record speeds
r...@mgweed.uucp
In response to Steve's inquiry;
The previous comments are correct in that the 16 rpm records were of
the "talking book" types and are still issued.
The 45 rpm records were originated by RCA, sometime in the 50's I think.
They made dedicated changers that would only handle the 7 inch discs.
The 45 was certainly a good replacement for the old 10 inch 78's.
I don't know how the speeds were arrived at. 78.26 rpm is no longer
considered a standard speed. Neither are 16 inch transcriptions.
Anybody out there remember inside-start discs??? I still have a few of
those. There were even some 12 inch 45's made in an attempt to obtain
better response than 33's but they didn't catch on. The old Edison
10 inch discs were microgroove and had vertical, rather than lateral
modulation to increase playing time. Seems to me that early 78's were
really somewhat faster, like 80 rpm. Anyone recall that???
ha...@hogpc.uucp
In discussing record speeds, someone said "There were even some 12" 45's
made in an attempt to obtain better response than 33's but they didn't
catch on."
Judging from record store shelves, I'd say they sort of caught on. You can
see quite a few 12" 45's marketed today (especially dance tunes).
Some examples:
Come on Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners
Rock the Casbah by The Clash
Baby Doll by Girls Can't Help It
Physical Attraction by Madonna
and a bunch of others I can't remember...
Dale Hazel
e...@uw-june.uucp
The larger disc is quite a bit easier to cue. It's also easier to find
parts of songs for scratch-mixing. (This in addition to the increased
fidelity).
A byproduct seems to be mass-consumer interest in shelling out four or
five dollars for two songs. As well as a collectors market that has
sprung up around promotion-only 12" releases.
... uw-june!eli