This is how turntables make music
For many, listening to music on a record player is an incomparable experience. However, have you ever wondered how a simple needle can create music just by playing a vinyl record?
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Although this may seem like a difficult and complex process, it is actually based on a fundamental physical reality: conversion of one type of energy to another. In other words, converting the mechanical vibrations of a vinyl groove into electrical signals that, when amplified, become audible music.
This essential item for music and sound lovers was first introduced in the late 1940s and became one of the few means of music distribution for several decades. In fact, its popularity peaked in the 1960s and 1970s, just before it was supplanted by cassettes, compact discs, and then digital formats. However, despite this decline, vinyl remains a classic and timeless item with a unique sound quality.
ORIGIN OF SOUND
Please note that the vinyl record must be recorded before listening. And, unlike digital recording, which converts sound into a series of binary numbers, analog recording uses spiral groove which is created on vinyl, using it as a repository of information. Thus, when an audio signal is recorded onto a vinyl record, the acoustic energy causes vibration of a stylus known as the recording head, which record vibrations in the form of microscopic grooves on the disc.
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The different grooves symbolize changes in the amplitude of sound waves and in particular, the crests and troughs recorded in the groove directly correspond to the crests and troughs that the sound waves have. Thus, when the stylus moves along the record and groove during playback, it plays original atmosphere and converts physical changes into electrical signals.
In turn, the turntable stylus, usually made of diamond or sapphire due to its hardness and resistance to wear, is an important element of this system. It must have a very fine tip that allows it to precisely follow the microscopic irregularities of the groove, and also apply very specific pressure to the vinyl: incorrect clamping pressure can lead to poor playback, damage to the record, or premature wear. the needle itself.
Microscopic view of a needle moving along the grooves of vinyl.
PLAYING MUSIC
As expected, when playing music on vinyl, the first step is to place it on the turntable and turn on the system, and place the stylus at the beginning of the spiral of grooves on the record. microscopic ripples what it has will cause the needle to vibrate as it moves through it, following the changes in amplitude and frequency dictated by the vinyl. These vibrations are transmitted to cartridgealso known as a pickup, which is identified as the device responsible for converting mechanical vibrations into electrical signals.
But how is this done? Cartridge contains moving coil which perceives these vibrations and various changes, generating during its rotation an electric current, acquiring the same variations that the needle picks up at each moment.
However, the electrical signals generated by the cartridge are very weak and must be amplified before being sent to the speakers. To achieve this, players usually include preamplifier or phono stagecapable of amplifying an electrical signal and adjusting its level according to audio standards.
However, signals are usually subjected to a second amplification, known as the main system gain, which provides required power so that mechanical waves move the speakers and an audible sound is produced.
This is achieved due to the fact that the speakers also have a number of moving coils that convert electric current during mechanical vibrations. The surrounding air moves in harmony with the vibrations of these speakers, creating sound waves that we can hear as music. And not just any, but of impeccable quality with unparalleled acoustics.