The Record Player Through Time
Nowadays we have DVDs, CDs, MP3s, and of course the world wide web for all of our music needs. However, none of these would have been possible without the advent of the record player, one of the more important pieces of musical equipment in the history of the world. It was so pioneering that following its invention in 1877, it took almost 100 years for it to be replaced by new technologies. And still today, record players have a vintage musical feel that makes them quite popular with music aficionados worldwide. Nowadays, anytime one thinks of the record player, it is often the Technics or the Crosley Record Players that comes to mind. Though over a hundred years ago, the name which was of most importance was Thomas Edison.
Back in 1877, Edison developed what he called the phonograph. His initial records had been manufactured of tinfoil. These records had a spiral groove which went along the surface area. A hand-cranked machine with a pin, or stylus, was used to read the grooves vibrating based on the texture. This became ultimately referred to as the hill-and-dale technique. The vibrations would run up the stylus, along a metallic conduit, all the way to a large speaker. These speakers transformed the vibrations into much more audible sound.
When Edison finished his invention, he was more interested in its various scientific applications as opposed to its musical potential. This left further upgrades to other inventors and scientists.
10 years later, Emile Berliner developed the disk record, and had it patented in 1896. Berliner’s design and style was based on Edison’s, but instead of utilizing the hill-and-dale method, where the grooves went up and down, his method, named the varying lateral direction method, had textures on the sides of the grooves. The varying later direction (VLD) became popular instantly, and very soon Edison’s original hill-and-dale method was left behind.
Soon, mass production of disk records became feasible when Berliner invented the matrix record. This master copy made it possible for duplicates to be manufactured indefinitely. At this time, record players were still powered by the hand crank. But when the late 19th century rolled around, so did electricity. Then soon after the electric-powered record player was introduced. Contrary to the hand-cranked record players which can range in speed based on the strength of the operator, electrical players provided consistent speed. This resulted in absolutely no variation in the tempo of the music.
Ultimately, record players got so well liked that whole families would hang out around them to enjoy high quality entertainment. Early methods of the previous-song and next-song features of present day Mp3 players were introduced around this time. In order to select which track was to be played, people would place the stylus in one of the blank grooves located between the textured ones. And for many years, the record player dominated households all over the world.
With the advent of the seventies came cassette-tape decks and 8-track players, and soon, records and record players seemed to be phasing out. However, when DJs became all the rage in night clubs and discos, the turntable remained strong.
No matter what technology comes up with, music fans will always love the record player!
Here a great video about the Crosley Record Player.
