Music Persuasive Speech

Introduction

I. Attention-Getter: There’s a theory by Steven Mithen that states music is the evolutionary precursor [a person or thing that comes before another of the same kind; a forerunner] to language (meaning we turn to music before spoken word to communicate what were trying to say), the bridge between the cries and gestures of other primates and our own more abstract communication, and it is an important aspect in our success as a species. Music is not just a form of entertainment, or communication, it is also a crucial tool for social bonding, a key element of human survival (“Hein, E.”)

II. Thesis Statement: The vinyl record, though underappreciated and often overlooked, has a rich history and interesting process of creation.

III. Relevance of Topic for Audience: Every individual in the audience probably gets most – if not all – of your music online. However, vinyls are still widely used by club DJs, music aficionados, and maybe some of your parents, so it’s likely that you will come across one at one point in time in your life.

IV.

Speaker’s Credibility: I grew up listening to vinyl records with my dad, so my passion and interest in them has grown over the years. I have done a vast amount of research, through a variety or sources, to insure the information I present to you today is accurate.

V. Preview of Main Points: I will explain the history of the vinyl record and how they are made.

[Transition Vinyl records have a long history, dating back to the late 1800s.]

Body

1. The first record was made and played on November 20, 1877, by Thomas Edison.
a. Edison recorded his voice, which was then etched on to a piece of tinfoil, and was played back when he put the stylus at the start of the etch.
b. In 1888, Emile Berliner invented the first flat disc, made of vulcanized rubber, and were usually between 12.5cm and 18cm in diameter.
i. Berliner later found out that a mix of shellac and slate dust created a hard wearing and brittle surface.
ii. The slate dust was used because it helped grind the needle to fit the groove more closely.
iii. From this discovery, the slow moving 78 revolutions per minute disc was developed.
c. Until the 1960s, discs were around 25 to 30cm in diameter, and had two to five minutes of playing time on each side.
i. Sound was recorded with a horn attached to a stylus which would scratch out a trace in the rotating disk.
ii. This was used until microphones became adequate enough to allow the recording of music, in 1925.
d. In World War 2, records were sent over seas to camps to keep up prisoner morale.
i. Due to their brittleness, they were often broken during transportation.
ii. As a result of the frequent breaking, vinyl was introduced to give greater flexibility, and reduce breakage.
e. Around 1948, Columbia Records created its Long Playing record, which rotated at 33rpm, and had about 20 to 30 minutes of playing time each side.
i. This caused the downfall of shellac records, and vinyls were used from then on (“The invention of vinyl records.”)

[Transition Despite the devastating downfall in vinyl sales due to the CD, vinyl LP is still being produced and collected thanks to their warm acoustics. Here’s how LPs get their unique sound.]

2. The process of manufacturing a vinyl is long, lasting just under a month.
a. They first have to cut a master disk, made of aluminum.
i. The initial surface is gritty, so it is sanded and polished smooth.
ii. The disk is placed on a conveyer belt and they ride toward a device that will coat them in lacquer, a similar substance to nail polish.
b. The disks go through an inspection process where they are checked for pits, bumps, and dirt.
i. Only about 50% of the disks pass this stage.
c. A worker holds the disk under a hydraulic puncher that cuts a whole in the center, and he places it on a spindle.
i. Now the master disk is ready to take a trip to studio.
d. The engineer places it on the recording machine, called a lathe.
i. He places a vacuum line at the center, which suctions to the disk and holds it in place.
ii. He lowers the cutter to the outer edge of the disk, and does a test cut, checking it with a microscope, and makes adjustments as necessary before recoding.
iii. The lathe cuts the lead in groove, and the music begins.
iv. The sapphire tipped cutter etches the sound into the surface of the disk.
v. A computer monitors the cutting, and adjusts the spacing between the grooves where needed.
e. Making music fit on a disk is sometimes challenging.
i. To reproduce base, the cutter has to make bigger, wider grooves that take up a lot of space.
ii. Although the grooves can touch, they cannot cut across each other.
iii. At the end of the recording, the cutter lifts and the master disk is ready for inspection.
iv. If it is acceptable, a unique serial number is sketched into the lacquer.
f. In the next step, they wash the disk with soap and water.
i. They spray it with tin chloride, liquid silver, and a stiffening agent.
g. They secure it to a spindle on the underside of a tank lid, and emerge it into a tank of water and dissolved nickel nuggets.
i. An electric charge fuses the nickel to the silver, and the nickel settles nicely into the grooves.
h. They remove the disk and pry the metal layer away from the original disk.
i. The metal layer is a stamp and will be used to press vinyl records.
ii. The lacquer disk, that as served as its mold is discarded.
iii. An engineer places the disk under a microscope and lines up the grooves with a guide in the view finder to find the center, then he punches a hole.
i. Next, they clamp the stamper into a trimming machine.
i. The disk turns and a cutting wheel trims the edge, cutting the stamper disk to a diameter of 32cm.
j. Now, the labels have to be prepared.
i. A punch burrows into the center of a stack of them, making holes.
ii. They are then placed on a mini press that cuts them into a circle.
k. They pore black polyvinyl chloride pellets into a hopper.
i. The pellets fall into an extruder, which turns them into hot rubbery patties called biscuits.
ii. Devices above and below the push the labels to each side of the biscuit.
iii. A carriage moves the biscuit forward, then drops the biscuit and labels in the press.
iv. Two stampers mounted in the press apply 100tons of pressure at a temperature of 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
v. They melt and mold the biscuit into a record.
vi. A quick cooling cycle hardens it, and bonds the labels to the vinyl.
l. A carriage then transports them to a turntable.
i. The table spins the record against a knife, and it cuts away the raged edges.
ii. Then the carriage takes the record to the finished stack, where they sit and wait to be distributed (“How is a vinyl record made?”)

[Transitions In review…]

Conclusion

I. We discussed the history of the vinyl record and how they are made.
II. From their beginnings as a piece of tinfoil, to the vinyl disk we appreciate today, vinyl records are a great, old fashioned form of listening to music, one that posses a unique sound gained from its manufacturing process. I hope that this information will give you a greater appreciation, and the motivation to be a part of the amazing rebirth of vinyl records.