Another inventor, the German-American Emile Berliner patented the Gramophone, which used zinc discs to capture recordings. Proto-records, in other words. Zinc was soon replaced by a rubber-based compound called vulcanite, which in turn was replaced at the dawn of the 20th century with shellac, derived from the secreted resin of an Asian beetle. Shellac discs remained the primary format for music until the s. The early stars of recorded music were opera singers such as Nellie Melba and Enrico Caruso , whose voices echoed beyond the confines of the opera house thanks to the early record player.
Discs and cylinders were in competition as music formats, but demand for the latter now died off. Records were easier to produce, handle and store. Wind-up record-players were slowly being replaced by their electricity-powered equivalents. Instead of spring-wound mechanics, these used fly-wheel friction discs, as in car clutch systems, to keep record speeds even.
The radio boom of the s hits the record market hard. Combination home systems started to become more popular, including inbuilt amplification, speaker units and, of course, radio. These were record-players. Actually, it was a phonograph, and not a turntable, but it is considered the first record player. It was in that the gramophone was invented, which became the basis for the modern record player. Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in This innovative device both played and recorded sound with the use of a tinfoil covered cardboard cylinder for playback.
Later on, Alexander Graham Bell added wax to the design, which would record waves of sound. This change in the design later resulted in the graphophone. Emile Berliner called his invention the gramophone, which he patented in This invention consisted of shellac and hard rubber. Later on, it would be made with vinyl. This invention was later considered the basis of the record player we know and love. It was able to interpret grooves on flat discs instead of the cylinder that Edison used.
At this point, the vinyl record became necessary. As the record spins, a needle reads the grooves. This needle is cone-shaped and hangs from a stretchy band of metal. The needle is set at one end of the tonearm which is located on the side of the turntable, parallel to the vinyl. The arm moves across the vinyl as the needle follows the grooves.
The needle picks up the vibrations as it moves around the grooves of sound and these vibrations travel through the metal band located at the end of the arm and to the wires of the cartridge at the end of the tonearm. The coil, which is in a magnetic field, turns the vibrations into an electric signal which is then carried from the wires to the amp. These signals eventually turn into sound via the speakers, producing the music. For more detail, check out my article on how record players work.
Negative Imprint — Berliner was the first to record sound waves outwardly on a disc, using a technique called electroplating. In , Berliner found a way to create "master copies" of recordings utilizing this technique, which could be used to reproduce discs with inward grooves. With these methods, artists could reproduce recordings of a single track many times, seriously impacting the commercial value of the method for the better.
Shellac Discs : Berliner also innovated the development of shellac discs. Shellac is a substance that is secreted from certain insects, similar to sap. Berliner used this material to create discs that were reproducible and set the stage for more significant innovations in the 20th Century.
Victrola Eldridge R. Radio Corporation of America Of course, around this time in history, the radio was also becoming a popular staple of American life.
The Vinyl Record The first vinyl record was born in Stereo Sound and New Formats In , the first commercially available stereo sound records were released to the public.
Many inventions of the twentieth century proved to be commercially unsuccessful, in fact, including: Three-channel recording — Which formed the basis for surround sound. Four-channel recording — Which was a complete commercial failure. Laser turntables — Which were functional but expensive and laid the groundwork for the compact disc and other optical formats. Various Enhancements Since the s, various enhancements have been made to improve the quality, reliability, durability, and dynamic range of records: Improved cutting techniques — Changed the way records are cut, and increased dynamic range significantly, paving the way for less traditional genres in music, including metal and hip-hop.
Diaphragming — A chemical technique designed to mask background noise and create less surface noise in addition.
Enhancements in spiral groove pitch — Which improved endpoint distortion on records. Record Players Today In the late 80s, record players started to die out in popularity due to new formats and policies from record distributors about applying credits for unsold, returned, vinyl records.
Enduring Record Players From the very first recordings of the human voice to the early recordings made by Alexander Graham Bell and his associates, all the way to the modern electronic record players of today, it's hard to deny the enduring nature of this incredible piece of machinery.
Sources America's Story from America's Library. Check out the newest from Victrola. Shop New Releases. While the horn necessary to amplify the sound was initially large, it was altered by US phonograph and record brand Victor Talking Machine Company to tilt down so the whole device could fit in a cabinet.
In the s, wind-up players were being replaced by their electric-powered successors, and after the increasing popularity of bulky turntable systems with built-in amplification and speakers, came the rise of the dedicated hi-fi record player. It's fair to say this product was a not insignificant step along on the journey to the separates vinyl system.
The first stereo turntables were record changers that could play several records in a row. Records would be stacked on a spindle on top of each other, and when one finished the player would automatically spin the next record. Less flipping, more listening. For the turntable to spin at the correct speed under the weight of a handful of records, torque was important, and thus the idler wheel drive — a rubber wheel that ran off the motor and sat underneath the platter, acting to isolate motor vibrations from impacting the platter and, therefore, the music playback — was the ideal drive system.
But the idler wheel method had its disadvantages. The belt-drive turntable was a much more efficient, simple and cost-effective method, with a motor off to the side driving a rubber belt that wrapped around the outside of the platter to turn it.
The belt absorbed vibrations, thus helping to isolate motor noise from the platter. Unlike the idler wheel and belt-drive designs, there shouldn't be anything to replace or repair, with no belts and no wheels. The drawback was cost, which is why you'll tend to only find direct-drive decks on higher-end turntables.
0コメント