The world tirelessly and steadily moves forward, is modified, changed and complicated by all that people use throughout their lives. The same goes for inspirational, supportive and inspiring recharge - music. Not only genres, tastes, styles, but also the ways of storing, transmitting music are changing. Now playing music for the most part does not constitute any ritual. How was it before? In this article, we will understand what a vinyl record is, what is the size of a vinyl record, how it is used. Dedicated to all music lovers!
Why are vinyl records not about to leave the music media market?
Playing vinyl records is a real ritual, starting from the process of reproducing them and ending with the absorption of the sounds they give. Their owners can literally "touch" the music, feel its versatility. The design of the vinyl player and media brings to the past, gives a feeling of warmth and homeliness, discs are also often used as an element of the interior, without losing. Vintage vinyls, like time guides, take us to the era of Elvis Presley and Led Zeppelin, helping to plunge into the culture of another time.
In addition to the emotional component of music consumption through records, there is also a rational one: they have high durability, have excellent sound quality, small print runs, which increases the possibility that the original matrix is ββused.
This means of transmitting musical data is not only not going to leave the market, it is in great demand as a collectible. The older the record, the more discophiles want to get it.
Types of Records
Before buying, decide which material attracts you the most.
Hard plates are shellac and gramophone. Shellac - weighty and quickly become unusable, gramophone - lighter, stronger and not always made from shellac, they can also be plastic.
Flexible usually not very roomy. Most often they were listened to in the USSR, and they could listen to 2 songs on each side.
Since the plates are also considered as a decorative element, the distribution of special souvenir items is logical. They come in different colors and even shapes, and the size also varies at the discretion of the person who produces them.
Handicraft records are underground and substandard materials that became widespread in the 60s of the last century in the USSR, when hearts demanded change and Western sound, but there was no money.
Vinyl record size in centimeters
"Giant", "grand", "minion" - all these are musical terms. Let's understand their meaning.
What size of vinyl record you choose depends on how much information is recorded on it. The first series were released in the 1890s and had a diameter of 7 inches, i.e. 175 mm. Vinyl discs began to be double-sided in the early 20th century, at the same time the first 12-inch records began to be produced, which is 300 mm. The most popular was the size of 10 inches or 250 mm. The fourth format is 8 inches or 185 mm.
The three most common sizes of vinyls that you can easily find in specialized stores - 12, 10 and 7 inches correspond to the names "giant", "grand" and "minion".
DJs, collectors, record lovers use long-playing stereo copies with a diameter of 30 cm, which is the standard size of a vinyl record.
How to play records?
We figure out what to do after buying a player and discs.
1. First, open the protective cover.
2. Then place the media on the spinning disk, press lightly so that it fits snugly against it.
3. Turn on the switch (the lever near the disc).
4. Raise the tonearm (needle) and gently place it before the first track on your record, if the player does not do this for you automatically after turning it on.
5. Enjoy real, live music.
6. After listening, return the tonearm to its original place and protect the player with a case or cover.
Vinyl Record Process
Playing music through the disc looks like an inexplicable magic. In fact, everything is very simply explained by physicists. Under the influence of sound, the microphone membrane of the recording equipment oscillates. Acoustic vibrations are fixed, they are transferred to the surface of the plate - spiral grooves cut through. Under the microscope it can be seen that these are not straight lines, but waves and zigzags. So sound tracks appear. During playback, the needle moves along the track, while it starts to vibrate. The pickup reads these vibrations and transmits to the speaker whose membrane oscillates. Thus, a sound is born under the needle.
How long does a vinyl record play?
As for the size in terms of capacity, the first 7-inch format was very modest. It contained 2 minutes of material on one side. The 10-inch fit a half times larger fragment. 12 inch - 5 minutes on both sides. The 8-inch plates, which were actively used in the USSR, contained large materials.
With the development of technology, longer files were placed on vinyl, so-called "long-playing" materials appeared that can be heard for about an hour.
What is the size of the vinyl record in the envelope?
It is worth noting that the material of the envelopes is different. There are plain paper envelopes and thicker envelopes, such as polypropylene or polyethylene. In addition, there are external packages that are made for greater protection against external influences.
The size of the vinyl record in the package depends on the diameter of the record itself. For a diameter of 12 inches, an envelope of 32.5 * 32.5 cm is suitable, 10-inch media will correspond to an envelope of 26 * 26.5 cm, 7 inches will fit in an envelope measuring 18.5 * 18.5 cm.
That is, the question of the size of the envelope of a vinyl record in cm cannot give a definite answer, it can be different.
The price of the envelope depends entirely on your requirements. An ordinary paper envelope costs about 60 rubles, a thicker one - 90 rubles per 1 piece.
What is the cost of a vinyl record?
The price is influenced by a number of factors, such as the country of origin, production method, rarity, general condition, circulation, speed. The smaller the circulation of the plate and the more revolutions it has, the more expensive it is.
The best vinyls can cost over one hundred thousand rubles per piece. The most expensive is the record of the legendary band The Beatles.
The cost of ordinary, unlimited vinyls varies from 600 to 10,000 rubles.
The main "players" in the market
There are still a huge number of record manufacturers on the market. How not to get confused at the store? We consider the main firms.
A&M Records was founded in 1862 and has not lost its position since then, today the company works with different styles in music, which is what musician Sting willingly uses.
Atlantic Records have been recording since 1947, mostly jazz and blues. The most famous performers were AC / DC, Led Zeppelin.
Since 1939, Blue Note has been the dream of all collectors who love jazz, as Jimmy Smith and Hank Mobley loved him.
Brain began their work as adherents of progressive rock. Under this label, the music of the Scorpions group was also released.
Capitol Records is a major US record label, launched in 1942. Thanks to this company, we can also listen to the songs of Frank Sinatra and Tina Turner.
Charisma is an originally independent British label that began work on the creation of beauty in 1969 and has spread worldwide. The label is also loved by collectors and bands such as Genesis and Lindisfarne.
Chrysalis Records is a British label created in 1968 as a folk label. Later, he began to work with contemporary at that time fashion trends. Famous performers of this label are Billy Idol and the Blondie band.
Columbia Records is the oldest music label, operating since 1888. This company gave a chance to young and talented. That is how Tony Bennett appeared, for example. Later, the label began to actively listen to the "crowd" who wanted to listen to folk and Bob Dylan. In addition to him, Barbara Streisand was a bright star who preferred Columbia Records.
This list goes on and on. All labels made a huge contribution to the development of musical trends and the formation of legendary artists now, to the formation of the musical taste of millions of the world's inhabitants. They have this effect on us to this day.
As can be understood from the article, vinyl records have a very large and rich musical history. Until now, the ritual of listening to music remains relevant among lovers of vintage art, still people are pleased to hold music in their hands, store it and collect, give and transmit as a rarity. Vinyl records are music with a soul that has been loved for over 100 years. This carrier, surprisingly, does not become obsolete, but is gaining even greater momentum, it is popular, it is in demand. He lives, and imperishable classics and legends of jazz, blues, folk and rock live with him.