserved by transferring them onto other media and playing the records as rarely as possible. They need to be stored on edge, and do best under environmental conditions that most humans would find comfortable.The longevity and optimal performance of vinyl records can be improved through certain accessories and cleaning supplies. Slipmats provide a soft and cushioned surface between the record and the turntable platter, minimizing friction and preventing potential scratches or damage to the vinyl surface.

Where old disc recordings are considered to be of artistic or historic interest, from before the era of tape or where no tape master exists, archivists play back the disc on suitable equipment and record the result, typically onto a digital format, which can be copied and manipulated to remove analog flaws without any further damage to the source recording. For example,Nimbus Recordsuses a specially built horn record player to transfer 78s.Anyone can do this using a standard record player with a suitable pickup, a phono-preamp (pre-amplifier) and a typical personal computer. However, for accurate transfer, professional archivists carefully choose the correct stylus shape and diameter, tracking weight, equalisation curve and other playback parameters and use high-quality analogue-to-digital converters.

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 adigital recordingformat. This does no further damage to the disc and generally produces a better sound than normal playback. This technique also has the potential to allow for reconstruction of broken or otherwise damaged discs.

Popularity and current status

See also:Album eraandVinyl revival

ADJmixing vinyl records with aDJ mixerat theSundance Film Festivalin 2003

Groove recordings, first designed in the final quarter of the 19th century, held a predominant position for nearly a century—withstanding competition fromreel-to-reel tape,the8-track cartridge,and thecompact cassette.The widespread popularity of Sony'sWalkmanwas a factor that contributed to the vinyl's lessening usage in the 1980s.

In 1988, thecompact discsurpassed the gramophone record in unit sales. Vinyl records experienced a sudden decline in popularity between 1988 and 1991,when the major label distributors restricted their return policies, which retailers had been relying on to maintain and swap out stocks of relatively unpopular titles. First the distributors began charging retailers more for new products if they returned unsold vinyl, and then they stopped providing any credit at all for returns. Retailers, fearing they would be stuck with anything they ordered, only ordered proven, popular titles that they knew would sell, and devoted more shelf space to CDs and cassettes. Record companies also removed many vinyl titles from production and distribution, further undermining the availability of the format and leading to the closure of pressing plants. This rapid decline in the availability of records accelerated the format's decline in popularity, and is seen by some as a deliberate ploy to make consumers switch to CDs, which unlike today, were more profitable for the record companies.

The more modern CD format held numerous advantages over the record such as its portability,digital audioand its elimination of background hiss and surface noise, instant switching and searching of tracks, longer playing time, lack of continuous degradation (analog formatswear out as they get played),programmability (e.g.shuffle,repeat),and ability to be played on and copied to apersonal computer.In spite of their flaws, records continued to have enthusiastic supporters, partly due to a preference of its "warmer" sound and its larger sleeve artwork.Records continued to be format of choice bydisc jockeysin dance clubs during the 1990s and 2000s due to its better mixing capabilities.

Revival era

A nicheresurgence of vinyl recordsbegan in the late 2000s, mainly among rock fans.The Entertainment Retailers Association in the United Kingdom found in 2011 that consumers were willing to pay on average £16.30 (€19.37, US$25.81) for a single vinyl record, as opposed to £7.82 (€9.30, US$12.38) for a CD and £6.80 (€8.09, US$10.76) for adigital download.The resurgence accelerated throughout the 2010s,and in 2015 reached $416 million revenue in the US, their highest level since 1988.As of 2017, it comprised 14% of all physical album sales.According to theRIAA's midyear report in 2020, phonograph record revenues surpassed those of CDs for the first time since the 1980s.

In 2021,Taylor Swiftsold 102,000 copies of her ninth studio albumEvermoreon vinyl in one week. The sales of the record beat the largest sales in one week on vinyl since Nielsen started tracking vinyl sales in 1991.The sales record was previously held byJack White,who sold 40,000 copies of his second solo release,Lazaretto,on vinyl in its first week of release in 2014.

Approximately 180 million LP records are produced annually at global pressing plants, as of 2021.

