2024-04-13 18:00:00
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For many, listening to music on a record player is an incomparable experience. However, have you ever wondered how a simple needle can produce music just by playing a vinyl record?
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Although it may seem like a difficult and complex process, it is actually based on a fundamental physical reality: conversion of one type of energy into another. In other words, transforming the mechanical vibrations of the vinyl groove into electrical signals that, once amplified, become audible music.
This indispensable element for music and sound lovers was first introduced in the late 1940s and became, for a few decades, one of the only means for music distribution. In fact, its popularity reached a peak in the 1960s and 1970s, just before being displaced by the cassette, CD and, later, digital formats. However, despite this decline, vinyl remains a classic and timeless object with a unique sound quality.
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THE ORIGIN OF SOUND
It must be taken into account that, before being listened to, the vinyl record must be recorded. And, unlike digital recording, which converts sound into a series of binary numbers, analog recording uses a spiral groove that is created on vinyl, using it as a store of information. In this way, when a sound signal is recorded on a vinyl record, the acoustic energy vibrates the needle, known as the recording head, which record the vibrations in the form of microscopic grooves on the disc.
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The different grooves represent the variations in the amplitude of sound waves and, specifically, the crests and valleys that are recorded in the groove correspond directly to the crests and valleys that the sound waves have. Thus, when the needle moves along the record and groove during playback, it reproduces the original vibes and converts physical variations into electrical signals.
For its part, the turntable needle, normally made of diamond or sapphire due to its hardness and resistance to wear, is the essential element in this system. It must have an extremely fine tip that allows you to precisely follow the microscopic undulations of the groove, in addition to exerting very specific pressure against the vinyl: incorrect tracking pressure can result in poor playback, damage to the record or premature wear. of the needle itself.
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Microscopic view of a needle moving through the grooves of a vinyl
MUSIC REPRODUCTION
As expected, when playing music on vinyl, the first step is to place it on the turntable and turn on the system, as well as place the needle at the beginning of the spiral of grooves on the record. The microscopic ripples that it has will make the needle vibrate when it advances through it, following the variations in amplitude and frequency dictated by the vinyl. These vibrations are transmitted to the cartridgealso known as a pickup capsule, which is identified as the device responsible for converting mechanical vibrations into electrical signals.
But how is this done? The cartridge contains a moving coil that receives these vibrations and the different changes, generating with its rotation an electric current that acquires the same variations that the needle is capturing at each moment.
However, the electrical signals generated by the cartridge are very weak and need to be amplified before being sent to the speakers. To do this, turntables usually include a preamplifier o phono amplifiercapable of amplifying the electrical signal and adjusting its level in accordance with audio standards.
However, the signals usually undergo a second amplification, known as the main amplification of the system, which manages to provide the necessary power so that mechanical waves move the speakers and an audible sound is produced.
This is achieved because in the speakers there is another series of moving coils that convert the electric current in mechanical vibrations. The surrounding air moves in tune with the vibrations of these speakers, producing sound waves that we can hear as music. And not just any, but of impeccable quality with unmatched acoustics.
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