Did you hear a group discussing vinyl records or encounter them while helping your grandparents clean the basement? If you have many such questions, you’re in the right place.
In the widely acclaimed French movie “Amélie,” a leading actress imagines creating a record: making a crepe, pouring liquid substance onto a hot circular surface, and smoothing out “batter” using a wooden stick. Finally, you place a paper label in the middle. The record is ready! In reality, the process is different and features pressing, not pouring.
This article will discuss history, the making process, used materials, and sizes we would want to know generally. Let’s dive in!
What are vinyl records?
What exactly are vinyl records? This is a primary question here.
A vinyl record is made from heated polyvinyl chloride, pressed thin with grooves that produce sound. In simple words, vinyl records are rotating discs used to store sound. They also feature inscribed, modulated spiral grooves. They come in three sizes, which are 12 inches, 10 inches, or 7 inches in diameter.
Vinyl records have different names: record, vinyl, LP, 12-inch, 7-inch, or 10-inch based on their sizes. Vinyl records are highly collectible and offer a captivating music experience.
Initially, they got different names depending on their advancement level. Phonograph discs, gramophones, or records were made of shellac resin. In the mid-2000s, they became famous for “vinyl records” when polyvinyl chloride (PVC) was entirely used for manufacturing. Record players, mainly known as turntables, phonographs, or gramophones, are used for playing and recording music on records.
Vinyl records are an exciting part of the advancing music industry that is seeing a resurgence after decades. Many people have dedicated rooms to collect a wide variety of records.
When were Vinyl Records Invented
In 1877, Thomas Edison worked on his inventions, the telephone, and the telegraph. In this process, he invented the phonograph to play back recorded sounds. In North American Review’s June 1878 issue, Edison wrote that he envisioned the “reproduction of music” as a future device that includes dictation, education, and telling time.
During the 1880s, the Volta Laboratory, run by Alexander Graham Bell, improved Edison’s design. This enhanced device was named a gramophone. It was operated via a hand-crank mechanism that turned a hard rubber disc on a flat plate instead of a cylinder like the phonograph. In 1887, German-American inventor Emile Berline developed lateral-cut flat discs to play on the gramophone. It is similar in appearance and use, as we know from vinyl records.
In 1982, both phonographs and gramophones were marketed to the public. The phonograph was positioned as “entertainment offerings on brown wax.” However, the earliest wax cylinders could store only two minutes of sound recordings. They were also expensive and inefficient to produce. In 1901, mass production of duplicate wax cylinders happened. Molds were used in making these wax cylinders rather than individually engraved with a stylus. The wax used wasn’t of the complex type either. They were also known as “gold-molded” because gold electrodes were used in production. In this way, 120–150 cylinders were easy to make.
78s
Berliner popularized flat-disc records at 78 RPM. That’s why they are known as 78s. They were improved versions that could store 5 minutes of sound per side. Shellac resin was used in the production, which feels a little heavier and brittle. During World War II, shellac was hard to transport, so vinyl material was pressed to be used in 78s.
Vinyl in Modern Days
By 1930, RCA Victor launched its first commercial vinyl long-playing record. Instead of 78 RPM, the speed of this modern vinyl was 33⅓ RPM. The record was 12 inches in diameter. It means it could play longer sound recordings. A rival company, Columbia, in 1948 released a 12-inch 33⅓ RPM microgroove record. RCA launched a 7-inch ball that plays at 45 RPM on both sides.
Even today, artists still denote their releases as long plays (LPs) and extended plays (EPs), regardless of whether the music is in physical format. By the 1970s, vinyl records were on the rise because of the commercial availability of compact cassette tapes and eight-track tape cartridges. This trend continues with the introduction of CDs, digital downloads, and streaming services.
Resurgence of Vinyl Records
Since Store Day in 2008, vinyl records have shown a more extraordinary resurgence than other mediums. By 2017, vinyl record sales had topped three million copies. This created bottlenecks for pressing plants. Orders have been waiting for months for pressing and shipping.
Vinyl in Modern Days
By 1930, RCA Victor launched its first commercial vinyl long-playing record. Instead of 78 RPM, the speed of this modern vinyl was 33⅓ RPM. The record was 12 inches in diameter. It means it could play longer sound recordings. A rival company, Columbia, in 1948 released a 12-inch 33⅓ RPM microgroove record. RCA launched a 7-inch ball that plays at 45 RPM on both sides.
Even today, artists still denote their releases as long plays (LPs) and extended plays (EPs), regardless of whether the music is in physical format. By the 1970s, vinyl records were on the rise because of the commercial availability of compact cassette tapes and eight-track tape cartridges. This trend continues with the introduction of CDs, digital downloads, and streaming services.
