From 1877 when Edison invented the phonograph to 1982 when Sony/Philips published the CD format, LP discs/records were gradually discontinued. In the history of audio world 100 years, the existence of analog disk is enough to stand out from any other audio-visual signal source.
Looking back on the development history of phonograph to LP, this paper reveals the mystery of the analog era, hoping to lead readers into the world of analog audio through this article. When digital players such as iPod and MP3 are flooding in front of us, enjoy the unique charm of analog audio!
Mary has a little lamb.
"Mary has a little lamb. It looks like a snowball ..."
This is a nursery rhyme written by the inventor Thomas Edison. 1877, Frenchman Charles cross invited Edison to develop a device for him to automatically record telegraph information. After the trial-production of the machine was completed, Edison took out a piece of tin foil and rolled it on a metal cylinder engraved with spiral grooves, so that one end of the stylus gently rubbed the tin foil and the other end was connected to the receiver. Then he shook the handle and sang a "classic" aria "Mary has a lamb …" into the receiver. When all this was done, Edison put the stylus back and shook the crank again, and then the same sentence was restored in the machine.
Shortly thereafter, this machine, which Edison called the phonograph (Greek means recorder), was officially born. At that time, they were only used to record sounds, not what we call "sounds" today. And this, Edison also realized after 10 years.
The birth of Gramophne
Because the phonograph has to engrave a spiral groove on the cylinder in the longitudinal direction, it has fatal shortcomings such as difficult reproduction and unsatisfactory recording effect. If we really want to talk about its benefits, it will probably only have the dual function of recording and broadcasting. So, in the early days, some people made a simple dictation recorder by improving the phonograph. Musician Bartok recited when collecting folk songs in various parts of Eastern Europe, and Brahms used this drum recorder to record "Hungarian Dance Music".
1885, Bell Brothers and their colleague Charles Tainter changed the tin foil cylinder into a paper cylinder coated with wax, and applied for the patent of Graphophone. Two years later, the American company Graphophone was established.
1887 can be said to be the first turning point in the history of phonograph development. In addition to the establishment of AGC, Edison once again discovered the value of the phonograph (before that, he devoted himself to the research of light bulbs), so Edison's phonograph company was born, which lasted until 1894 went bankrupt. In addition, Berline, a German, experimented with recording and playing sound on a waxed galvanized record, and named the machine he invented the phonograph. Because the phonograph is practical, easy to copy, and uses a disc recording that is very close to LP turntable in the future, some people think that he is the inventor of the phonograph. The next year, the phonograph was really commercialized.
The origin of HMV
From 65438 to 0890, coin-operated jukeboxes mushroomed in the United States. You can listen to comedies, jokes, whistles and brass music through a tube inserted in your ear for only $0.25. 1894, Columbia phonograph company manufactured a spring-driven household phonograph, which cost only $40, creating opportunities for the phonograph to enter the family.
At the same time, Carousel (1902) and Russian bass Charyabin (1903) participated in the recording of records, which not only opened up the demand of the record market, but also promoted the sales of phonographs.
At that time, Edison's phonograph was adopted by American Columbia Company and French EMI Company. Bellin's record Gamophon later became Victor (usually transliterated as "Victor"), and soon it was changed to the oil painting "His Master's Voice" painted by British painter Francis Barraud as a symbol, and it was renamed HMV. HMV is actually the ancestor of famous record companies, such as EMI, DG and RCA. The logo of HMV and puppy still appears on Japanese JVC products today. After the end of World War II, Germany, as a defeated country, renamed the then German victory company DG, while the Japanese victory company only used Victor's brand and logo in China, and renamed it JVC (Japan Victor Company) in overseas markets. This is why in the local second-hand market, sellers are used to calling JVC "the dog's head card".
1925, Victor sold the phonograph invented by Bell Laboratories under the trademark Victorla. The phonograph was internally equipped with an inspirational HOM, and its top model Victor La was snapped up by collectors after 30 days. Now, housewives should be happy, because they no longer have to see a dusty speaker in the living room.
