Friday, November 23, 2012

Phonograph Needles Point To A Standard Music Maker

By Louisa Purpura


The younger generation may not realize that there was music before mp3s and internet streaming. There was also music long before the introduction of compact discs, eight tracks, and cassette tapes. Portable music came through the means of vinyl. Vinyl was also known as records, albums, 78s, and 45s. They were played on turn tables. The sound would not have been possible without the invention of phonograph needles.

A metal needle or stylus rides in the grooves of the vinyl records. There are peaks and valleys in the grooves that correspond with the recording. Through electricity and magnets the sounds are amplified by speakers. One could say that if the speakers are the heart of music played on record turntables then needles are the soul.

The industry of music has helped keep the need for turntables spinning. It was initially a niche in rap music through the art of mixing simultaneously multiple songs and scratching. Now these techniques are heard in other types of music. The forms of turn tables used in these conditions normally require cartridges.

Many owners of record players, original phonographs, and turntables possess them as antiques as well as collectors items. This puts turntable cartridges and turntable needles in an elite category with floats for carburetors and other supplies for antique cars.

The half lives of the average music player has changed drastically over the last century. Phonographs, after being invented in 1877, were sold to the public one year later. Exactly one hundred years later the technology was still driving the worlds primary form of music player. A decade later it was on the way out while cassette tapes and compact discs were reigning supreme due to their portability.

Vinyl will always be the standard for music. Like a slide rule to engineering calculations, Morse code to texting, and black and white to major motion pictures, records will always be the form that started it all.

There are shops which specialize in unique musical products like needles. There is not one standard needle that fits all. Every different type of turntable developed can require a different form of cartridge. In some situations inventories were purchased from manufacturers that stopped production of stereos and replacement parts. These are made available to consumers through various websites. Internet searches will provide lists of them.

Phonograph needles will continue to be the primary link that maintains the pathway back to vinyl. It is possible that the next wave of consumer music will be telepathic neural downloads. These could be paid for with neural credit cards.




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