Records
Vinyl Record
Though audio format precedes the vinyl record, records themselves are one of the few existing pieces of audio distribution available. Records can be found via antique shops, record stores, and now, the internet, but not all vinyl records are pieces of the past. Instead, vinyl is making a come-back, which is why it is the perfect place to begin this discussion. According to Emily Chivers Yochim, Assistant Professor in Communication Arts at Allegheny College, and Megan Biddinger, Graduate Student at University of Michigan, "Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, music consumers and critic forecast the decline and ultimate extinction of the vinyl record. Today, however, records enjoy an enthusiastic and loyal following among 40-something collectors and 20-something hip-hop, techno and punk fans" (183). This means that the culture of vinyl records still holds something precious even today, and part of that is how different it is from the audio format people which is mostly MP3s or online music.
Vinyl records became a huge hit, because they enabled mass production of musical records. According to Meredith Bower, writer for HowStuffWorks, Inc, in order to produce a vinyl audio record, a master recording must be made. Then, the recording goes through the process of editing, where music engineers or editors "perfect the recorded sound" (Bower 4). After that, "an object called lacquer is place on a record-cutting machine, and as it rotates, electric signals from the master recording travel to a cutting head, which holds a style or needle" (Bower 4). The needle on the cutting head etches a particular groove into the black lacquer on the vinyl record that spirals to the center of it. From here on the production company takes over: "there, the lacquer is coated in a metal, such as silver or nickel, to produce a metal master. When the metal master is separated from the lacquer, the resulting disc has ridges instead of grooves" (Bower 4). This metal master is used to create a metal record which will form the stamper; the stampers are "negative versions" of the original recording that is used to make vinyl records. Think of the negatives that camera film used to have. The negatives could be used to make additional copies of the pictures (this is before there were copy machines). Finally, records are distributed and sold in stores. |