What Is A Vinyl Record Made Of

Vinyl records are popular again and here s how they re made.

What is a vinyl record made of.

Vinyl records are making a big scratch again. Vinyl is not a natural substance but is a synthetic man made material. I ve loved vinyl for as long as i can remember but i never knew exactly how records were made. In fact when you investigate how records are manufactured it s a minor miracle the format even works let alone looks appealing.

Vinyl records are made with polyvinyl chloride commonly known as pvc. Unlike a cd which while a remarkable piece of technology in its own right can hardly be called charming a well made vinyl record is a beauty to behold. You ll often see vinyl records weighing 180g or more marketed on sleeves and promotional descriptions due to the perceived improved quality. In the mid 2000s gradually records made of any material began to be called vinyl records or simply vinyl.

Vinyl records replaced an even earlier system of wax based cylinders which acted as both recording and playback units. Before the advent of magnetic tape and digital cd technologies flat disks made from a petroleum based plastic called vinyl were the preferred media for popular music reproduction. Biscuits come in different weights ranging from 140 grams at the low end to more than 200 grams at the high end. One factor that can affect vinyl records value is if the record in question is a promotional issue as opposed to a commercial or stock copy of the record.

This is how a vinyl record is made. At the time the lp was introduced nearly all phonograph records for home use were made of an abrasive and therefore noisy shellac compound employed a much larger groove and played at approximately 78 revolutions per minute rpm limiting the playing time of a 12 inch diameter record to less than five minutes per side. Many of you may have come across the terms vinyl siding vinyl records vinyl flooring vinyl gloves etc but may not know what exactly vinyl is. It had co existed with the phonograph cylinder from the late 1880s and had effectively superseded it by around 1912.

It is a type of plastic that is made from ethylene found in crude oil and chlorine found in regular salt. Promotional or promo copies of a record are often identified in some way and they often have a special label that indicates that the particular records was made for. The phonograph disc record was the primary medium used for music reproduction throughout the 20th century.