[78-L] Four Lads Stage Show

[Michael Biel]

From: DAVID BURNHAM <burnhamd at rogers.com>
> I also wonder why, quite often, popular 10 inch LPs with three or
> four tracks per side utilized so little of the record's surface. 
> It seems that more often than not there is as much surface used
> for run-off spiral as there is for music.  The record could easily
> accomodate 2 or 3 more tracks per side.

Sound quality.  The original rules for the Lp system was an 8 or 7-inch
inner groove minimum diameter.  Many of the Columbia Lp masters cut in
1948 have large inner grooving diameters.  In addition to higher surface
speed, keeping inner diameter dimensions close to the outer diameter
dimensions keeps the contrast of sound quality at a minimum.  This was
one of the original benefits of the small diameter 45 which had
inner-groove speed very close to that of the outer-grooving speed, so
the sound would not vary that much as you go from the end of a side to
the start of the next.  But when people noticed the same thing that you
did and started complaining of all the wasted space, they started going
closer to the label.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com