What do record grooves look like?
To the naked eye, the grooves look like thin, even lines, but that’s not the case as you’ll see below. Your LP’s music is physically stored on the walls of the groove. Exact images of soundwaves (or undulations) are cut and imprinted on both sides of the groove wall.
What is vinyl groove?
The grooved vinyl record is placed on a turntable, which rotates at a constant speed, and a tiny stylus is placed in the groove. This stylus traces a tight spiral, leading it from the record’s outer edge to its inner diameter, following subtle groove modulations (squiggles) along the way.
How small are vinyl grooves?
A record’s groove – and there is generally just one that spirals gently to the centre of the disc – is tiny, usually around 0.04-0.08mm wide (depending on the level of the signal). If you were to unravel it, the groove on a 12-inch LP would extend to a length of about 500 metres.
How does vinyl needle move?
A stylus is made of an industrial gemstone (sometimes diamond) and is attached to the record arm. The stylus “reads” the grooves on the record by generating an electric signal and transfers the signal via the cartridge out to the amplifier.
What’s the difference between LP and vinyl?
LP means Long Play which refers to a full-length record. Vinyl is a word used now interchangeably with record or album. LP technically refers to the length of a record which can be between 10-12 songs. Vinyl refers to the actual object or medium used as a format of playing music similar to a record.
Is it worth keeping vinyl records?
When it comes to a vinyl record’s value, condition is paramount, and worn copies of a record usually sell for modest amounts of money except in the cases of items that are rare to the point of being unique.
Are vinyl records cancerous?
The manufacture of records can produce: Dioxin – an organic pollutant that bio-accumulates in the food chain and is very bad for your health and the environment. Chloro-ethene monomer – a somewhat carcinogenic compound released during manufacture.