DJ
History: How RPM Differences Led to Beat Matching
by Rob
Wegner
October
2002
The question went
like this: Why did Technics invent a pitch adjust when they released
the SL-1200MK2 turntable? This is a common myth amongst club
DJ's - that the pitch adjust feature and beat matching in general
originated when the "1200" was released. First, beat
matching was introduced to the masses at New York's Sanctuary
nightclub around 1969 by DJ Francis Grasso. Second, the pitch
adjust feature - essential for beat matching - has been around
for quite some time and can trace its roots to differences in
rpm's (not to be confused with bpm's).
During the 1920's,
hardened shellac records grew in popularity (gradually replacing
Thomas Edison's cylinders) and were recorded at 78.26 rpm (revolutions
per minute). Rpm refers to the total number of times a turntable
platter revolves in one minute. The 10" 78 rpm record remained
the industry standard until World War II, when shellac and other
materials became scarce - propelling the introduction of plastic
vinyl records as a replacement.
The 78 was also discarded
because it played records too fast. For example, a 50 minute
recording would require five discs. The word "album"
originated from the way these packaged sets resembled photo albums.
In 1948, Columbia introduced the "long playing" (LP)
record (33 1/3 rpm) to get more recording time from a single
disc. The length of the record was also later expanded to 12"
to get even more music on each side. At roughly the same time,
RCA released the 45 rpm "EP" (extended play), which
typically provided four songs (two songs per side) - but was
later shortened to the 7" single (SP). A "battle of
the speeds" broke out between labels as each label sought
to dominate the post-78 rpm market.
This created a dilemma
for consumers since a separate turntable had to be purchased
for every rpm speed (which could get quite costly). There were
also recordings at 16 2/3 rpm, as well as very early recordings
at 73 and 80 rpm. Hence, a true record collector in the 1950's
would need a turntable to play records at 16 2/3, 33 1/3, 45,
73, 78.26, and 80 rpm. Turntable manufacturers wisely responded
to consumer demand by producing "multi-speed" turntables,
as well as "variable speed" turntables.
To play a record on
a classic variable speed turntable, a listener would have to
adjust the turntable's speed to find the correct rpm (since a
preset option may not be available). In some cases, the listener
would not even know whether the correct rpm was achieved. To
alleviate this problem, the stroboscopic turntable was invented
(see example H.H.
Scott 710 Stroboscopic Turntable), where a strobe illuminator
lights the peripheral edge of the turntable platter so that when
the dots appear stationary, proper pitch is attained. It should
be noted that a strobe illuminator is also featured on the popular
Technics SL-1200MK2 turntable.
The variable speed
turntable was essential to the rise of beat matching. Francis
Grasso used Thorens turntables with variable speed to beat match
in the 1960's. In fact, I phoned the technicians at Panasonic/Technics
to collaborate this key point: the pitch adjust feature on the
SL-1200MK2 is a vestige of the classic variable speed turntables
when listeners needed to play records at different rpm's.
We are able to beat
match because the recording companies of the early-20th Century
engaged in a "war of speeds" by producing records at
different rpm's.
Related Links
Francis Grasso Club Mix Pioneer
Thorens
Turntables
Spirit of 78s: Collector Preserves
Music of the Past
Technics Turntables and DJ
Equipment
Industry News
* The 18th Annual
TEC Awards will be held on Monday October 7, 2002 at the Wilshire
Grand Hotel in Los Angeles. The TEC Awards recognizes excellence
in the audio industry and raises awareness of noise induced hearing
loss. Click Here for
more information.
* Strictly Rhythm/Groovilicious
Records closed its doors on October 2, 2002. According to their
press release, the dance label was affected by the current state
of the economy, as well as lost revenue due to Internet downloading/CD
burning.
* Michael Paoletta
of Billboard Magazine
wrote an article entitled No Party for Dance Retailers
(Oct 5, 2002). The article shows how the current state of the
economy has affected "key" dance music retailers and
record labels (some of whom have survived since 'the era of 78's').
Paoletta also addresses Stanton's Final Scratch software and
its impact on music sales.
* DJ Keoki has left
Moonshine Music and has joined One
Love Management (Sept. 27). According to Keoki, "I needed to go to a new label where I
didn't have a massive history with a particular style of music
... [Moonshine was] a great chapter in my career and in my life,
but that chapter has come to a close, and now I'm writing a whole
new book."
