5 ms·

>scratches meet the needle once per revolution, regardless of the needle's position I need to go away and think about that :D

kevincox 2y ago
The needle doesn't pass at a constant "ground speed" everywhere on the record. On the outside the needle "travels faster" and in theory you have more detail. Near the middle the needle travels over the record surface slower.
- taylodl 2y ago
  That's one of the reasons you'd put your best song on side A, song 1 and your 2nd best song on side B, song 1 - you got the most detail on the outside track. I remember seeing an interview with Led Zeppelin quite a few years back where they were claiming they knew they'd have a smash hit with Stairway to Heaven. Which was funny, because I remembered then seeing an interview several years before where they said it was a track they never thought was going to go anywhere. Which is it? It's track position - 4th track on the A side, i.e. the last track, tells you how important they thought it was. Which is to say, it was a "throwaway" track that made it big. It happens. The other odd thing about that album is "When the Levee Breaks" is considered to be the 2nd-most popular song off of the album and it too was the last track on the B side. What this tells me is the album's producer, one Jimmy Page, was out of touch with what Led Zeppelin fans liked most. Based off the sound of the next album, Houses of the Holy, I'd say Mr. Page got the message loud and clear.
  - hluska 2y ago
    I’m not sure about this. Thriller (by Michael Jackson) is one of the biggest pop songs of all time. It was also the fourth track on the A side. Bohemian Rhapsody (another one of the best selling singles of all time) was the fourth track on the B side. Those are two examples off the top of my head. If you give me a bit of time to put my kid to bed, I’m sure that I’ll find many more.
    - GauntletWizard 2y ago
      What you've just learned is that pop producers are not in tune with what's good. It's a hard lesson to learn.
      - hluska 2y ago
        Not really. I found data that shows that released singles aren’t necessarily placed first on a side.

kevincox 2y ago

The needle doesn't pass at a constant "ground speed" everywhere on the record. On the outside the needle "travels faster" and in theory you have more detail. Near the middle the needle travels over the record surface slower.

taylodl 2y ago
That's one of the reasons you'd put your best song on side A, song 1 and your 2nd best song on side B, song 1 - you got the most detail on the outside track. I remember seeing an interview with Led Zeppelin quite a few years back where they were claiming they knew they'd have a smash hit with Stairway to Heaven. Which was funny, because I remembered then seeing an interview several years before where they said it was a track they never thought was going to go anywhere. Which is it? It's track position - 4th track on the A side, i.e. the last track, tells you how important they thought it was. Which is to say, it was a "throwaway" track that made it big. It happens. The other odd thing about that album is "When the Levee Breaks" is considered to be the 2nd-most popular song off of the album and it too was the last track on the B side. What this tells me is the album's producer, one Jimmy Page, was out of touch with what Led Zeppelin fans liked most. Based off the sound of the next album, Houses of the Holy, I'd say Mr. Page got the message loud and clear.
- hluska 2y ago
  I’m not sure about this. Thriller (by Michael Jackson) is one of the biggest pop songs of all time. It was also the fourth track on the A side. Bohemian Rhapsody (another one of the best selling singles of all time) was the fourth track on the B side. Those are two examples off the top of my head. If you give me a bit of time to put my kid to bed, I’m sure that I’ll find many more.
  - GauntletWizard 2y ago
    What you've just learned is that pop producers are not in tune with what's good. It's a hard lesson to learn.
    - hluska 2y ago
      Not really. I found data that shows that released singles aren’t necessarily placed first on a side.