Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site angband.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!hplabs!hao!seismo!ut-sally!mordor!angband!sjc From: sjc@angband.UUCP (Steve Correll) Newsgroups: net.audio Subject: Record speeds Message-ID: <19@angband.UUCP> Date: Thu, 4-Oct-84 02:15:50 EDT Article-I.D.: angband.19 Posted: Thu Oct 4 02:15:50 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 30-Sep-84 04:53:27 EDT Distribution: net Organization: S-1 Project, LLNL Lines: 34 The following information comes from two books, "The Fabulous Phonograph" by Roland Gelatt (Appleton-Century 1965), and "Revolution in Sound" by C.A. Schicke (Little, Brown 1974): 1. Emil Berliner's early hand-cranked phonographs ran at 70rpm (plus or minus the tolerance of the cranker's arm!) and Edison's belatedly introduced disk phonographs ran at 80rpm. Between 1900 and 1925, speeds varied from 74 to 82rpm depending on the vendor. When 3600rpm synchronous electric motors became cheap enough to use in consumer equipment, manufacturers used 46:1 gear ratios to obtain 78.26rpm, which became standard. 2. In 1931, RCA Victor introduced a long-playing record system using 33-1/3rpm on 12 inch disks; that speed had previously been employed with 16 inch disks for radio broadcast transcriptions and with early attempts to synchronize disks with motion pictures. The system flopped because its technology wasn't very good, and because players weren't cheap enough to induce the public to risk changing standards. 3. In June, 1948 Columbia introduced the 12 inch 33-1/3 rpm microgroove record, today's standard. Some years before that, the company began keeping a duplicate copy of each release, engraved using the 33-1/3rpm broadcast transcription equipment, in anticipation of developing commercially feasible long-playing consumer equipment. It immediately promoted a cheap player that would attach to many existing phonographs. RCA rebuffed overtures from Columbia and within a year announced the 7 inch 45rpm disk. When, by 1950, the response from other vendors and from consumers made it clear that Columbia's system had won the classical record market, RCA concentrated its marketing on jukebox manufacturers and the popular music market. Eventually RCA conceded defeat and adopted the Columbia system. -- --Steve Correll sjc@s1-c.ARPA, ...!decvax!decwrl!mordor!sjc, or ...!ucbvax!dual!mordor!sjc