Vinyl Records

Invented in the 1900s, the gramophone consisted of a flat disc that was used for the purpose of recording or listening to music. The term LP record refers to gramophone records. Made of polyvinyl chloride, they were called vinyl records. The sound quality of vinyl records is perceived as excellent; however, the performance of the record depends on the material used in preparing the vinyl. Most of the records are pressed on recycled vinyl. The classical music records were pressed on new 'virgin' or 'heavy' vinyl. Most of the classic rock albums have been pressed on 180-gm vinyl, which are considered to be of the highest quality. In the late 1980s, another technique, lathe cutting, was used. This was an inexpensive form of making vinyl records but did not give superior sound quality. Vinyl records are available in 16 rpm record (16), 33 rpm record (33) which is usually the standard, 45 rpm record (45), and 78 rpm record (78). These varied ranges are made to match the speed of the gramophone used to play the records. One notable feature of vinyl records is that they do not break easily; however, they tend to attract a lot of dust and get scratched very easily, hampering the sound output. Another problem is that the pin on the gramophone can skip over a series of grooves and might actually lead to 'locked groove'. This results in a continuous repetition of 1.8 seconds of the track being played. Moreover, vinyl records are can be damaged by improper storage or heat. Nowadays, audio technology has come a long way. However, a lot of people still prefer vinyl records over compact discs. Vinyl records are known to be natural in terms of clarity and range. Another advantage they hold over CDs is that the record can move up or down or can completely change the grooves. As a result, disc jockeys actually prefer vinyl records. Vinyl records are still manufactured and sold due to the great demand for them.