Present production

Vinyl record making demonstration atSXSW2014

As of 2017,48 record pressing facilities exist worldwide. The increased popularity of the record has led to the investment in new and modern record-pressing machines.Only two producers oflacquer master discsremain: Apollo Masters in California, and MDC in Japan.On 6 February 2020, a fire destroyed the Apollo Masters plant. According to the Apollo Masters website, their future is still uncertain.Hand Drawn Pressingopened in 2016 as the world's first fully automated record pressing plant.

Less common recording formats

VinylVideo

VinylVideo is a format to store a low resolutionblack and whitevideo on a vinyl record alongside encoded audio.

Capacitance Electronic Disc

Another example is theCapacitance Electronic Disc,a color video format, slightly better thanVHS.

See also

• Album cover
• Apollo Masters Corporation fire
• Capacitance Electronic Disc
• Conservation and restoration of vinyl discs
• Electrical transcription
• LP record
• The New Face of Vinyl: Youth's Digital Devolution(photo documentary)
• Phonograph cylinder
• Record Store Day
• Sound recording and reproduction
• Unusual types of gramophone records

Further reading

• Fadeyev, V.; C. Haber (2003)."Reconstruction of mechanically recorded sound by image processing"(PDF).Audio Engineering Society.51(December): 1172.
• Lawrence, Harold; "Mercury Living Presence". Compact disc liner notes. Bartók, Antal Dorati, Mercury 432 017–2. 1991.
• International standard IEC 60098:Analogue audio disk records and reproducing equipment.Third edition,International Electrotechnical Commission,1987.
• College Physics,Sears, Zemansky, Young, 1974, LOC #73-21135, chapter: "Acoustic Phenomena"
• Powell, James R., Jr.The Audiophile's Technical Guide to 78 rpm, Transcription, and Microgroove Recordings.1992; Gramophone Adventures, Portage, MI.ISBN0-9634921-2-8
• Powell, James R., Jr.Broadcast Transcription Discs.2001; Gramophone Adventures, Portage, MI.ISBN0-9634921-4-4
• Powell, James R., Jr. and Randall G. Stehle.Playback Equalizer Settings for 78 rpm Recordings.Third Edition. 1993, 2001, 2007; Gramophone Adventures, Portage, MI.ISBN0-9634921-3-6
• Scholes, Percy A.The Oxford Companion to Music.Ninth edition, Oxford University Press, 1955.
• From Tin Foil to Stereo: Evolution of the Phonographby Oliver Read and Walter L. Welch
• The Fabulous Phonographby Roland Gelatt, published by Cassell & Company, 1954 rev. 1977ISBN0-304-29904-9
• Where Have All the Good Times Gone?: The Rise and Fall of the Record IndustryLouis Barfe.
• Pressing the LP Recordby Ellingham, Niel, published at 1 Bruach Lane, PH16 5DG, Scotland.
• Sound RecordingsbyPeter Copelandpublished 1991 by the British LibraryISBN0-7123-0225-5.
• Vinyl: A History of the Analogue Recordby Richard Osborne. Ashgate, 2012.ISBN978-1-4094-4027-7.
• "A Record Changer and Record of Complementary Design"by B. H. Carson, A. D. Burt, and H. I. Reiskind,RCA Review,June 1949
• "Recording Technology History: notes revised July 6, 2005, by Steven Schoenherr",University of San Diego(archived 2010)
• Williams, Gavin.Format Friction: Perspectives on the Shellac Disc,University of Chicago Press, 2024

External links

• How do vinyl record works atvinyl-place website
• Playback equalization for 78 rpm shellacs and early LPs (EQ curves, index of record labels):Audacity Wiki
• The manufacturing and production of shellac records.Educational video, 1942.
• Reproduction of 78 rpm recordsincluding equalization data for different makes of 78s and LPs.
• The Secret Society of Lathe Trolls,a site devoted to all aspects of the making of Gramophone records.
• How to digitize gramophone records:Audacity Tutorial
• Actual list of vinyl pressing plants:vinyl-pressing-plants.com
• Dedicated museum for sound history:Musée des ondes Emile Berliner, Montreal, Canada
• Smart Vinyl: The First Computerized
• Semi-automatic metadata extraction from shellac and vinyl disc
• Vinyl Player 2.0