They were played at around 78 rpm and contained up to 8 minutes of sound. flat discs were the predominant medium for sound recording.Įdison's Diamond Discs were available 1910 in 7, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 21 inch formats. The cutting process creates variations in the groove analogous to the varying frequency and amplitude of the vibrations the stylus moves up and down in 'hill-and-dale' or 'vertical cut' recording and from side to side in 'lateral cut' recording.Īcoustical recording never yielded high fidelity, its dynamic range was limited. In response to the vibrations of air in the horn, the stylus cuts a spiral groove in the thick wax coating of a cylinder or disc, rotated steadily by means of a crank. The sounds to be preserved are directed into a large horn, which at its tapered end is connected to a cutting stylus. The earliest methods of sound recording are described as 'acoustical' and employ only mechanical means for both recording and playback. Collectors call these discs 'acoustic' recordings. The older 78 format continued to be mass produced alongside the newer formats into the 1950s, but had faded from the scene by 1955.īefore 1925, all 78s were recorded by means of the artist singing or speaking into a horn, the power of their voice directly vibrating the recording stylus and thus cutting the wax of the master disc. The durations of 78 RPM recordings is about three to five minutes per side, depending on the disc size:Īs late as the 1970s, some children's records were released at the 78 rpm speed. Earlier they were just called records, or when there was a need to distinguish them from cylinders, disc records. This term did not come into use until after World War II when a need developed to distinguish the 78 from other newer disc record formats. Thus these records became known as 78s (or 'seventy-eights'). In 1925, 78.26 rpm was chosen as a standard for motorized phonographs, because it was suitable for most existing records, and was easily achieved using a standard 3600-rpm motor and 46-tooth gear (78.26 = 3600/46). Since most 78 rpm discs were issued in paper sleeves with no additional accompanying materials, relatively limited information is provided by the items themselves.Įarliest speeds of rotation varied widely, but by 1910 most records were recorded at about 78 to 80 rpm. During and after World War II when shellac supplies were extremely limited, some 78 rpm records were pressed in vinyl instead of shellac (wax), particularly the six-minute 12' 78 rpm records produced by V-Disc for distribution to US troops in World War II.ħ8s come in a variety of sizes, the most common being 10 inch (25 cm) and 12 inch (30 cm) diameter, and these were originally sold in either paper or card covers, generally with a circular cutout allowing the record label to be seen. Generally 78s are made of a brittle material which uses a shellac resin (thus their other name is shellac records). The materials of which discs were made and with which they were coated were also various shellac eventually became the commonest material.

21-48.īill's 78rpm beginner's page Explanation of side coupling for 78rpm sets Grove Music Online A history of vinyl Wikipedia Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) websiteĪny flat disc record, made between about 1898 and the late 1950s and playing at a speed around 78 revolutions per minute is called a '78' by collectors. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, vo. Describing jazz, blues, and popular 78 RPM sound recordings: suggestions and guidelines. This is a brief guide to aid in cataloging

Music Cataloging at Yale ♪ Sound recording cataloging

Gramophone 33 rpm