The new generation does not know, there used to be a pickup truck. The record played by the turntable turned into a cassette, cassette CD, CD MP3 format and finally digital music platforms that we all love today. But oddly enough, the turntable, a music playback and sound recording device invented over a hundred years ago, has become popular again in recent years. When you go to any music store today, it is possible to encounter vinyl versions of even the newest albums.
The answer to the question of how the turntable became popular again is of course the subject of another article. In this article, we will look at the process of inventing the turntable. Because, like all inventions, the turntable was not invented by just one person. With the small touches of many important names, it took the form we know today over the years and became the leading role of the musical experience of a period. Let’s take a closer look at what the pickup is and when it was invented.
For those who don’t know, what is a turntable, what does it do?
Turntable is an analog music playing and recording tool that converts physical sound data recorded as indentations and protrusions on a record into music by reading it with its needle. The record is placed on the turntable, the internal motor rotates the plate, the needle is placed on it and the music recorded on the record begins to play. It is also possible to record audio using a similar method with a turntable.
When was the turntable invented?
The phonatograph, not the turntable but its ancestor, was first invented in France in 1857 by Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville. The phonatograph was not recording sound exactly, it was writing the noise in the air on paper. However, since it could not replay the recorded sound, it was only used in a laboratory environment during scientific studies.
Thomas Edison invents the phonograph:
Graham Bell, the inventor of countless devices we use even today, also deals with the pickup subject and invented a device called the phonograph in 1877. is doing. This device is similar to a phonatograph, but unlike it, it could produce an output for the sound it recorded, that is, it could play the sound it recorded.
Thomas Edison’s phonograph wrote the voice through a needle on foil wrapped in a cardboard roll. Recording was done by manually turning the roll, and then the recorded sound could be played by turning it manually. However, Edison did not dwell on this invention as it was not a very useful device. You know, he doesn’t work on any invention he can’t sell himself.
Graham Bell touch on the phonograph:
Alexander Graham Bell, who we know as the inventor of the telephone, developed Thomas Edison’s phonograph. He tried many different materials, such as molten metal, water, and wax, and finally settled on wax and used wax in the sound-recorded foil.
Thanks to this little touch of Graham Bell, who was working with Volta Associates at the time, the quality of the recorded sound has improved, it has been possible to record for a much longer time, the recording can be played multiple times, and the sound recording process is much more reliable. it happened. Even though it looked like a nice move, the turntable we know was not fully revealed.
Emile Berliner invents the gramophone:
Emile Berliner, a German living in the United States, his work on all these devices developed by Edison and Bell As a result, he invented the gramophone, which was the predecessor of the turntable. With Emile Berliner’s gramophone, sound recording and sound playback systems entered a new era.
Emile Berliner recorded the sound not on rolls, but on 20 – 30 cm discs. He recorded the sound waves outward with a technique called electroplating. Thanks to this technique, the recordings made on the disc could be reproduced. Thus, the gramophone became a commercial product and entered people’s homes.
At this point, it is not possible to open a parenthesis and mention the name of Eldridge R. Johnson. Johnson has made significant efforts to ensure that the recording discs developed by Berliner have a much higher quality sound. It has almost completely eliminated the scratching that occurs during sound recording. The company he founded, Victor Talking Machine Company, still produces records today.
The turntable becomes widespread:
There is no transitional period during the conversion of the gramophone into a turntable. As the product became commercial, the design became much more compact and the turntable we know was born. Although the turntable and the radio became widespread in the same period, they did not compete with each other, on the contrary, even in radios, a turntable was used for both recording and sound playback.
Between 1930 and 1940, the turntable became known all over the world, especially in the United States. During the Second World War, turntables were forgotten for a while, as people preferred to follow the news on radio and television rather than listening to music. However, the turntable came back with a thud in due time.
The pickup is in its golden age:
The 1960s and 1970s were the peak of youth movements all over the world. Young people no longer wanted to fight, but to listen to music, and that’s what happened. During this period, record sales and record sales peaked all over the world. Even at that time, many different design pickups were offered for sale in order to attract the attention of the youth.
Another reason why turntables have become popular in these years is the advanced sound technologies. During this period, turntables could now produce stereo sound. The records that we call 45’s today, which are made of vinyl, that is, PVC material, emerged. These records presented 23-minute long sound recordings in high quality. In fact, the three-channel recording, which was the basis of the surround sound system, was also found during this period.
When we got to the 1980s and 1990s, some DJs started to play the records back and forth with their fingers during recording and playing. These movements, called Scratch, brought different rhythms to rap music, as we all know. This rhythm inspired many new music genres, especially rap music.
The oblivion and rise of turntables:
The turntable, which was the number one choice of music lovers for a while, gradually lost its popularity in the 1980s. Over time, it gave way to cassettes and CDs. In the 21st century, when countless more ways of listening to music emerged, the turntable took its place in the dusty pages of the past.
But the turntable didn’t stay on those dusty pages for long. He was also influenced by the vintage trend that started in an unknown way and took its place in the corner of our homes again. Even when you go to the most popular chain music stores today, you come across new editions or old records of both old and new albums.
We answered the curious questions of what is the record player, which has been the best friend of music lovers for many years and has recently become popular again, and when was it invented, and we talked about the details you need to know about this device. Are you listening to the turntable? You can share your thoughts in the comments.
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