Create the era of electronic recording
1906, deforest invented the electron tube, which made it possible to amplify electrical signals. Many people, including Bell Laboratories, are devoted to the research in this field. They found that sound can be turned into an electric current signal, and the electronic amplification of the electron tube can be used to rotate the tape recorder and record the signal. Compared with the previous mechanical recording (original sound), it is undoubtedly a major breakthrough that you have to play or roar at the loudspeaker.
1920,165438+1October, 1 1, British guests and merriman transmitted the Armistice Day ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London by telephone line and recorded it on the disks of nearby high-rise buildings, which was the earliest electric recording experiment.
1925, two Colombian companies in Britain and the United States used the research results of Bell Laboratories for commercial electric recording. This year is called "the first year of electric recording", which is one of the milestones in the era of analog audio with the appearance of LP records of 1948 and stereo records of 1957. At that time, the record was called SP (Standard Play). It is made of shellac and dry tar powder at a speed of 78 revolutions per minute. You can only record music for three to five minutes at a time. However, even with these restrictions, in March of 1925, Columbia moved its tape recorder to metropolitan opera, New York, and recorded "The Son is Born Tonight" sung by more than 900 people. Its magnificent effect laid the foundation for the success of electric recording.
While the recording quality has been improved, the playback equipment has also made great progress. The driving of the turntable is changed from clockwork to motor, and the electronic tube is used to amplify the playback. At this time, the record company turned to classical music. 1927, Colombian plans to record Beethoven complete symphonies to celebrate the100th anniversary of Beethoven's death. At the same time, the record company has also carried out some integration: Victor has become RCA/Victor (so today, the logo 193 1 year of the puppy can also be seen in RCA Red Printing Studio series records, and HMV and British Columbia merged to form the EMI today; ; Graophon in Germany was renamed Polydor (later Polaroid, today's Universal Records); A record company named after Decca, a portable phonograph, appeared, and today it is called "Fumao" (one of the sub-brands of Universal Records) in Taiwan Province Province. Together with CBS (Columbia/Sony Records) later acquired by CBS/ Sony, today's "Big Five" record companies were also formed at that time.
The inventor's unique stubbornness was accompanied by the Great Depression in 1929, which made Edison completely quit the phonograph field. After 10 years, there was no fundamental breakthrough in phonograph technology. On the contrary, recording equipment, such as microphone, has improved a lot in technology, which will eventually promote the transition from phonograph to LP. Moreover, the rise of sound films in the 1930s also promoted the development of the audio industry, which needs to be broken down in the next issue.
1883, Thorens, the earliest audio company in the world, was born. At that time, its products were mechanical music boxes. 1928 began to produce special motors for turntables, which opened its glorious history of more than half a century.
1893, at the American Expo in Chicago, Edison publicly demonstrated the film for the first time, which was considered as the embryonic form of the sound film.
1899, Ballard replaced the cylinder in the oil painting "The Voice of the Master" he created for Edison with a disc and sold it to Gamophon in Berlin. 1900 officially became the trademark of Gamophon in June.
1In August, 904, Columbia Company launched a double-layer record in the United States for $ 1.5, which successfully entered the civilian family at an ultra-low price.
19 18, Kōnosuke Matsushita set up a Panasonic factory in Osaka, and didn't start producing radios until 193 1.
19 18, Auden Fung was founded in Denmark, and began to make CDs and MC singers after World War II.
1923, Western Electric tried to play audio and video synchronously.
1925, Shure was founded in the United States, which is famous for producing MM singers.
From 65438 to 0927, Altec Lansing, a subsidiary of Western Electric Appliances, was established one after another, as well as Dianyin and JBL, all of which are veterans of American audio industry.
1932 was founded in Yorkshire and is one of the oldest loudspeaker manufacturers in Britain.
1939, BBC began to test stereo radio.
