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Phonograph

A phonograph, later called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910), and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable,[a] is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of recorded[b] sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physical deviations of a spiral groove engraved, etched, incised, or impressed into the surface of a rotating cylinder or disc, called a "record". To recreate the sound, the surface is similarly rotated while a playback stylus traces the groove and is therefore vibrated by it, very faintly reproducing the recorded sound. In early acoustic phonographs, the stylus vibrated a diaphragm which produced sound waves which were coupled to the open air through a flaring horn, or directly to the listener's ears through stethoscope-type earphones.

"Turntable" redirects here. For its use as a musical instrument, see Turntablism. For other uses, see Turntable (disambiguation).

The phonograph was invented in 1877 by Thomas Edison.[1][2][3][4] Phonograph use would grow the following year. Alexander Graham Bell's Volta Laboratory made several improvements in the 1880s and introduced the graphophone, including the use of wax-coated cardboard cylinders and a cutting stylus that moved from side to side in a zigzag groove around the record. In the 1890s, Emile Berliner initiated the transition from phonograph cylinders to flat discs with a spiral groove running from the periphery to near the center, coining the term gramophone for disc record players, which is predominantly used in many languages. Later improvements through the years included modifications to the turntable and its drive system, the stylus or needle, pickup system, and the sound and equalization systems.


The disc phonograph record was the dominant commercial audio distribution format throughout most of the 20th century. In the 1960s, the use of 8-track cartridges and cassette tapes were introduced as alternatives. By 1987, phonograph use had declined sharply due to the popularity of cassettes and the rise of the compact disc. However, records have undergone a revival since the late 2000s. This resurgence has much to do with vinyl records' sparing use of audio processing, resulting in a more natural sound on high-quality replay equipment, compared to many digital releases that are highly processed for portable players in high-noise environmental conditions. However, unlike "plug-and-play" digital audio, vinyl record players have user-serviceable parts, which require attention to tonearm alignment and the wear and choice of stylus, the most critical component affecting turntable sound.[5]

Record materials[edit]

To address the problem of steel needle wear upon records, which resulted in the cracking of the latter, RCA Victor devised unbreakable records in 1930, by mixing polyvinyl chloride with plasticisers, in a proprietary formula they called Victrolac, which was first used in 1931, in motion picture discs.[77]

Equalization[edit]

Since the late 1950s, almost all phono input stages have used the RIAA equalization standard. Before settling on that standard, there were many different equalizations in use, including EMI, HMV, Columbia, Decca FFRR, NAB, Ortho, BBC transcription, etc. Recordings made using these other equalization schemes will typically sound odd if they are played through a RIAA-equalized preamplifier. High-performance (so-called "multicurve disc") preamplifiers, which include multiple, selectable equalizations, are no longer commonly available. However, some vintage preamplifiers, such as the LEAK varislope series, are still obtainable and can be refurbished. Newer preamplifiers like the Esoteric Sound Re-Equalizer or the K-A-B MK2 Vintage Signal Processor are also available.[78]

used to convert diverse types of cylinder recordings to modern CD media

Archéophone

Audio signal processing

Compressed air gramophone

List of phonograph manufacturers

Talking Machine World

Vinyl killer

Bruil, Rudolf A. (January 8, 2004). "." Retrieved on July 25, 2011.

Linear Tonearms

Gelatt, Roland. The Fabulous Phonograph, 1877–1977. Second rev. ed., [being also the] First Collier Books ed., in series, Sounds of the Century. New York: Collier, 1977. 349 p., ill.  0-02-032680-7

ISBN

Heumann, Michael. "." eContact! 14.3 — Turntablism (January 2013). Montréal: CEC.

Metal Machine Music: The Phonograph's Voice and the Transformation of Writing

Koenigsberg, Allen. The Patent History of the Phonograph, 1877–1912. APM Press, 1991.

Reddie, Lovell N. (1908). . Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution: 209–231. Retrieved 2009-08-07.

"The Gramophone And The Mechanical Recording And Reproduction Of Musical Sounds"

Various. "." eContact! 14.3 — Turntablism (January 2013). Montréal: CEC.

Turntable [wiki]: Bibliography

Weissenbrunner, Karin. "." eContact! 14.3 — Turntablism (January 2013). Montréal: CEC.

Experimental Turntablism: Historical overview of experiments with record players / records — or Scratches from Second-Hand Technology

Carson, B. H.; Burt, A. D.; Reiskind, and H. I., , RCA Review, June 1949

"A Record Changer And Record Of Complementary Design"

at Museum of Retro Technology

c.1915 Swiss hot-air engined gramophone

Archived 2021-03-08 at the Wayback Machine

Interactive sculpture delivers tactile soundwave experience

Very early recordings from around the world

The Birth of the Recording Industry

The Cylinder Archive

The Berliner Sound and Image Archive

– Over 6,000 cylinder recordings held by the Department of Special Collections, University of California, Santa Barbara, free for download or streamed online.

Cylinder Preservation & Digitization Project

Archived 2012-02-06 at the Wayback Machine – information and high-quality images.

Cylinder players held at the British Library

History of Recorded Sound: Phonographs and Records

– Excerpts from the book Hi-Fi All-New 1958 Edition

EnjoytheMusic.com

Listen to early recordings on the Edison Phonograph

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Mario Frazzetto's Phonograph and Gramophone Gallery

– Essay on phonograph technology and intellectual property law

Say What?

– Information, images, articles and reviews from around the world

Vinyl Engine

– Information, images and tutorials; strongly focused on Thorens brand

The Analogue Dept

at work on YouTube

45 rpm player and changer

Historic video footage of Edison operating his original tinfoil phonograph

Turntable History on Enjoy the Music.com

2-point and Arc Protractor generators on AlignmentProtractor.com