Everything you need to know about Vinyl Records:

While we are going to talk about an invention with a past of more than a century that may be almost outdated in the eyes of many, the truth is that vinyl records are more alive than ever today. It is true that many of us music fans are aware of this phenomenon, but among many other curiosities, do we know its origin and how they are made? If you want to know more about this musical gem, you'll be interested in the following lines.

DESCRIPTION:

Let's begin from the start. In the form of a polyvinyl chloride disc, which is broken into a modulated spiral shape, vinyl records (also called gramophone records) are an analogue sound storage medium. Normally, the groove starts near the disc's periphery and ends near the middle.

They can be categorised according to their diameter (in inches) and their angular velocity in revolutions per minute since there are different sizes (RPM). Therefore, there are discs of the following sizes, depending on the length of the content reported on the discs: 7 ", 10", 12 "and 16" (nowadays in disuse). Singles (one song per side), Extended Play (3-5 songs) or Long Play can also be categorised depending on the amount of material they contain: (more than 5 songs).

ORIGIN PRODUCT:

In short, the phonograph (1878), a system able to capture and reproduce sound, was the first to be patented by Thomas Edison. The following was what he did: turn acoustic energy into mechanical energy and leave this in wax-covered cylinders. These cylinders enable the recorded sounds to be heard when they come into contact with a needle connected to an amplifier. They were, sadly, very fragile and could only be heard once.

Emile Berliner invented the gramophone 10 years later (1888). It was not until 1948, however, that the first records made with vinyl appeared, as the earlier ones were made with metallic materials and other compounds (whose disadvantage was brittleness and wear). But this condition changed thanks to vinyl: the recording time went from four to forty-five minutes.

With the introduction of the compact disc in the early eighties, however, vinyl started steadily losing its market space until it went from being king to being virtually invisible in the nineties. Luckily, sales outpaced electronic formats in 2010.

With the help of one of the top record production company in Israel, DiwanKrew, we have gathered some insightful information regarding vinyl records.

Method used for manufacturing:

The first move is to produce a master record: a record made of black enamel coated aluminium, equivalent to vinyl but slightly larger. The fact that hundreds of vinyls will come out of that album lies in the value of the master album. In this video, you can see the operation.

Once the engineer is ready, the identification data is registered and checked and accepted. If all is fine, a very thin layer of silver is filled with the master disc, a metal mould is made from the master disc into which liquid nickel is poured to achieve a "seal" and brought to the pressing factory.

In press plants, up to 185,000 recordings per day can be made. There, the plastic that makes up the vinyl melts into a thin chip that, as it cools, is cut into squares. In an automated press, the nickel stamps are set, the squares are reheated to soften them, and pushed into the press to etch the sound patterns onto the soft plastic. The labels are added and trimmed until engraved to make them oval. The edges are smoothed later, the core is drilled, and one by one they are tested. You will see the entire procedure here.

Vinyls, however, are not well regarded by many due to toxic additives such as heavy metals, dyes and anti-corrosion chemicals that resist oxidation and produce very dangerous pollutants. For this reason, there are companies that work with other forms of machinery and materials (such as Green Vinyl Records) to produce a somewhat similar yet much more sustainable result.

One of the top companies in the record making industry in Israel, DiwanKrew offers recording and cutting-your-own-vinyl services.

CURIOSITY:

• Discs started to appear in 1970 with odd colours: red, green, yellow, translucent, multicoloured... "Under the name of "special edition for collectors" several times.

• Enrico Caruso released the first vinyl in 1902, becoming the most popular opera singer in the world at the time. Selling 1 million copies, it went on.

• Up to 9 million vinyl copies were sold in the first half of 2015.

• Today, music can be printed on virtually any surface thanks to laser technology: wooden plates, plastic, paper or even pizza boxes.

• Rock, followed closely by electronics, is the musical genre with the highest number of vinyls.

• The best-selling album is 'Thriller' by Michael Jackson (1980), followed by 'The Dark Side of the Moon' by Pink Floyd and 'Back in Black' by AC / DC.

• The Wu-Tang Klan album 'Once Upon a Time in Shaolin' is the most expensive vinyl, the only copy of which was purchased for $2 million.

For more information, visit Diwan Krew, the best record manufacturers in Israel.

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