What Is Vinyl Record Made Of

This week on how stuff is made we get a behind the scenes look at how vinyl records are made.

What is vinyl record made of.

Unlike a cd which while a remarkable piece of technology in its own right can hardly be called charming a well made vinyl record is a beauty to behold. The new product was a 12 or 10 inch 30 or 25 cm. It had co existed with the phonograph cylinder from the late 1880s and had effectively superseded it by around 1912. The phonograph disc record was the primary medium used for music reproduction throughout the 20th century.

By the 1920s portable turntables called victrolas and elaborately decorated record players had. These vintage items are making a comeback to honor that we r. In the mid 2000s gradually records made of any material began to be called vinyl records or simply vinyl. Vinyl records are popular again and here s how they re made.

33s or lps short for long play lps rotated at 33 and one third revolutions per minute. Biscuits come in different weights ranging from 140 grams at the low end to more than 200 grams at the high end. Before the advent of magnetic tape and digital cd technologies flat disks made from a petroleum based plastic called vinyl were the preferred media for popular music reproduction. You ll often see vinyl records weighing 180g or more marketed on sleeves and promotional descriptions due to the perceived improved quality.

Vinyl records are made with polyvinyl chloride commonly known as pvc. Many of you may have come across the terms vinyl siding vinyl records vinyl flooring vinyl gloves etc but may not know what exactly vinyl is. The fragile records were made with shellac. Vinyl records are making a big scratch again.

Because they were made of polyvinyl chloride these records earned the nickname vinyl. I ve loved vinyl for as long as i can remember but i never knew exactly how records were made. Cnet photographer and resident music aficionado josh miller walks you through the steps it takes to make one. It is a type of plastic that is made from ethylene found in crude oil and chlorine found in regular salt.

Successfully introduced in 1948 they played for about 25 minutes per side. Vinyl is not a natural substance but is a synthetic man made material. In fact when you investigate how records are manufactured it s a minor miracle the format even works let alone looks appealing.