In the whole 40 years after 1930s, the development of analog audio entered a peak period. In addition to the first commercial electric recording in 1925, two of the three iconic moments called analog audio occurred in these 40 years: 1948, the advent of LP (Long Play) records meant the birth of bakelite discs/records in the modern sense; 1957 the recording association of America decided to adopt 45/45 lettering technology as the standard format of stereo records, and the result has continued to this day.
Around 1930s, phonograph technology developed to some extent. The original clockwork drive was changed to motor, and electron tube amplification technology was also applied to it. At this time, the record company turned to classical music, or in 1927, the Colombian company recorded Beethoven complete symphonies to commemorate the100th anniversary of Beethoven's death.
During this period, the record company also carried out some integration: Victor entered RCA and established RCA/Victor (so today, you can still see the puppy logo 193 1 year in RCA Red Seal Studio series records, and HMV merged with British Columbia to form today's EMI; ; Graophon in Germany was renamed Polydor (later Philips/Polaroid, now acquired by Universal Records); A record company named after Decca, a portable phonograph, appeared, and today it is called "Fumao" (one of the sub-brands of Universal Records) in Taiwan Province Province. Coupled with Sony's acquisition of CBS (Columbia/Sony Records), the "Big Five" record companies of later generations had begun to take shape at that time.
The arrival of the hi-fi era
The so-called "a hundred flowers blossom", with the deepening of recording, microphones, power amplifiers and other equipment have made breakthroughs in performance and technical indicators. After 1930, audio movies began to be recorded with multiple microphones, and the sound clarity and frequency response were far better than those of SP (Standard Play) records at that time. This puts forward higher requirements for recording equipment.
During World War II, in order to enable naval officers to distinguish the different motor sounds of British and German submarines, Asa Hattie, then technical director of Decca, took the lead in developing a monitor that can record high frequencies above 10kHz, which was later called "full frequency response recording". But it was really applied to the recording industry near the end of the war 1944. You know, before the war, the frequency response of electric recording was limited to "poor" 100 Hz ~ 500 Hz, while the bandwidth of FFRR 40 Hz ~ 10 kHz almost covered the fundamental frequency band of all instruments, which was a great achievement at that time!
1944 12.22, before Christmas, the first record produced by FFRR technology was listed in the UK. Its appearance makes the whole industry enter a new round of technical competition. After that, the long-used wax disc was replaced by the quieter acetic acid disc, and the sound quality of the record was significantly improved by the use of the heated recording needle. The tracking ability of the home phonograph has become just right, and the light magnetic head equipped with a gem stylus has been improved ... Similar improvements have gradually brought the era of high fidelity.
The birth of LP
The improvement of sound quality is one thing, but it is unacceptable that 78 rpm SP records can only record music for 3 ~ 5 minutes.
193 1 year, RCA tried to release LP (long play) slow records at the speed of 33 1/3, but it ended in vain. After that, Colombia began a similar attempt. Because I don't know what the future of LP will be, Colombia, prepared by both hands, recorded on a wax disc with 78 rpm 33 1/3 rpm. Results The LP record experiment of 1948 was successful, and Colombia became the biggest winner. This record gradually increased from the initial recording time of 16 minutes per side to 22 minutes, just enough to accommodate most symphonies within 45 minutes.
Not to be outdone, RCA released a 45-turn EP(Extended Play) record in the second year, with sound quality equivalent to LP, and each recording time was about 5 minutes. Because the matching discs are cheap and just suitable for the application of pop music, they quickly opened up the market among young people.
After that, there was an ultra-slow record of 16 2/3 rpm, but it was quickly eliminated.
It is precisely for this reason that we can see three kinds of speed switches on some turntables in later generations, such as 78, 45, 33 1/3 rpm, and even headphones are divided into SP and LP/EP. 1953, RIAA (American Recording Engineering Association) decided to make RCA's new orthoacoustic equalizer the unified head-up standard of LP, ending the situation that the specification of 10 had been mixed for a lifetime. Today, most of the phonograph ports we see on amplifiers meet this standard of RIAA.
