33 or 45 rpm?
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Discussion

sparkythecat

Original Poster:

8,097 posts

285 months

Thursday 25th August 2005
quotequote all
Our first proper record player had 3 speeds - 33, 45 and 78rpm.

Our first 'stereo' had only 2 speeds. 78rpm was no longer necessary as 78s were dying out and hadn't been produced for many years. So we had 33 for LPs and 45 for singles.

Was in a town centre bar the other night and the young disc jockey was at his twin turntable deck. LP or 12 inch single? I wondered as he put the large record on the deck. Let's see how fast it plays.
I couldn't work it out, as all he did was manually spin the record to and fro repeatedly before putting it back in the box and then doing the same with another. All in a rather heavy handed manner which didn't appear either vinyl or stylus friendly.

What's all that about then?

I would have asked the DJ, but I couldn't make myself heard above the :censored:ing awful racket that was coming out of the speakers

timtonal

2,049 posts

263 months

Thursday 25th August 2005
quotequote all
Rather strange behavior for a DJ - he wasn't listening for satanic messages was he?

Regards the speed of a record, discs can be cut at 33 or 45 RPM depending on the length of the tracks and the required loudness of the playback (especially important in dance music).

The longer the track time, the more information needs to be cut onto the record and the narrower the separation between the grooves. This means that the playback will be quieter and the cut more prone to accidental damage, scratches etc.

Cutting a master at the slower 33RPM speed allows a greater separation between the grooves due to the slower speed of rotation giving a larger amplitude of the groove and hence a louder playback.

45 RPM is ideal for a 12" single with a single track on one side as there is slightly better (though barely discernable) playback quality compared with a 33RPM cut. 2 tracks or more are better cut at 33RPM.

We have release 3 track EPs in the past with the single track side cut at 45 and the 2 track side at 33.

Of course LPs have 20 or more minutes of music on each side so are cut a 33.

Hope this makes sense.

Pigeon

18,535 posts

276 months

Friday 26th August 2005
quotequote all
There were also 16-and-two-thirds rpm records used to gove super long playing time where the quality wasn't so important, such as for "talking books". I had a Garrard autochanger with all four speeds and a reversible stylus.

Now I have a Rega Planar 2, which does 33 and 45, but you have to take the platter off and put the belt on a different pulley by hand.

telecat

8,528 posts

271 months

Friday 26th August 2005
quotequote all
Peter Gabriel Recently re-released a number of Albums that had been remastered for SACD and DVD-Audio where the Track sequence was different to that of the Vinyl Album. The reason being that the sound quality was affected by where the track was an the vinyl. Also 78RPM records require a completley different type of Styli to 33/45. Hence why not many modern turntable accomadate them.

wedg1e

27,038 posts

295 months

Friday 26th August 2005
quotequote all
Pigeon said:
There were also 16-and-two-thirds rpm records used to gove super long playing time where the quality wasn't so important, such as for "talking books". I had a Garrard autochanger with all four speeds and a reversible stylus.

Now I have a Rega Planar 2, which does 33 and 45, but you have to take the platter off and put the belt on a different pulley by hand.


I had a Planar 2, chopped it in for a P3 (the earlier version with S-shaped arm).

Like it made any bloody difference...

Killer2005

20,598 posts

258 months

Friday 26th August 2005
quotequote all
sparkythecat said:

Was in a town centre bar the other night and the young disc jockey was at his twin turntable deck. LP or 12 inch single? I wondered as he put the large record on the deck. Let's see how fast it plays.
I couldn't work it out, as all he did was manually spin the record to and fro repeatedly before putting it back in the box and then doing the same with another. All in a rather heavy handed manner which didn't appear either vinyl or stylus friendly.


He would have been moving the record back and forward in order to find the first beat, then to be able to match the pitch of tbe tunes, so to mix them perfectly.

timtonal

2,049 posts

263 months

Friday 26th August 2005
quotequote all
Killer2005 said:

sparkythecat said:

Was in a town centre bar the other night and the young disc jockey was at his twin turntable deck. LP or 12 inch single? I wondered as he put the large record on the deck. Let's see how fast it plays.
I couldn't work it out, as all he did was manually spin the record to and fro repeatedly before putting it back in the box and then doing the same with another. All in a rather heavy handed manner which didn't appear either vinyl or stylus friendly.



He would have been moving the record back and forward in order to find the first beat, then to be able to match the pitch of tbe tunes, so to mix them perfectly.


It the bit about him doing that then putting the record straight back in the box and repeating the operation that made me wonder - perhaps he couldn't find the right tune...

Or perhaps he was scratching like our monobrowed friend below....

www.monobrow.com/monomovies/movie-03.html

sparkythecat

Original Poster:

8,097 posts

285 months

Friday 26th August 2005
quotequote all
timtonal said:


Or perhaps he was scratching like our monobrowed friend below....

www.monobrow.com/monomovies/movie-03.html


Yep I think that's what it was.

What's all that about then? It must knacker your needles as well as your records.

Vipers

33,505 posts

258 months

Friday 26th August 2005
quotequote all
I seem to recall reading some time ago that the 33 rpm came about because you couldnt fit a symphony onto a 78 rpm

KB_S1

5,967 posts

259 months

Friday 26th August 2005
quotequote all
sparkythecat said:

timtonal said:


Or perhaps he was scratching like our monobrowed friend below....

<a href="www.monobrow.com/monomovies/movie-03.html">www.monobrow.com/monomovies/movie-03.html</a>



Yep I think that's what it was.

What's all that about then? It must knacker your needles as well as your records.



To a turntablist it is the equivalent of trackday tyres and pads.
Performance not longevity.
You do get specific cartridges for scratching.
attented a DMC championship final last year as an uneducated outsider and thoroughly enjoyed it.