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). People were also encouraged to donate their records not only to aid with weaponry, but also to “boost soldier morale.”ĭifferences in Speed: Shellac vs Vinyl (78’s vs LP’s) Shellac/78’sĮarliest speeds of rotation varied widely, but by 1910 most records were recorded at about 78 to 80 rpm. Not only was there a dramatic cut in production of shellac records, there was also a “call to arms” – if you happened to have records that were broken, chipped, or with out-of-date melodies, you would have been asked to donate them for recycling. This cut in production of shellac records was replaced with the production of signal flares and explosives, as well as artillery shell coating. Record production consumed about 30 percent of the nation’s supply of shellac. When World War II began, the War Production Board, which was the government agency responsible for supervising war production under President Franklin Roosevelt, ordered a 70 percent cut in the production of new phonograph records.
OLD 33 RPM RECORDS FULL
Shellac wasn’t only used to produce records full of sweet-sounding melodies. During the early years of World War II, the demand for shellac skyrocketed. The dramatic shift from shellac to vinyl took place out of necessity. We come to find out, it wasn’t actually a fad. On recent songs pressed with modern techniques, a 45 RPM record will definitely sound better than a 33 RPM.Why aren’t shellac records as common as vinyl records? When did the “fad” of vinyl take over? 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.
![old 33 rpm records old 33 rpm records](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81+sUhg-VdL._SR600.jpg)
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.
![old 33 rpm records old 33 rpm records](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/0c/c6/d7/0cc6d77f3074d46e8af9c0c8899184ae.jpg)
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.
![old 33 rpm records old 33 rpm records](https://i.etsystatic.com/16745885/r/il/a7b814/2158563099/il_794xN.2158563099_kba1.jpg)
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.
![old 33 rpm records old 33 rpm records](https://vinyl45s.com/assets/images/dacviinsomeda.jpg)
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.