Revolutionary stereo
1953, Deka made the first experimental stereo recording with mantovani Band in the Posted Studio of West Han Dynasty. Three years later, it developed a method to record two different signals in the same sound tank. But the last 45/45 stereo recording mode was mastered by Americans, which was at 1957.
The method adopted by Americans is to draw 45-degree V-shaped two channels in the sound groove of bakelite records to record the signals of the left and right channels respectively, and then design the coil in the pickup head to read at 45 degrees, and finally produce a stereo effect. Compared with Deka's scheme, although each has its own advantages, the former is widely recognized for its convenience in engraving records and assembling singers.
Jiangshan talents came out, and at this point, LP began its golden age.
1956, RCA and Japanese Victor began to make 45/45 stereo records. Only the original stereo LP discs were professional products, which were mainly provided to radio stations and other institutions, until Edgar Villchur, the founder of 1962 air cushion horn, introduced the first ar manual disc for audio enthusiasts. The suspension system of AR turntable was called "not afraid of anything" in that year. Many people are still deeply impressed by the hammer that is going to hit the AR turntable in the advertisement.
After the introduction of stereo records, Ortofon has his own masterpiece-SPU series in MC singing head. 1995, Ortofon also made a singing head made of 6N pure silver wire to boast of their technical achievements. The DL- 103 singing head introduced by Tianlong 1963 is still in production. The Vl5 singer introduced by Shure in 1964 has become a classic among MM singers.
Stereo early popular dynamic RC balanced singing arm, G-240 semi-integrated Tome arm published by Grace in 1958. 1959, the British SME introduced the static balance singing arm 3009 (short arm) and 30 12 (long arm). Their excellent conceptual design and precise technology immediately changed the popular direction of singing arm. After 3009, it became the first singing arm to be collected by the Metropolitan Museum of New York. 1957, Thorens launched the world's first non-magnetic turntable TD 124, 1983, to celebrate the 0/00th anniversary of the establishment of the factory. TD 126MK content turntable has left a wonderful witness for a better simulation era.
At this time, Japanese manufacturers with super learning ability began to emerge. Yamaha's KT- 1 turntable has been well evaluated. So is Neumann's studio turntable.
Facing the era of digitalization
After that, LP CD ushered in its most brilliant moment, but it also began to withdraw from the mainstream stage. Because digital technology began to appear in front of us. In the next issue, we will find out for readers.
Other topics worthy of our attention during this period:
1940, Walter Disney made the first three-dimensional film Fantasia. Sixty years later, Disney released Fantasia 2000》DVD to commemorate this historic moment.
1946, Tokyo Communication Co., Ltd. was established. 12 years later, it launched the world's first transistor radio under the brand of Sony.
1947, the world's first audio magazine was founded. Once the best-selling audio magazine in the United States, it stopped publishing at the beginning of this century.
1949, Harry Reitz held the first sound exhibition in the world at the New Yorker Hotel.
1952, Harman Kardon was founded. After acquiring JBL, Mark Levinson, British finidi, LeTV and AKG, it became the largest audio manufacturer in the world.
From 65438 to 0959, major record companies began to release stereo records.
1963, Philips presented a cassette at the Berlin International Audio Exhibition.
1965, Ray Dolby showed DeKa its recording noise reduction device in London, which was the earliest Dolby noise reduction technology.
1969, Linn, which is famous for producing LP discs, was established in Britain.
The last 30 years of the 20th century were very dramatic for the development of LP. During this period, it experienced a great turning point from peak to decline and then to near extinction. With the emergence of new technologies, both the performance and popularity of LP have shown an unprecedented high-speed growth; However, some newer technologies, such as digital processing technology, which has become a household name today, have appeared in front of us with stronger vitality, and their arrival indicates that LP will finally bid farewell to the historical stage.