How Are Vinyl Records Made?
Design and preparation
The creation process of vinyl records takes place long before heading to a vinyl facility. The process starts in the hands of the master engineer or the artist working with it. The sound engineer or team engineer takes studio recording files from the musician to transfer onto vinyl. They check how tracks are optimized for vinyl through several steps, including checking the tonality and whether the levels are consistent song-to-song.
Engineers also determine the album’s song cover with the musician and producer, as each record side can hold 20–30 minutes’ worth of audio. This group of engineers, musicians, and producers figures out the final order of songs by evenly splitting them into both sides of the record. This is a complicated process because the sonic resolution is gradually diminished as you get closer to the center of the vinyl, which affects the sampling rate and overall fidelity of the record.
The mastering process is the most complicated, and we don’t have enough time or space to dive in and do justice. But it can make or break a record long before you play on a vinyl record or stream music. So much has to line up before an album makes it to the vinyl press.
Creation of the Master Disc
After the preparation of digital files, the next step is the creation of a master disc, also referred to as a lacquer master. As it is clear from the name, this is the primary disc from which all individual copies are made. These primary discs have aluminum cores, made as smooth as possible by sanding them down. This process also clears anything like dust, scratches, and other stuff that can impact the record’s sound quality. This process is critical to creating high-quality records.
Here, a thick coat of nitrocellulose lacquer is used to cover the aluminum and left to dry before putting it through a rigorous inspection. Excess nitro lacquer is removed and separated for later use. If a lacquer master fails, which is uncommon in the process, everything starts from the beginning until a viable master is produced. Once a master disc of viable quality is produced, the engineer punches a hole in the center and packs it in a spindle with the requested duplicates for backup. Each disc is separated using protective strips.
Imprinting of Music on the Master Disc
This is the start of the cool part, and it is the imprinting of the music onto the master disc.
First, place the disc on the cutting lathe. Typically, you’ll see a sapphire-tipped carving stylus, like in this setup, along with a microscope and a vacuum stick. It can also be made using comparable materials, like diamonds.
Second, the next engineer does a tear-cut at the edges and uses a microscope to inspect it for flaws.
If everything goes well, continual groove recording is then imprinted, starting from the outer edge and working toward the record’s center. Remember those digital files that the mastering engineer mastered in the previous steps? Here, those digital files are sent to a cutting lathe that converts the sound waves in real-time into vibrations. At this point, the lathe carves into the master disc’s grooves.
A cutting engineer closely monitors the whole process and manually creates spaces between each song on the album. The master disc goes through another set of inspections and should be okay before moving on to the next step.
Creation of a Stamper
One disc still needs to be created before moving to the individual pressings. This is a stamper disc made from the master disc. It will be used to stamp the grooves onto the vinyl copies. Depending on the number of copies ordered, multiple stamper discs might be needed, as they wear down with time. One stamper disc is typically used for every thousand records produced. There’s nothing to surprise that creating stamper discs is as complex as creating the lacquer master. Once it’s done with imprinting music files on the master disc, it is washed to remove debris and dust, sprayed with liquid silver, and washed again to remove excess silver. Then, it is sprayed with tun chloride.
Mastering steps into the electroplating process are submerged in a nickel bath. This part is the key, as nickel creeps into every groove on each side of the disc and bonds with an electric charge. The nickel siding is removed, leaving you with the master and newly formed electroplated disc. This is called the “Father” disc. It supports upward ridges instead of the carved grooves of the master. This disc template is used to stamp that particular album’s copies.
The electroplating process is now repeated with the Father disc to create a “Mother” disc with grooves like the lacquer master. Mother discs are used to create the stamper discs, which are used for creating individual vinyl records. Final stampers get a center hole punch for processing and shave off excess material before officially hitting the press.
Father and Mother discs go through quality inspections; additional stampers are created from another disc if needed. This three-step process is specifically for La Gear runs. This process is reduced to one for a minor release where the stamp is directly made from the master. This stamper usually works for a few hundred records.
Pressing the actual vinyl
With the stamper ready, it’s time to press the vinyl. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pellets are used in individual records. They are transparent by default, but you can turn them into traditional black vinyl records or make them more colorful and unique by adding colorant. A portion of these vinyl pellets that weigh 160 grams (ranging from 120 to 200 grams) was heated at 320 Fahrenheit and squeezed into a blob. It is usually called a puck or biscuit. There’s also debate in the vinyl community about whether 180-gram pressings are better than the “standard” 120-140-gram pressings.
When the puck is formed and sits on the hydraulic press, place stampers like two pieces of bread on a sandwich on either side; the album label is centered on the puck before the actual pressing happens. Note that labels aren’t glued to the record but squished by pressure. Bake earlier at about 250 degrees Fahrenheit to remove moisture and prevent bubbling.
