[78-L] The stylus discussion has led me to a totally unrelated terminology question.

[Martin Fisher]

Don't forget "cutting" copper in direct metal mastering.

MF

-----Original Message-----
From: 78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com [mailto:78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com] On Behalf Of Michael Biel
Sent: Monday, January 07, 2013 8:12 PM
To: 78-L Mail List
Subject: Re: [78-L] The stylus discussion has led me to a totally unrelated terminology question.

David is correct that the verb "scratched" is inappropriate.  How the groove is made has been the subject of patents which changed the entire structure of the industry.  Yes, the groove is "cut" into wax.  But the original tinfoil had the groove "embossed", not cut.  VERY important distinction.  It is what put Bell & Tainter, and eventually Columbia, into business.  Because of the patents Berliner could not either emboss or cut a groove, so he "etched" a groove with acid.  What he did with the wax coating on the zinc master to expose the place for the acid to etch the zinc was not of real concern.  Later on, Pathe invented recording and playing an un-coated aluminum disc, and this groove was "knurled" or embossed, now that the original Edison tinfoil patent had expired.  You can't "cut" un-coated aluminum -- no material is removed. 
Lacquer-coated aluminum discs ARE cut, because there is material removed just like in wax.

This might seem to be nitpicking, but fortunes were made and lost with the specifics of these words.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com  


-------- Original Message --------
From: David Breneman <david_breneman at yahoo.com>

 From: ERIC BYRON <bear128 at verizon.net>


> Does one use the same/similar terminology when describing how one 
> records sound?  Would this description be correct?  Sound enters a 
> horn and is transmitted to a diaphragm.  The diaphragm is connected to 
> a stylus bar.  The stylus bar is attached to a cutting needle.  The 
> vibrating needle scratches the sound into the record.

That's basically correct, but the verb "scratches" implies a lot less precision than is achieved in the actual process.  The groove is cut into the surface of a thick wax disk which is later plated with metal to produce a stamper, or a matrix for producing multiple stampers.  The wax disk, whose surface does not survive this process intact, is then shaved down to a smooth surface and re-used. 

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