History of Vinyl Records

1859 Koenig Phonautograph

Before there were vinyl records (gramophone records) there was the phonautograph then the phonograph. The phonautograph is considered the earliest known device capable of recording sound. It was patented in France on March 25, 1857 by Édouard-Léon Scott. The phonoautograph would graphically record sound waves as tracings on pieces of paper by using a vibrating diaphragm and stylus. These tracings were intended to be used as a laboratory instrument to study acoustics. They could look at the tracings and measure the amplitude envelopes and wave forms of each sound. At first, they were to be used for visual analysis with no intentions of the tracings being played back as sound. It wasn't up until 2008 when these tracings were played as sound for the first time by scanning them and digitally converting them into audible sound.

Edison Wax Cylinder Phonograph

Sometime during November 1877 Thomas Edison invented the phonograph. It was a device that was capable of recording and reproducing sounds. Edison used a diaphragm which had an embossing point that was held against a rotating grooved metal cylinder wrapped with tin foil. Sound vibrations would move a stylus to indent the tin foil while the cylinder rotated. There was also a second needle that was used for playback of the indents. A decade later, Edison improved the phonograph by using hollow wax cylinders instead of tin foil. It was a major improvement because the wax cylinders sounded better and was far more useful.




Sources:
"First Sounds." FirstSounds.ORG. FirstSounds, 2008. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. <http://www.firstsounds.org/>.
Scientific American. (1877). The talking phonograph. Scientific American, 14 December, 384.

Introduction

For this blog, I'm going research the production of vinyl records and the history of the phonautograph, phonograph and the gramophone. Basically how vinyls work and why they work the way they do. Also why they have made a recent "come back" in sales over the past few years.

It is important for students majoring in audio to learn how vinyls are made and how they work simply because it was at one point a major part of the audio industry.