The Backwards Record
Here's the short video about an interesting record that was mentioned in Monday’s surprisingly well received forty five minute blatherthon.
The topic of this video was suggested by a Patron (Roland Respondek) and if you have an idea for something you’d like to see in a video, please let me know. You can always message me on here or via the Patron-only email address input@techmoan.com
UPDATE: The video above has been replaced with an extended one that now includes a quick demo of the record on a Linear Turntable - (as suggested by Roland Bogush in the comments below). This kind of feedback is very useful because it helps me improve the video before it goes fully live.
Comments (17)
Interesting stuff. I never really thought about this, but then I started realizing that a lot of records I've played, especially random J-Pop stuff, often has a soft calm track at the end of each side... I figure this is part of why DJ 12" even at 45 RPM end well before the center of the disk, in my experience.
The 150x part looks so freaky and unusual. I legitimately thought the DP47 would struggle, since its quite a highly advanced turntable. Cool!
I thought it might have a problem too. I was keeping a very close eye on it.
Heh, immediately as I read what the video was about, I thought "that wouldn't have played on the linear record player I once owned". I wonder if there are any linear players that follow the needle both ways, inwards as well as outwards. Mine could only leave the arm in place or go inwards, it basically was a little light that would hit a sensor when the arm would be pulled inwards and start the motor; as soon as the motor had pushed the arm far enough, the sensor would go dark again and the motor would stop.
Interesting video. I had no idea these existed. However, I have often wondered about a vinyl record's audio fidelity between the inner and outer tracks. Since the record doesn't change speed at different points like a CD does, I figured the inner ring had less fidelity. I guess I was right.
A brilliant concept but, as others have noted, not new. From the pre-WW2 era thru the mid-1960s, many so-called transcription disks were shipped to radio stations for airplay. These were often 16" diameter; the earliest ones played at 78rpm, but as technology advanced, this was changed to either 33.3 or 16rpm. The idea was that an entire half- or one-hour radio program could be pressed on a single side of one disk, eliminating any interruptions to the broadcast. I have seen a few 12", 16rpm disks dating to the 1950s that tracked inside-out, and many years ago a 16", 78 rpm V-Disk of big band music, both akin to your demo disk.
Interesting - To adjust for this, I believe Compact Discs start from the inside and change the rotational speed as the pickup moves out.
Correct: audio CDs are constant linear velocity and vinyl is constant angular velocity.
I have only seen this on some old pictures from a cinema, where the sound came from a vinyl and it read the vinyl from inside and out. I learnt something new today. Thanks for the video.
Fascinating lesson in engineering edge cases and assumptions!
Never seen someone do this for actual reasons, just as a gimmick. I used to have this promo LP from the 70s that did the same thing: <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Various-Mercury-Counter-Revolution/release/5960733" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.discogs.com/Various-Mercury-Counter-Revolution/release/5960733</a>
That's interesting - and a decent compilation too.
Fascinating! I wonder if it would be possible to play this record on your Sony PS-F9 - or would the linear tracking mechanism somehow not allow it?
I'll try it out and get back to you. I forgot the F9 has a linear mechanism...That was something I wanted to try myself.
Very curious to see what a "zero tracker" turntable would do with this.
Interesting. Have a great holiday Mat!
!gnitseretni tsoM