Have you ever heard that your smartphone can digitize and store more songs than all the vinyl record collections of everyone in your family combined? Certainly !
However, everyone agrees on the charm of the vinyl record. Crackling, sound quality, sensuality of the material or even aesthetics of the covers make the vinyl record an incomparable object .
Whether you are a producer, bargain hunter, gold record, collector or audiophile, welcome to Louise Vintage. Be careful, we're going to talk about serious things, vinyl records are much more than a passion for me!
With this article you will discover 13 curiosities about vinyl records. Do you want to shine in the recording studio?
Read on!
#1 Store your discs vertically
Storing your vinyls is a nightmare. The main difficulty lies in the fact that they take up a lot of space. The question of arrangement and storage arises very quickly even with a small collection.
In addition to being very demanding on storage space, you will have to take another constraint into account. Indeed, these little wonders are fragile despite the protective pouch. If you store them horizontally (or rather stacked on top of each other) you risk damaging them. Records stored in this way can become warped and distorted, and once on your record player the sound will be distorted or worse, you risk mistreating the stylus of your vinyl player.
This is why in record stores, vinyl records are stored upright in bins .
#2 The most expensive vinyl record of all time
Collectors are snapping up rare copies of certain records at high prices. We regularly see vinyls at auctions whose price exceeds several tens of thousands of euros.
In 2015, the Wu Tang Clan , a famous crew of rappers from New York, recorded an album but only released one copy! A businessman, Martin Shkreli, bought this vinyl record for the modest sum of 1.6 million euros. This sale makes the album Once Upon A Time In Shaolin (2015) the most expensive vinyl record of all time. At this price you won't get the turntable, no amp, no speakers, just the record. Record to beat!
#3 The color of the vinyl changes the sound quality
In the collective imagination, the vinyl record is black. This characteristic color is due to the addition of Carbon Black powder during the original manufacturing process. However, we are finding more and more colored discs, even with patterns.
Be careful though! Indeed, the nature of the pigment used will influence the fluidity of the passage of the diamond in the microgrooves, the sound can therefore be slightly modified.
In practice, for several years now, vinyl manufacturers have also adapted their manufacturing process to the color of the disc and for recently pressed records, you should not feel any difference between a black and colored copy .
#4 The groove record player dates from the 19th century.
For a little history lesson, in parallel with his research on the telegraph, Thomas Edison invented the phonograph and filed the patent for it in 1877. The device's purpose was to record and read sound on a cylinder.
It was Emile Berliner who invented and patented the gramophone in 1888, he took up Edison's work but played the sound from a disc, which was more practical. The invention was commercialized in 1894.
The name Phonograph or “phono” was more successful than that of the gramophone.
#5 Your pancakes produce static charge
Don't you find that there is a lack of transparency and depth on your favorite vinyl? Do your discs attract dust like no other object? These two phenomena are the consequences of the accumulation of static charge on your disks.
In fact, a rotating record on your vinyl turntable will friction with the air and this friction produces static electricity with a voltage of up to 20,000 static volts !
To remedy this problem, the best-known solutions are antistatic bags, brushes or specific products.
#6 The first LP recorded was Beethoven's 5th Symphony
33 rpm “Long Play” LP records have the same diameter as 45 rpm records. The difference is the listening time per side. LPs allow a much longer listening time and therefore avoid having to change sides too often. It is then possible to burn a complete album on a single disc.
In 1931, the first LP was recorded during a concert by the Philadelphia Orchestra playing Beethoven's 5th Symphony. This may seem trivial but it is still practical not to cut Master Beethoven's masterpiece because of the disc to be returned!
#7 There's a Vinyl for Aliens
It was necessary to think about it but in 1977, when the Voyagers space probes were launched. NASA had the good idea of putting discs called “The Sounds of the Earth” on board. These records are technically not vinyl since they are made of gold and contain information about our planet in the form of images and sounds.
The goal is equivalent to that of a bottle in the sea. NASA estimates that the lifespan of this disc, also called the golden travel disc , is greater than that of the earth!
#8 Vinyl record sales have been increasing since 1993
Vinyl is making a comeback! After being neglected with the arrival of new technologies, notably the Compact Disc CD then digital and MP3s, vinyl records have found a growing audience since 1993.
Since 1993, sales of music in this format have increased again. In 2016, and for the first time in 30 years, the number of vinyl records sold was greater than the number of CDs . Nowadays, many artists also release their singles or albums in vinyl format although their titles are available on streaming platforms.
