LP Record Cleaners

Long playing (LP) record albums are either 10 or 12-inch diameter, 33-1/3 rpm vinyl phonograph records. They were first introduced in 1948 and served as the primary release format for recorded music until Compact Discs (CDs) began to significantly displace them in the 1980s. more...

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The primary competing formats prior to the development of digital audio were the 8-track tape and the Compact Cassette or audiocassette, which itself was gradually replacing reel-to-reel tape as the recordable format of choice. Then as now, music- and electronics-industry pundits and audiophiles argued the merits and demerits of each new format as it arrived on the market.

The long-playing record, the 8-track tape, reel-to-reel tape and the audiocassette are all analog formats, as the digital recording of sound was only made practical by the technical advances in microprocessors and computing which occurred in the 1970s and 1980s.

Physical and technical aspects

Between 1948 and 1955, the majority of LPs were 25 cm (10 in) in diameter, matching that of 78 rpm singles. The diameter was eventually increased to 30 cm (12 in), matching higher-priced classical 78s, and 10 in records were relegated to the status of EPs (extended play). When initially introduced, LPs played for a maximum of 45 minutes, divided over two sides. However, in 1952, Columbia Records began to bring out "extended play" LPs that played for as long as 52 minutes, or 26 minutes per side. These were used mainly for the original cast albums of some Broadway musicals, such as Kiss Me, Kate and My Fair Lady, or in order to fit an entire play, such as the 1950 production of Don Juan in Hell, onto just two LPs. The 52+ minute playing time remained rare, however, due to mastering limitations, and most LPs continued to be issued with a 30- to 45-minute playing time throughout the lifetime of their production.

Even so, the 45-minute play time of the LP was a significant improvement over the previous dominant format, the 45 rpm single, which was generally limited to 3- to 5-minutes. At around 15–20 minutes per side, LPs provided a measured time to enjoy a recording before having to flip discs. Incidentally, having both an A-side and a B-side (unlike the first 78s) also gave users the option to continue playing the other side of the album.

Some record turntables, called record changers, could play a "stack" of records piled on a specially-designed spindle and arm arrangement. Because of this, many multiple-record sets were released in what's called "automatic sequence." A two-record set would have Side 1 and Side 4 on one record, and Side 2 and Side 3 on the other, so that the first two sides could play in a changer without the listener's intervention, and then they could simply flip the stack over. Larger boxed sets used appropriate automatic sequencing (1+8, 2+7, 3+6, 4+5 for example) leading to a sometimes-bewildering search.

Read more at Wikipedia.org