Analogue Recording

History of analogue recording and formats The Development of analogue recordings The Development of vinyl records and cassette tapes. Difference between the formats. Problems consumers would encounter.

History of analogue recording 1887: Emile Berliner invented the gramophone.gramophone Grooves are cut onto a flat disc. The main advantage was that hard copies could be made from zinc master copies, opening up the commercial possibilities of selling recorded music. 1877: Thomas Edison created the phonograph.phonograph. By speaking into a horn the vibrations of his voice were captured by a needle attached to a diaphragm. The needle then made indentations onto a revolving metal cylinder wrapped in tin foil.

1948: Columbia records introduced LP’s (Long Play) that were 12 inch, 33 1/3 rpm (finer grooves) lasting 20 – 30 mins, having lower surface noise and durable. These disc were ideal for longer pieces of music such as movements from symphonies. Therefore Columbia records were know for their catalogue of classical music recordings. Early records had limitations: Played at the rapid speed of 78 rpm meaning that not much audio could be stored Difficult at replicating high frequencies To combat this, during the 1920’s experiments in magnetic tape recording began in Germany. 1935: Basf/AEG introduced the “Magnetophone”, recording and playing back the magnetic tape. Tape gave the ability to cut and splice takes, allowing for a master to be made up of multiple takes. 1949: Hi fidelity magnetic tape, industry standard for recording studios

1960’s: Four track recorders were available. This opened up the possibility of making multitrack recordings at home. 1950’s: Playback systems where introduced with pre-set speeds, 16, 33, 45 and 78 rpm. 16 rpm was intended for ‘talking books’. 1949: RCA Victor developed 7-inches, 45 rpm EP (Extended Play) discs popularly used in jukeboxes, jukeboxes becoming popular in 1930’s. 1958: Stereo records were standardized with the first stereo vinyl released for home use. 1950’s: Third track was added to the two stereo tracks starting the mutli-track recording techniques. Isolate and enhance the voice of a singer against an orchestral backing. Used by Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra

Track capability increased from 4 -8, -12 and ’s: Increase of people buying studios helping people be experimental. 1980’s: Multi-tracking equipment developed by manufactures at a lower cost. A popular example was the ‘Tascam portastudio’ 1979: Cassette tape player was introduced by Sony called a ‘walkman’. 1964: 1 st compact audio cassette machines sold by Philips, intended for dictation. 1964: 8 track cartridges appeared falling out of favor, as cassette tapes became more popular. 1971: Noise reduction was developed by Dolby.

1983: Cassettes out sold vinyl records. Tape recording has lead to piracy as it was easy to borrow a tape/LP and record it onto a blank tape. Damage to surface of the record causing cracks and pops. Unwanted hiss and surface noise Use a click / pop eliminator plug in Use a filter or EQ to remove unwanted frequencies, use a noise-reduction plug-in Narrow frequency range, resulting in poor separation of instruments Use EQ to boost or reduce frequencies as appropriate to produce a more balanced mix Shortcomings of early recordings Improvement’s made using modern technology 1980’s: Extended playing time over records was popular for creating music for DJ’s and underground music (punk).

Vinyl Records Sound is stored onto a single spiral (groove). These acoustic waveforms are stored within the groove. Each side of the groove has separate signal for stereo. As the disc rotates a stylus (needle) typically made out of sapphire/diamond tip moves laterally in the grooves. These vibrations are converted into electrical signals via electromagnetism. First popular in 1950’s

Basics of a cassette player Plastic tape covered in ferric oxide are wound around two spools of plastic. Sounds are recorded onto the tape with the impression of an electromagnetic signal onto the ferric oxide coating. Motorized mechanisms turn the spools of tape to thread the tape through the main spool at a constant speed for accurate playback. Audio tape is stretched between the capstan (metal spindle) and rubber rollers to transfer the electrical signals onto the tape. Electromagnetic recording on the oxide coating transmits the electrical signals. These signals taken from the cassette player are converted back into an amplified audio sound.

Analogue tape recording A typical tape recorder is made up of the following elements: Supply reel: Stores the tape that is ready to be recorded or played. Tension arm: Keeps the supply reel taut. Idle roller: Positions the tape at the correct angle for the guide. Guide: Lines up the tape for the erase head. Erase head – Clears any previous magnetic changes. Record head: Writes the analogue material to tape. Play head: Reads the magnetic changes on the tape and converts them back as changes in electronic voltage.

Analogue tape recording continued… Capstan controls the speed of the tape. Faster the tape speed the higher the quality of high frequency recording and lower the background hiss. One inch of tape can record 4 – 16 tracks. General rule the wider the tape the more tracks it is capable of recording.

Vinyl Problems Records prone to rumble at less than 30Hz. Produce a wow and flutter. Prone to scratching and dust that cause a crackle, hiss and jumps. Needs flat surface to be played on. Not portable. Warping, especially if under excessive heat. Recordings degrade with multiple playing. Benefits Arguably sound better and have a warmer sound than a CD. Bands release records as a collectable. Vinyl Records

Tape Problems The tape got chewed coming out of case or tangled round heads. Difficult to locate tracks, having to wait for rewind. Strong magnetic field, slowly erase tape (reuse tapes in police). Stretched. Tape machine built up dirt easier, had to be cleaned regularly. Quality of sound was lesser that record. Benefits Inexpensive. Home recording equipment was cheaper than record player recorders. Cassette

Problems Benefits Relatively good sound Store in case, scratch easily, take up space Cheaper to manufacture Does not degrade with multiple plays over time Better frequency response Longer playing time compared to vinyl Easy to import music into software and play on computer Compact disc (CD)

Apply knowledge In two groups, complete a mind-map: Explain how vinyl records and cassette tapes are used to store and playback music and describe the problems that the user would encounter with them. Identify the benefits of audio CDs compared to these earlier formats. 10 Analogue v Digital recording –Analogue v Digital recording – A final thought (Video)

Exam question Write in 250 words 16 marks Explain how vinyl records and cassette tapes are used to store and playback music and describe the problems that the user would encounter with them. Identify the benefits of audio CDs compared to these earlier formats.