#9 The IGD, this unique phenomenon of microgroove records
Vinyls are not perfect and this is one of the criticisms that we often make about albums. IGD for “Inner Groove Distortion” is a phenomenon of sound deterioration at the end of the groove.
The principle is quite simple. If the sound information is contained in the groove of vinyl records, when the reading head arrives at the end of the record, near the center of it, the diameter is smaller and the sound information is denser. Thus, a poorly adjusted turntable will cause sound distortion .
Fortunately, there are settings that allow you to avoid or limit this phenomenon but in all cases the sound is very often different between the first songs and the last songs on the same side of a vinyl.
#10 The largest collection of skeuds in the world
Zero Freitas is a Brazilian transport magnate and a huge music fan. He started building up a vinyl collection at a very young age. At over 60 years old, Zero does not know how many records he owns but the size of his collection is estimated at more than 8 million units .
He confesses, however, that he has several copies of certain records and stores them in a hangar near Sao Paulo.
#11 Sales of the first Long Play were a disaster
In 1930, RCA Victor commercially launched in the United States the first Long Play 33 rpm vinyl record in history. Although the disc pressed on plastic was subsequently a great success, its launch was a commercial disaster.
This is explained in particular by the economic crisis which began in 1929 and consumers' lack of means to purchase such an innovation . Fortunately, sales will quickly take off in the years that follow.
#12 A laser vinyl player was invented
You knew about vinyl turntables and their analog operation, laser Compact Disc players, preamps and Hi-fi...but did you know that a Laser Vinyl player was invented?
In 1989, while the music industry was moving towards CDs, the Japanese Sanju Chiba created ELP, wanting to combine the advantages of CDs and vinyls. The ELP LT ultimate turntable then uses laser technology to read vinyl records without contact and without even having to turn them over!
#13 Vinyl formats gave their names to musical formats
You know that there are vinyls in different formats. They differ in their diameter, reading speed or duration. Another curiosity linked to vinyl records is that the name of these formats is also transposed to digital formats. Here are some examples :
SP or Single
An SP or Single comes from the English “Single Play”, it is a short recording with one or two tracks pressed per vinyl record, most often one on each side. The SP are 45 rpm records with a diameter of 17 cm.
EP
An EP also takes its name from the English for “Extended Play”. There are 5 to 6 titles on a 17 cm diameter disc but both in 33 rpm and 45 rpm.
LP
The LP for “Long Play” is the format of the first albums. There are between 8 and 12 titles there. The most used format is the 30 cm diameter disc with 33 revolutions per minute.
Maxi
The Maxi 45 rpm was born with the 70s and disco. It contains one title per side like the Single but it has a diameter of 30 cm and runs at 45 revolutions per minute. It’s the DJ format!
Side B
Side B is not a format strictly speaking but it is a term which comes from the vinyl record and which is still used today for other musical media. It designates an additional title to the single, placed on the second side of the record.
Bonus: Vinyl Records have other secrets.
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Ancient history : The first vinyl record was invented at the beginning of the 20th century, but its ancestor, the phonograph, dates back to 1877, invented by Thomas Edison.
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Durability : Vinyls are known for their durability and can last for decades if properly cared for.
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Sound quality : Many audiophiles claim that vinyl offers superior sound quality to digital formats, with a "warmer" and more natural sound.
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Dead wax handle : The area between the end of the music on a vinyl record and the label is called dead wax. It often contains engraved messages or codes relating to the production of the disc.
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Artistic Album Covers : Vinyl record covers are famous for their artistic appearance and are sometimes considered works of art in their own right.
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Resurgence in popularity : After a decline due to the emergence of CDs and digital formats, vinyls are experiencing a resurgence in popularity, particularly among younger generations.
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Playback speed : Vinyl records generally play at two standard speeds: 33 1/3 revolutions per minute (albums) and 45 revolutions per minute (singles).
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Size Variety : In addition to the standard 12 and 7 inch sizes, there are 10 inch vinyls and even more unusual sizes for special editions.
The best record players are at Louise Vintage
You will find a great selection of vinyl turntables in the store! And as you have read the article until the end, I am offering you a -15% discount for any purchase of a vintage record player with the reduction code LOUISEVINYLES
Hurry up and complete your hi-fi installation, this code is only valid for the first 100 orders. Quickly treat yourself to a USB record player with integrated speakers for example!
Don't hesitate to take a look at our section dedicated to Vintage Sound , you will find some real gems there.