Then, start compressing. 2,000 PSI is the pressure of two stampers that come together. Initially, pressing reaches 300 Fahrenheit, then lowered to 100. Stamper ridges push to hot, malleable vinyl to create grooves; the label is squashed at the required place. After that, a separate machine removes extra vinyl to reuse it for future records.
As it cools off, the record pops out and lands on the spindle. This poo-out is the fastest part of the process and takes 30 seconds.
Testing presses and quality assurance
Each batch of presses goes through a quality assurance test. An employee plays a few random albums called test pressing to ensure there aren’t any problems and everything is good. These tested pressings were also sent to artists, producers, and music labels for approval. The approval process varies for every artist and album. It depends on the company; however, a randomly selected album’s digital copy can be created and emailed simultaneously, but it could be better. Once everything is approved, new records get green-lighted for production in huge numbers.
Package and shipping
Packaging and shipping are the final steps in this incredible process! Pressed records are manually placed into the inner sleeves and outer album covers. It goes through another quality checkpoint to check for further scratches, drops, bends, or any damage before it gets to you.
What are vinyl records made of?
Did you ever think of what the disc you hold is made of? A big clue lies in the name of the vinyl record. But it’s more complex than a flat plate of plastic.
Vinyl records are made of resin mix, which is a blend of seven different materials:
- Polyvinyl Chloride, aka PVC
- Polyvinyl Acetate (PVA)
- Colorants
- Heat Stabilizers
- Plasticizers
- Lubricants
- Fillers
Every ingredient has a variable and vital role to play.
PVC: PVC has been used in making vinyl records for decades because of a few essential properties that make it workable. Structurally, it’s between 10 and 20% crystalline, which gives it enough support for a groove to be hollowed out while simultaneously taking the turntable’s stylus plowing, causing no sustainable damage. It provides quieter space, is less brittle than other materials, and is cheap.
Plasticizers: PVC is easy to plasticize, and plasticizers are essential in making records. They change the resin’s viscosity, which proves flexibility and makes it easier to match the microgrooves in the master disc in the pressing process. The finished product also shows more resistance to breakage. The PVC-PVA mix has a decent degree of flexibility. Adding plasticizers increases durability considerably.
Stabilizers: Low thermal stability and exposure to heat, pollution, and UV make PVC weak. Adding heat stabilizers makes resins more robust. They also neutralize the hydrogen chloride gas generated at the temperatures reached during production. Gas can cause breakdowns, and stabilizers help battle it.
Colorants: Carbon black doesn’t only give a distinctive color to the record. The record’s surface becomes easily observable, allowing for detecting defects such as scratches. Carbon brings durability through support in the distribution and dissipation of electrical charges, reducing static charge buildup.
Lubricants: The flow of resin eases during the production and processing stages. They also reduce friction on the record’s surface, which benefits heat reduction and disc degradation. Smoother contact between the record and stylus is also established.
How big are vinyl records?
There are three sizes that you’ll run into on this captivating journey.
- 7-inch
- 10-inch
- 12-inch
7-inch Records
7-inch records are the smallest and earliest vinyl records. They play at 45 RPM. Their design allows one song on each side. Their limited capacity made them use them for promotional singles, often in advance.
7-inch records are also known as “45” because of speed. The track highlighted on side A is the primary marketing highlight, and the less marketable song is on side B. Once, they were the most used records until the dawn of LPs.
10-Inch Records
They were made out of shellac resin instead of vinyl. 10-inch records played at 78 RPM and famous as “78s.” They were trendy, but artists don’t support these discs anymore. They are part of vinyl history.
The 78s have the highest speed ever on vinyl records. However, the potential of sound quality in 78 remained untapped. Higher speed means music of only a few minutes can be stored on one side, which makes it inaccessible to modern listeners. They faded back in the 1950s with the dawn of LPs. 10-inch records have been obsolete for decades.
12-Inch Records
In this modern age of several audio formats, LPs are the largest vinyl record on the market. They can hold just over 20 minutes of sound on one side. It shows that it can hold a full-length album. They can hold a giant sound at 33 ⅓ speed because of their size.
The rise of LPs has changed the music industry entirely. Artists can share more music, even entire albums. Even with new audio formats hitting the market, LPs are going strong.
Wrapping up
We have covered the whole process, from when the artist finishes recording to product packaging and distribution. It’s time to pick up some vinyl for your decent collection.
The record industry has used the same method to make vinyl records for the last seventy years. The process goes through rigorous testing to maintain high-quality sound.
If you’re new to the vinyl record world, you’ll want to buy a beginner-friendly turntable and some headphones.