That "45" Sound

Hi,
I'm no expert, I'm just curious about something that came up when I got my new record player and I'm sure someone here can answer.

When I first heard a 45, it is was on a 1980s system. Not sure of the exact type, but it was attached to TV and a Tape player, etc. I noticed that the 45s sounded faster and higher pitched, and I was hooked on the sound! I also got some Mono Beatles albums (first pressings), and notes that they sounded faster and higher pitched as well. The stereo records sounded "normal".

I got one of those cheapy plastic Crosley record players for my birthday and same thing- faster and higher pitched. I liked the sound.

After the cheapy Crosley broke, I upgraded to a recently rehauled 1957 RCA Victrola record player (with mono speakers). After playing both mono albums and 45s, I noticed that the speed and pitch was "normal". Still a tiny bit more upbeat than say an MP3, but significantly different from the other times I had heard them.

I'm just curious- Why would the 45s and mono albums sound faster on my other two record players, but "normal" on my RCA Victrola? Thanks in advance...

You're obviously "pitch sensitive" to music it seems.

Recordings you mentioned are made on studio equipment at precise calibrated speed.
45 RPM, 33 1/3 RPM.

Mass-produced record players for the consumer usually have tolerances in manufacture - meaning they could be "off" by a few RPM's.
Some might play a tad slow, others a bit fast, and some exactly dead-on.
Other variables are the condition of the motor and drive systems after years of use and neglect.
Basically, the cheaper the equipment, the more prone to being "off speed".

With that said, the only "perfect pitch" record playing equipment is higher-end audiophile turntables with a variable speed adjustment a.k.a. "pitch control" - for those "picky" listeners.

The easy way to determine if a given machine is running "on speed" is to use a stroboscope disk, available through phono outlets or downloaded online, to be printed on paper.
This disk is then cut out, a hole is punched in the center for the spindle, and placed on the spinning platter of a turntable - then viewed under a 60 HZ (house current) light source - either an incandescent light bulb, or a neon lamp.
The appropriate "lines" of the disk for a set speed should appear motionless and steady IF spinning at exact speed.
A clockwise wandering of the lines means it's spinning fast, counter-clockwise means slower than normal.

Your Crosley cheapo player has a set of speed adjustments under the turntable, designed for a servicer to calibrate the speeds - it probably was off some, done by a factory worker who was sloppy.

Your RCA Victor likely plays slower due to its age - dried-up lubrication from 1957, along with slippage of the old drive tire.
Best thing to do is have it overhauled - just like a car, would you run it after 50 years with no maintenance?

Thanks for the info.

As said, the 1957 was just overhauled before I bought it. New everything.

I was just curious as to what the "right" speed was. My dad told me when he was younger (in the 60s), thats how he remembered 45s sounding on the record player and the radio. So I guess the re-hauled Victrola is a little off (?). I may just be curious enough to do that test. I'm not too concerned about the pitch being exact, I just enjoy the slightly higher pitch I heard on the other two record players.

Many cheap record players, especially changers, run slightly fast with one record. This included almost all RCA and VM products. When many records were on the turntable, it slowed down.

I just thought of one thing that is different about European 45s.

In the US, 45 rpm records are made at 45.00 rpm. 7200 flashes per minute (60 Hz times 60 seconds times 2 per cycle) is an even multiple of 45, so a calibration strobe disc can be made for that speed. The strobe disc has 160 lines.

In Europe, because they use 50 Hz power, the resulting 6000 flashes per minute is not an even multiple of 45. So European 45s are made at 45.45 rpm, a speed they chose for which a calibration standard can be made. The strobe disc has 132 lines.

Note that 133 or 134 lines would have produced a speed closer to 45, but without a computer, there were problems making such a disc with existing equipment in the 1950s. And they wanted a speed that would be an integer ratio to the speed of a 4-pole motor. Remember that some turntables were gear driven back then.

Many record players have pitch controls for just that purpose.

DoghouseRiley wrote:

Record-changer wrote:Many record players have pitch controls for just that purpose.

This is true, a "development" of the speed controls on old 78rpm record players where a lever operated an arm which had a felt pad on the end that regulated the speed of a flywheel simply by pressure.

All of the ones I saw had a spring motor and a flyball governor that was adjusted by the speed lever.

The speed lever was necessary because different record companies recorded at different speeds. Examples:

Columbia and many others - 80 rpm
Victor - 71 rpm, later 76 rpm
Odeon - 70 rpm
Berliner - 90 rpm
Pathe - 80, 90, and 120 rpm vertical
Edison - 80 rpm vertical
Emerson - 70 rpm diagonal

To add to the confusions, the Pathe's started at the center of the record and played outwards.

The world was forced to standardize with the "standard record" (78.26 rpm lateral) because broadcasters refused to broadcast other speeds and groove types.

A few notes about this noticed effect on the sound:

- Record players with two-pole motors are especially prone to run fast with only one record on the turntable. But with a full stack on the turntable, they run slow.

- If the record player has a sharp peak in the treble, it might be perceived to be running fast.

- Sometimes an entirely different version of a record was made for the 45, compared with the recording made for the LP. The 45 was made with airplay in mind. These were often made to play a little faster, and were compressed to make the average sound level louder.

- Records made before 1957 used nonstandard recording curves. Columbia used a curve that accented the treble.