Why 45 rpm

The increased demands on our eyes, ears and brains?? It is always funny to watch a short, decent presentation of a topic get debated into oblivion.

Good job. In terms of actual audio that is reproduced from a 33 vs a 45, there is negligible difference but on some truly audiophile equipment that difference may be noticeable — it would, however, be at the fringes of the recording. The benefit lies in the signal to noise ratio difference between the two formats. Because the process of reproducing sound from vinyl on a regular turntable is a mechanical process, the very fact that the needle drags along a groove means that it picks up surface noise.

So, why is a 45 record better at dealing with this? Well, because both forms will pick up the same relative density of wear and dust, the only benefit comes in that because the needle travels over a 45 faster, it reproduces that surface noise at higher frequencies, often pushing it out of the audible spectrum of sound.

You can try this on any old record to see my point. All in all, it is a bit of a pointless argument. Both formats are massively flawed in terms of accurate reproduction. I can guarantee you that any slowing is introduced by the turntable, or all in your head. Digital does not speed up audio. There is a noticeable difference between and kbps but its barely noticeable. Of course, vinyl is the highest definition. Can someone inform though as to why a 45 is better than a Makes no sense to me since more audio data can be stored in the same time interval on a This would line up with the vs analogy because the former has a larger file size.

However the space is only Actually, the 45 has more data. Think about it this way: A 45 spins faster than a This means that the stylus will have to read more data in a 45 than a Just like a high kbps MP3 vs. Of course, whether or not a 45 actually sounds better to a human ear is something else entirely. There are a number of factors that affect sound quality, many of them have not even been touched in this discussion.

However, I just wanted to bring out a couple of points. That is a function of how much data is recorded in a given surface area of vinyl. The circumference of that circle would be about So a 45 represents some mid-portion of a 33 LP, the outside of a 33 being greater density and the inside being less.

In a perfect world, more data would mean better sound fidelity. So, in a real sense, you are just getting more of both. Also impacting quality is groove depth and density. The grooved on a 33 are shallower which provides less fidelity and makes them easier to damage. So, a 45 echoes that sound more quickly than a All of these things, and many more, impact analog sound quality. Some of those other considerations are wow, flutter, static, pop and environmental factors transferring to the stylus.

Digital music suffers from none of those factors. And the data sampling rate versus versus kbps also is almost meaningless without some context. In a perfect world, all sound in any sampling rate falls inside the limitations of human discernment.

For that reason, it is important to know the sound density you are sampling. A 12, 16, 24 and 48 bit sound pattern can be transmitted with a frequency response from 2Hz to 30 KHz the human ear normally only registers things between 50Hz and 20KHz and transmitted from 12 — KHz.

Because it sounds better! In record mastering, the higher the recorded level and frequency, the greater the groove curvature. That 1. The result is actually a loss in high frequencies, and increase in distortion as the groove moves to the center. The problems start when the curvature of the groove equals or exceeds the diameter of the playback stylus. What can be done about it? Keep the recorded volume to a reasonable level read: On scale on the meters is the first thing.

Play the record back with an elliptical or line-contact stylus that has a smaller tip radius. And, if possible, make the record short enough to keep the music away from the very end of the disk. This is a huge advantage! Yes, the groove still slows down as it moves inward, but the effects are greatly reduced. What do you do about that? Hint: split up the LP into 4 sides on 2 records.

Yep, twice the mastering cost, plating cost, pressing cost, label and jacket costs. But the sound! Oooooh, yeah! Listen for yourself. A lot of music lovers think so…and they are right! JasonK , Nov 19, Location: Atlanta. Great explanation.

Thanks Jason and Kevin. LeeS , Nov 19, Location: san francisco, california, u. It's also a great explanation as to why 45 singles almost always sound better than the same cut as part of an album! The faster playback speed makes it easier for the mastering engineer to "rev up" literally! John Bliss likes this. Location: Sweden. Very good spoken! Location: United States. Grant , Nov 19, Location: England. You're right about 7" 45s - however they have a smaller end point diameter than LPs.

Sometimes the plastic is awful too. I've heard some good former West German 7"s that were pretty good. Mike the Fish , Nov 19, Location: Toronto, Ontario.

RBtl , Nov 19, Fact-Checking the Aretha Franklin Biopic. Not quite the stuff of the pop charts at that moment in history. But with the release of those titles, and other companies soon entering the market, the singles revolution began. Teenagers of the Fifties took to the portable, less-expensive format; one ad at the time priced the records at 65 cents each.

In the decades that followed, everyone from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones through Patti Smith, Nirvana and the White Stripes released their first music on 45s. Some singles had picture sleeves or B sides of outtakes. According to the New York Times , the peak year for the seven-inch single was , when million were sold.

By the early Eighties, the 45 began dying a slow, humiliating death. The seven-inch never fully recovered, but it nonetheless endures. Sub Pop launched its first Singles Club in , initially shipping a monthly 45 to members that included releases by Nirvana, the Flaming Lips and a shared Sonic Youth—Mudhoney venture.

A new Sub Pop batch, the first in a decade, arrives next month.