Flyer for the event.
CRAS AES was delighted to have Gerald Schoenherr, CRAS Instructor, give a clinic all
about vinyl.
First he talked to the students about how he grew up with vinyl, lost
interest when iPods and mp3s became prevalent and then returned to records once
he discovered the difference in audio quality.
Then he talked about the history of vinyl records beginning with Edison's phonograph
invention which was used with wax cylinders and ten years later when Emile Berliner
came out with the Gramophone which was used with flat discs which took off.
Originally, people had to rerecord in order to make a copy of the recording but once
people figured out how to create mass produced copies, more and more
modifications were made. Original records were made out of hard rubber, shellac,
lacquer and eventually polyvinyl chloride which is used today. Soon with the
introduction of electrical recording caused by electromagnetic induction in the
1940s, and the introduction of stereo records in the late 1950s (inspired by Blumlein's
findings in 1931), we come upon the records that we know of today.
Next, he moved on the topic of manufacturing and mastering records. Starting with a
vinyl master which is made and cut on something called a lathe, it is then copied onto
a master lacquer. A negative of the lacquer made of silver is made called the Father
Master which is then used to create a metal version of the master lacquer called the
Mother Master. Then another negative, this time also made of metal is made from the
Mother Master called The Stamper. The Stamper is then used to press vinyl into the
final records. In some cases, first a couple test records called the test presser who are
then sent back to the artist, mastering engineer, etc for review and once its approved,
then mass production ensues.
Last, he talked about how to playback records, the types of turntables, and went on to
explain the importance of how just changing a few parts on the turntable can totally
change the listening experience, saying "The quality of the tip [stylus] makes a
difference but a lot of the magic comes from the cartridge."
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