Figure 00 Stanton STR8-30, Leader of Direct Drive LP Turntable (Title)
If in the previous 40 years, the world of LP was dominated by European and American manufacturers, then in the 1970 s, the studious Japanese finally had the opportunity to come to the front desk. We have to sigh how strikingly similar history is. In the past, we might think of Lycra first when talking about cameras, but today, the world of digital cameras is controlled by most Japanese brands. LP, or the history of the whole sound, this scene is repeated again and again.
The rise of a new generation
1969, Matsushita introduced the first LP turntable SP- 10 with direct driver. This caused a sensation in the LP field dominated by belt drive at that time. The innovative driving method has solved a long-standing problem, that is, the turntable belt ages with the increase of service time, and for the first time, the LP turntable has truly achieved "free expansion and contraction": turn whenever you want, and stop whenever you want. This also provided a magic weapon for DJs who were keen on "recording" and mixing later.
However, the direct-drive turntable soon complied with the saying of "geomantic cycle" after replacing the belt drive, and finally gave way to the belt drive which was generally recognized by enthusiasts and had a stronger musical atmosphere. Therefore, most of the direct-drive motors handed down now are made in Japan, such as Sony TTS-4000, Tianlong DP-5000, and micro DDX- 1000.
However, it is precisely because it is no longer popular that we have the opportunity to see a large number of direct-drive LP discs in the second-hand market. For beginners who want to taste LP today, this kind of direct-drive turntable with low price and easy maintenance has become the first choice.
1974, Victor of Japan began to use the phase servo mode of crystal oscillator to stabilize the rotating speed of the turntable, which is the so-called "timely locking" mode. Later, Sony and other manufacturers also adopted this technology, which greatly improved the accuracy of the turntable.
The evolution of singing head and singing arm
In addition to the evolution of turntable driving mode, LP is constantly "evolving" around 1970 with the emergence of new materials such as stylus and singing arm.
1973 Sony announced the singing arm made of carbon fiber; Pioneer uses beryllium to make the connecting rod of the stylus; The process uses Sm-Co mixed magnets to produce MM singers. Today, Stax, which is famous for producing electrostatic headphones, introduced the electrostatic head CP-X; Linn from Britain emphasizes high-precision manufacturing technology and has been producing advanced LP discs until now. It is these manufacturers who have made great contributions to the rapid popularization of LP.
At this time, the manufacture of LP singing head and singing arm almost became the Japanese world.
1962, asakura founded Supex, and the following year, he launched the MC singer of Ortofon brand. This time, he let the whole world appreciate Japanese acoustic aesthetics. In the same year, Hideo Matsushita founded Audio Technica (Iron Triangle) and later became the world's largest producer of singing heads. Among them, AT-l is the first MM singer in Japan, followed by AT-35(VM singer, 1967) and AT-34 (the first double-acting MC singer, 1977).
Singer of "One Man"
1977, with the opening of Grado's patent for MC singers, more MC singers made in Japan appeared, among which there were many "one-man" companies, and the "niche" of Hi-End audio was fully played here! For example, Win tension measuring singer, Miyabi made of ivory, Argant inlaid with sapphire and Goldbug made of heather root all brought more fun to fans.
Nabori Tominari, another graduate of Tokyo Technical School, makes MC singers from a technical point of view and sells them under the Dvnavector brand. He is completely different from Guang Yue, but he still attracts some followers.
At that time, Koetsu (Guangyue) singer initiated by Shinichi Kanno became the ultimate goal in everyone's eyes. This man is not only proficient in classical music and oil painting, but also a royal sword maker. Even the sword of the Japanese emperor was forged by him. Versatile, he designed and manufactured this singer himself out of dissatisfaction with the products on the market. At first, it was only for personal use or for friends and relatives, and it was not until 1978 was sold in the United States that it became famous. His emphasis on traditional skills and his mysterious atmosphere drove fans crazy. Nabori Tominari, another graduate of Tokyo Technical School, makes MC singers from a technical point of view and sells them under the Dvnavector brand. He is completely different from Guang Yue, but he also attracts a group of followers.
The digital age is coming.
