The 1954 Peace Treaty: How Records Reproduce Sound
Chapter 1

The groove's secret code

Chapter 2

The microscopic explorer

Chapter 3

The great frequency trick

Chapter 4

Making the air dance

Ch 3 · The great frequency trick
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gus The engineering technique that removes background hiss from vinyl records

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gus RIAA Equalization

High notes rise to cut the track (cut the track!), / Pull them down to push hiss back (push it back!)

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To fit through tight constraints, we must alter what we send and restore it later.

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gus Vinyl records require external help to play back deep bass frequencies

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The bass-cutting problem

gus Unmodified bass grooves collide with neighboring tracks, throw the needle out, and limit vinyl records to only a few minutes of music.

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The 1954 peace treaty

gus A universal frequency standard allows needles and speakers to reproduce recorded sound accurately.

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Little Groove Maker
BETA

gus Carve sound waves into vinyl grooves to discover how records and speakers reproduce sound.

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Fun Fact

Double benefit: The RIAA curve solved two problems at once: it allowed more music to fit on a record while simultaneously making the music sound much cleaner.

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Glossary
equalization (noun)
The adjustment of the balance between frequency components within an electronic signal. In 1954, the Record Industry Association of America standardized this process to reduce groove size and noise.

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Gossip

Do you prefer a warm, bass-heavy sound or a crisp, detailed treble sound?

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Quiz

What would happen if a vinyl record was cut with full-volume, unadjusted bass frequencies?

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gus The industry agreement that standardized the sound of vinyl records

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Quiz

How does reducing the physical width of bass grooves affect the total playback time of a vinyl record?

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gus The engineering challenge of cutting bass frequencies into vinyl records.

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Quiz

Before the RIAA standard was adopted, how did consumers deal with records made by different labels?

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Quiz

In what year did the Recording Industry Association of America officially approve the standard RIAA equalization curve?

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Quiz

Why does a turntable require a specialized 'phono preamplifier' instead of just a standard volume amplifier?

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Quiz

Approximately how much does a phono preamplifier need to boost the quietest bass frequencies to restore them to normal volume?

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Quiz

What annoying physical artifact of vinyl records is dramatically reduced by cutting the high frequencies during playback?

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Quiz

What is the technical term for pre-adjusting frequencies before recording and reversing them during playback?

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