turntable question

[gain]

the button says something about "speed" and i realize on 45 mode the record spins faster than on 33 (aka higher RPM).

was this like SP/LP/EP on VCR's or something? higher speed = higher quality sound?

[eclectic2k]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...rd&btnG=Search

in short, they are 7" discs, mostly with a large hole in the middle (requiring a spindle adapter) and mostly ended up being used for singles. (yes there was something said about sound quality too...)

you might say, just a chapter in another early format war ;-)

[maxro]

Originally posted by gain
the button says something about "speed" and i realize on 45 mode the record spins faster than on 33 (aka higher RPM).

was this like SP/LP/EP on VCR's or something? higher speed = higher quality sound?

It seems you've answered half of your own question. The 33 and 45 do indeed refer to RPM, as in 33 1/3 RPM and 45 RPM respectively. The 45 RPM setting is for a "45", which is a little 7" record with a big hole in the centre and a single song per side. One will occasionally find 12" singles which play at 45 RPM. Much rarer, are audiophile releases of an entire album which would normally fit on one 12" LP, spread across a couple 12" records played at 45.

Generally, if a record is to be played at a speed not usual for its diameter, it will say on the label which speed it is to be played at. Further, some will play 45 on one side and 33 on the other.

edit: d'oh, eclectic beat me to it.

[tsmith1315]

The 45 RPM setting is for a "45", which is a little 7" record with a big hole in the centre and a single song per side.

Analogous to downloading a single mp3 when you don't want to risk the cash on the whole CD.

On a 45 single, you got the charting song on the "A" side, and (usually) something more obscure on the "B" side. In the mid 70's a 45 cost $0.57 at our local record store when an album was around $5.

But you have to get up after EVERY song when playing singles.

As you're discovering, analog can be very interactive. Isn't it amazing that a mechanical device can reproduce music so well through wiggling in various ways?

[Aengus]

does anyone have suggestions on how to eliminate or minimize those llittle 'pops' and 'scratches' some records make? like these noises are not very loud (although some can be seen on level indicator) or very long in duration but they are no doubt noticible.

pop ... normal ... little pop ... normal ... normal ... pop ... normal etc.

The "pop" is caused by the stylus hitting a bump or crack on the walls of the groove. It can be a piece of dust just sitting there; a chunk of crap adhered to the groove; or a physical deformation of the groove, caused for example by a scratch on the record.

If it's just dust or dirt sitting there, cleaning the record with a duster will help. If it's dirt adhered to the grooves, more serious measures - such as washing the record - are called for. If it's a physical deformation, it can't be cleaned away.

BTW, RE: the pops and clicks. There really is no way to remove most of them. You can clean the record, which may help, but after that they are just a part of the experience. The only real cure is to buy new or pristine used records and work to keep them that way.

That brings us to part 2. It will never be possible to get rid of all pops entirely, but what "part of the experience" they are is a more subtle question. One of the things a good setup (turntable/tonearm/cartridge/preamp) brings is that it will not be thrown into disequilibrium by hitting deformations. Remember that this is a mechanical system designed to read information from very small "deformations" in the groove (like "weeds", these deformations are bad when we don't want them, and good when we do - when they are information about a cymbal strike, for example). A good setup will process the information and move on quickly. A lesser setup will go into oscillation - mechanical or electrical, or both - for several cycles, and become much more annoying.

Moral? Keep your records as clean as possible; recognize that this annoyance can be minimized *significantly* by a "good setup" at considerable expense; and in the meantime, live with it.

Oh, and be civil to TerryO - he's a good guy and extremely knowledgeable. I'm allowed to diss him, but only because I'm an old fart too, _and_ he knows me well enough to ignore me.

Regards.

Aengus

[kevinkr]

Starting in the early 1980s a number of record producers released 12" disks recorded at 45rpm, this included a lot of early mix (dance music) disks played in clubs as well as releases by some audiophile labels. I have about 20 of these at last count.

45rpm recordings provide significant additional headroom over the more common 33rpm recordings - particularly useful for organ music and very dynamic classical music. Electronic music with a lot of highs and very deep bass also benefits.

Why the dance disks were originally recorded at the higher speed I cannot say, but most of the ones I have are 45rpm, and feature anywhere up to 4 different mixes per side. Just a single song per side. I will say these are some of the best sounding recordings I have of this sort of music. Maximum play time is typically under 15 minutes.

There were two other speeds - 16rpm which was typically used for talking books (children's stories, etc.) and 78rpm on shellac and later vinyl. There is a huge amount of music on 78s because it was the defacto standard from the mid acoustical era (ended 1928) to the early 1950s when it was supplanted by RCA's 33rpm microgroove LP (not stereo!). These disks are about 10" in diameter and have wildly varying equalization requirements, (speed was not completely standardized either and varied from 76 - 79rpm depending on label) play time was typically well under 10 minutes a side, and symphonic works and operas came in huge sets.. This is the format that made changers a virtual necessity..

Some people collect these and are quite adamant that some of the best sounding electronic recordings of all time were released on these disks. (Mono only of course.) I'm totally monophobic so I wouldn't go that far as stereo is an important element in my enjoyment of the music.

Edison cylinder and the Emile Berliner disk (~78rpm) are contemporaneous, however the disk ultimately won the war just like BR won over HDDVD... Just took a whole lot longer.