The history of the record

The history of the record

The history of the record is a fascinating journey through the dream of capturing sound and language, from the first attempts to the groundbreaking introduction of the vinyl record.

The long dream of sound recording

For centuries, mankind has dreamed of recording and preserving sounds. As early as 1589, Giovanni Battista della Porta was already thinking about methods for “preserving the spoken word”. However, it was not until the 19th century that the first steps towards acoustic recording were taken.

The pioneering days of sound recording

The first successes of sound recording were a long time coming until the end of the 19th century. At the 1867 World Exhibition in Paris, the French poet and philosopher Charles Cros presented an automatic telegraph to the public.

This device already had the basic design features of the device developed in 1878 by Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), but was not yet able to record sound.

On July 18, 1877, Edison succeeded in recording and reproducing the human voice for the first time. He used a membrane fitted with a needle tip, which he pulled over a strip of paper coated with kerosene. He spoke the word “hello” aloud into the membrane. When he moved the needle back over the strip of paper, he quietly heard what he had said before.

He commissioned the Swiss precision mechanic Kruesi to build the first phonograph based on his sketches. A steel cylinder covered with tin foil served as the sound carrier. Some of these devices still work today: if you turn the crank and speak into the funnel at the same time, the needle presses a dotted script into the cylinder, which can then be played back.

The triumph of the shellac record

The German emigrant Emil Berliner developed another sound carrier in the USA in 1888: the hard rubber record. In 1897, the first shellac records came onto the market. The round disc consisted of a mixture of shellac, rock flour, carbon black and plant fibers.

Berliner expanded by founding subsidiaries abroad, the most important of which was the founding of the British Gramophone Company in 1898. This in turn founded the Deutsche Grammophon-Gesellschaft, a subsidiary based in Hanover, under the management of Berliner’s brother Joseph.

Record production remained an expensive technology for many years to come. In 1904, a gramophone record cost a hefty 2.50 marks. That was a lot of money at a time when a kilo of beef cost 1.42 marks and the average monthly wage was 50 marks. Nevertheless, the invention of the shellac record marked the birth of a new branch of industry.

In 1922, the wax casting process used since 1897 for the production of records was replaced by the so-called matrix process – also known as the “father-mother-son process”.

This process had the advantage that the matrices could be used as often as required for duplication. This meant that the records could be produced more cheaply and quickly. However, the wax molds were lost with each copying process.

Recording of sound waves on sound carriers

In 1924, the Bell Telephone Company developed the electro-acoustic recording process, which heralded a new era in the sound recording industry. In this process, sound waves are recorded via a microphone and converted into alternating electrical voltage.

The electrical signals are then stored as an analog pattern, i.e. in amplitude form, as a graphic image and can be transferred to a record. Each copy reproduces the output signal. However, this also means that the more often a recording is copied, the worse it becomes.

In 1926, with the invention of the tube and the electrical converter, the first amplifier was available. Now it was no longer necessary to amplify the sound waves through a gramophone funnel, but it was possible to switch to the much more effective electrical recording and playback process.

Vinyl – the end of shellac records

In 1948, the Hungarian-American physicist Dr. Peter Carl Goldmark invented the vinyl record. In the same year, the US record company Columbia introduced the first plastic record with a microgroove and 33 revolutions per minute. The 30-centimeter record was called the “Long Playing Record”. The single record came onto the market in 1949. It had a diameter of 17.5 centimeters and 45 revolutions per minute. Vinyl was better than shellac because it was less sensitive and cheaper. EMI was the last company to cease production in 1958. In the same year, stereophony became mandatory at Deutsche Grammophon. The first experiments with this technology had already been carried out by Deutsche Rundfunk in 1929.

By 1960, stereo LPs accounted for 25 percent of total record sales. From 1967, EMI produced all new releases in stereo only.

The new stereo records were compatible with normal record players and sounded spacious. That’s why there were no problems with the market launch. You could listen to stereo records on a mono record player and vice versa.

The era of cassettes and CDs

The age of cassettes and CDs

With the advent of the cassette and later the CD in the 1980s and 1990s, the vinyl record came under pressure. These new formats offered more compact and user-friendly options for music playback and quickly became popular.

Decline in record production – digitization of music

The market for vinyl records shrank rapidly in the following years and many record stores had to close. The music industry increasingly focused on digital formats, which led to a decline in vinyl production. With the advent of the internet and digital music services such as iTunes and Spotify, access to music became easier and more convenient than ever before. The vinyl record seemed to be a relic of a bygone era, appreciated only by nostalgics.

The comeback of the vinyl record in the digital age

Revival, nostalgia and retro trend – growing popularity among young music lovers

In recent years, however, vinyl records have made a remarkable comeback. Despite the dominance of digital formats, vinyl records are finding more and more fans, especially among young music lovers. For many people, the record represents a nostalgic return to a time when music could still be experienced physically. Collecting and playing records has become a trend that celebrates vintage aesthetics and retro culture. Surprisingly, it’s not just the older generations who are rediscovering vinyl. Young people who have grown up with digital music appreciate the tactile experience and the unique sound of the record, which creates an emotional connection to the music.

The playback quality of records: a detailed analysis

The playback of records is a complex process that is influenced by various factors. Errors and noise play a decisive role in this process and can significantly impair the playback quality.

Linear distortions and their causes

Linear distortions, which cause deviations from the ideally straight frequency response, can be caused by various factors. These include inadequate sampling systems that are unable to guarantee precise reproduction due to mechanical and electrical resonances. The equalizer amplifier must also be optimally matched to the crossover curve and the sampling system in order to minimize linear distortion.

Non-linear distortions and their consequences

Non-linear distortions lead to additional harmonics and intermodulation, which can impair the sound quality. They can be caused by the principle, e.g. by the finite tip radius of the needle, or they can be avoided, e.g. by insufficient contact pressure or a needle that is not positioned vertically.

Crackling, crackling and noise: The challenges of reproduction

Cracking, crackling and hissing are other noises that can impair playback quality. They can be caused by dirt, scratches or electrostatic discharges on the record and are often the result of a lack of care or improper storage.

Synchronization fluctuations and rumbling: challenges for the drive system

Synchronization fluctuations and rumbling are other problems that can be caused by vibrations, imbalances or inaccuracies in the drive system. They can significantly impair playback quality and are a frequent cause of dissatisfaction among audiophiles.

Best values for playback quality and their significance

Despite these challenges, the best values for playback quality can be achieved with special measuring equipment such as measurement sound plates or evaluation filters. These include aspects such as synchronization, crosstalk attenuation, rumble, frequency response and non-linear distortion, all of which contribute to optimum playback.

Overall, the playback quality of records is a complex issue that requires careful analysis and evaluation. However, by recognizing and minimizing errors and noise, high-quality playback can be achieved that also meets audiophile standards.