Now, we can talk about Philips. It has been 80 years since the light bulb.
1969, Philips first put forward the idea of laser video disc. Five years later, the prototype of laser video disc appeared, and 1979 began to cooperate with Sony to develop CD. When Panasonic joined the CD camp at 198 1, the battle between CD and LP was officially staged.
In fact, in the1970s, sound engineers began to try digital recording. This technology is called PCM (pulse code modulation), which is also the encoding method of CD later.
1972, BBC tried digital devices in FM broadcasting. At the same time, NHK transferred PCM technology to Denon. On April 24th of that year, at TwerHall Concert Hall in Castle Peak, Tokyo, Denon recorded Mozart's String QuartetNo. 15, which was played by Bedrich Smetana String Quartet. This record was later released as LP. Now we should understand why we will see the word number on those LP records released later. In addition to indicating that this is obtained through digital recording technology, it also means that LP, as a synonym for analog audio, is about to set.
1979 on new year's day, deka recorded the new year concert of Vienna philharmonic orchestra conducted by Bao Si kowski in Vienna, which was the first PCM recording by a British record company. More historically, this record was made into a CD in1980s, and it was also the earliest DDD production in the world (that is, a CD record made of digital recording, digital mixing and digital production).
LP defense warfare
Although CD encountered many difficulties at the beginning of listing, including being criticized as "rough voice" and "lack of musical flavor" (this statement still exists today), its impact on LP is enormous.
Soon, the LP defense war kicked off.
1982, when Polaroid's CD tablet factory in Hamburg was officially put into production, Highphone, composed of employees who left Tianlong, was established in Japan.
Two years later, Ebisawa Che founded Roundale Research. Ikeda Yong Ikeda once worked in Fudelity-Research, the earliest MC singer manufacturer in Japan, and founded Ikeda Company. The published Ikeda 9 singer is called "the ultimate dream singer", which is a great progress after analog audio entered the digital age.
In Europe and America, Goldmond (1984, Switzerland), Roxanne (1985, UK), VPI (USA), Graham Project (1986, USA), Wilson Benesch (1989, UK).
1990s, LP finally disappeared from the mass level. CD and tape recording are dominant, and various new formats are constantly emerging. At that time, "digital" has been deeply rooted in people's hearts, and it will no longer appear in ordinary people's homes except LP used by ballroom DJ. The complete suspension of LP records has made this trend spread rapidly.
Interestingly, however, in the 2 1 century, with the emergence of SACD and DVD-Audio, which are called the next generation audio formats, people seem to go back to the past. "The perfect sound quality that only LP has" has become the best compliment to SACD. We have seen more and more demonstrations with LP as news source in the audio exhibition. Those old factories that haven't released LP discs for a long time have also found those molds and drawings from dusty warehouses, and record companies such as Opus have also resumed the release of LP discs. These seem to be telling the immortal myth of LP, even if it is only circulated among very small audio enthusiasts.
Other topics worthy of our attention during this period:
65438-0967, Stereo Magazine was founded in Japan. Stereo Sound, which focuses on Hi-End sound, and Hi Vi, which focuses on home theater, are also published in Chinese today.
In 1970, EV proposed a 4-channel matrix LP recording format.
1972, Japan released QS matrix record, and tried LP surround sound at the earliest.
1972, Mark Levinson was founded, which laid a new standard for modern transistor amplifiers. 12 years later, Mark changed hands to build a cello, and then changed hands again to create a red rose.
1975, meridian was established. Today, it has become one of the leaders of digital audio.
1977, TEAC published the prototype of Dad's CD, which made a great contribution to the birth of CD.
1982, CD was officially listed, and DAT prototype was born. The latter was banned by record companies because of its almost "perfect" digital recording, and finally withdrew from the local market.
1984, the100000 CD record was born in Polaroid's CD factory.
199 1 year, in order to compete with Philips' digital recorder DCC, Sony introduced MD, but it didn't really start to be accepted until six years later.
1997, DVD was born.