![]() This shift allowed artists to showcase their creative vision and present a complete musical experience rather than releasing individual songs or shorter compilations. The introduction of LP records and the adoption of the 33 1/3 RPM speed quickly made it the standard album format. This innovation revolutionized the music industry, as artists and bands could present a cohesive collection of songs on a single LP record. By reducing the vinyl record’s size of the grooves, more music can be squeezed onto each side of the record without sacrificing audio fidelity. LP records are characterized by their smaller grooves, which are carved into the vinyl surface. This speed is perfectly suited for LPs, which can hold multiple tracks per side and offer an extended playing time. LP records are typically 12 inches in diameter and made of vinyl. The 33 1/3 RPM speed is a fundamental component of turntable operation, specifically designed for playing LP (Long Play) records. The main 3 turntable speeds are carefully designed to match specific record types, preserving the intended pitch and sound quality. One essential aspect of turntables is their ability to play records at different speeds, ensuring accurate playback of various types of vinyl. Different types of records are designed to be played at specific RPMs. In the context of turntables and vinyl records, RPM refers to the speed at which the platter rotates while playing a record. RPM stands for “revolutions per minute.” It is a unit of measurement used to quantify the rotational speed or frequency of a rotating object, such as a turntable’s platter, in the context of vinyl record players. Join me on a virtual journey to explore the significance and nuances of the turntable’s speed, uncovering how it breathes life into the cherished melodies etched into vinyl grooves. As the turntable’s platter spins, the record player speeds dictate the tempo at which the music unfolds, influencing the sound quality, playback duration, and compatibility with different record formats. On recent songs pressed with modern techniques, a 45 RPM record will definitely sound better than a 33 RPM.The rotation speed is an essential characteristic of turntables that sets the stage for listening to vinyl records. In short, a 45 RPM record sounds better than a 33 RPM 80% of the time, but not 100%. For this reason, it is not uncommon to hear a 45 RPM reissued after the original 33 RPM sounds worse. Indeed, even if the physics says otherwise, there are other factors to consider: the mastering, access to the original tape, quality of the pressing factory, etc. However, a 45 RPM may not always sound better than a 33 RPM. That’s the reason why 12″ 45 RPM is not the most common but is still used, especially for promoting songs.Ī 45 RPM record sounds better than a 33 RPM 80% of the time. Eventually, that’s multiplying the mastering cost, plating cost, pressing cost, labels, and jackets. An LP or an album would need more disks to store everything. Therefore, if the songs are too long, you can only put one title, maybe 2, per face. Because of that, you engrave less music on a 12″ 45 RPM than a 12″ 33 RPM record. Indeed, 45 RPM is faster than 33 RPM by 36%. Then, why aren’t all records 12″ 45 RPM? The reason goes down to cost. It can therefore store more audio information per second and sounds better. Indeed, the outer edge of the 12″ is bigger than the outer edge of the 7″. Therefore, a 45 RPM record will also have a better sound quality in the central grooves.įor the same reason, a 12″ 45 RPM record sound quality is better than a 7″ 45 RPM. ![]() Increasing the rotational speed – the RPM – will increase the distance traveled per second, thus increasing the audio quality. In the table above, I only focused on the most common sizes when someone mentions 33, 45, and 78 RPM records. As the 33 and 45 RPMs are the most common speeds on turntables, some music labels like to make odd sizes from time to time for special occasions. Indeed, you may find records as small as 3″ in Japan or old 16″ from the 30s. The same as any size records can be made 33 or 45. In fact, 10″ can also be made in 33 or 45 RPM real vinyl. They came from an ancient time when styli needed to be changed very often and were not made from diamonds. They are usually thicker and not flexible as vinyl. The 10″ 78 RPM records are not really vinyl since they are made of shellac. I focus more on the difference in sound quality later in this post. They can be used for promotion on the radio for instance. They are mostly used for singles and for their higher sound quality. They are easy to differentiate thanks to their size.Īfter that, the most common records are the 12″ 45 RPM vinyl.
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