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Shellac record

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What is a shellac record?

The shellac record, the forerunner of the still widely used recordowes its name to the material from which it was made.

Most shellac records had a diameter of ten or twelve inches and were grooved on the sides. They could be played on a traditional gramophone with a thick steel needle as well as on an electric record player with a special needle. The 10-inch shellac records offered a maximum playing time of just over three minutes, while the 12-inch shellac records offered a playing time of just over four minutes per side, which was of particular interest for classical music pieces.

Another characteristic feature of shellac records was the playback speed. There were attempts ranging from 60 to over 100 revolutions per minute, but eventually a speed of 78 revolutions per minute prevailed. As early as 1930, there were a few “long-playing” shellac records that ran at 33 1/3 revolutions per minute and offered around ten minutes of music per side, for example excerpts from stage shows. However, the sound quality of these “Langspiel” shellacs was significantly worse than that of the conventional “78s”.

In the early days of sound recording, shellac records dominated the music industry. These fascinating music carriers are not only sonic masterpieces, but also witnesses to an era that changed the world of music forever.

The history of the record

From hard rubber to shellac

In October 1896, the inventor and entrepreneur Emil Berliner revolutionized the record industry by replacing hard rubber as the record material with a pressing compound consisting mainly of shellac. This innovative mixture, manufactured by the Duranoid Co. in Newark, New Jersey, combined shellac as a binder with fillers such as barium sulphate, slate flour, carbon black and cotton flakes to create a wear-resistant compound. This not only improved the sound quality, but also the durability of the records considerably. However, this improvement was accompanied by increased brittleness, which increased the risk of breakage.

The transition from shellac to PVC (vinyl)

However, the use of shellac as the main material for records did not last. In the 1940s, there was a switch to PVC (vinyl) in the USA. The spread of record players with electric pickups and the need to import shellac were decisive factors in this change. PVC proved to be a practical alternative, particularly for children’s records, which were advertised as unbreakable. From around 1944, records were pressed from PVC, initially with a wide groove and 78 rpm.

The age of the record

It was not until 1948 that vinyl became the preferred material for records. The introduction of microgrooves and suitable playback devices made it possible to make optimum use of the advantages of vinyl, such as slower playback speeds and longer playing times. While shellac records continued to be produced in some parts of the world until the end of the 1960s, the spread of vinyl marked a turning point in the history of sound recording.

The end of an era

After the sound quality had steadily improved with the introduction of electric recording from 1925, shellac records reached their acoustic peak in the 1950s. Noise was greatly reduced through the use of better materials, and at 78 rpm they almost reached the hi-fi standard! It was cheaper and of better quality to produce.

In the mid-1950s, the production of shellac records was discontinued in Europe and the USA. In Asia, however, shellac records were still being pressed until the 1960s. If you find a 78 Beatles record on a trip to India, you can take it with you in your hand luggage – you can buy a used small car here for the equivalent value!

Shellac records were produced in the Federal Republic of Germany until 1958, in other European countries until the early 1960s and in developing countries until the end of the 1960s. The last known shellac records are said to have been pressed in South Africa in 1972. Although most record players were set to 78 rpm until the early 1980s and could therefore play shellac records, the spread of the vinyl record marked the end of an era in the history of sound storage media.

The production of shellac records: a look behind the scenes

Raw material preparation and mixing process

All raw materials are carefully inspected for foreign bodies and then ground into the finest powder in mixing and rolling mills. The raw materials are further mixed and combined in tube mills filled with thousands of kilograms of small iron rollers. The resulting dust mixture is fed to another mixer via a bucket elevator and automatic scales before being transported in iron boxes to the mixing mill. There, the raw materials are processed into a dough-like mass by heated rollers and then rolled out into thin, wide strips.

Pressing and quality control

Once the strips have solidified, they are broken into individual plates and transported to the press. In the press, consisting of a press head and press plate, the dies are clamped, the material is heated, filled and placed in the open press. Pressing takes place automatically, with labels being pressed in at the same time. The plates are then inspected for pressing and shape defects. Defective sheets are broken again, while flawless sheets are sent to the sanding department. There, they are freed from adhering material and subjected to a musical test.

Packaging and storage

The finished panels are packed in panel bags and taken to the sorting room, from where they are transported to various warehouses. Each production step is carefully monitored to ensure the highest quality and reliability.

Scanning the disk

Challenges in the playback of shellac records

A gramophone for shellac records with side writing usually required the insertion of a new needle after playing one side of the record. Before the First World War, there were several incompatible scanning systems for shellac records. The French company Pathé dominated the market with its deep writing record system and offered special players and cartridges. In contrast, Edison developed the “Edison Diamond Disc”, a six-millimeter-thick record with outstanding sound quality.

Variety and innovation in shellac records

Pathé shaped the market with a wide range of shellac records in various sizes and formats, including the largest records ever produced, the Pathé Concert Records. These records offered a much higher sound volume than normal vinyl records and were played on special players for use in restaurants.

Adaptations for the playback and labeling of records

The wider grooves of shellac records required special cartridges with thicker needles than vinyl records. Record players that could play both types of records often had switching options for the needles. To avoid confusion, shellac and vinyl records were marked with letters or symbols on the record players.

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