CHENNAI: There is a spark in Suresh Balakrishnan’s eyes as he opens his treasured possessions. Every vinyl record from his collection has a story to tell. His never-ending love for music recently urged him to start collecting old records, again. It’s been around five years now, and his collections range over different time frames and across langagues — Tamil, English, Hindi and foreign languages. “Gone are those days when long plays (LP) and vinyls were commonly available.
They gradually evolved into cassettes, CDs, DVDs and MP3 chips now. Off late there has been a craze for old formats of music. Listening to the record establishes a personal connect between the record player and the person. Everything has to be manually operated in the player — from adjusting the pitch to placing the vinyl on to the platter,” says the 53-year-old legal and company secretary, pointing towards his eight-year-old vintage record player. His recent prized purchase was an electric record player. The complete music system comprises a 30-year-old amplifier, cassette player and an equaliser with Bose speakers.
Along with music, Suresh is knowledgeable about the nuances and technicalities of the functioning of the old and new record player. On an average, a vinyl record weighs about 180 grams. Quality in sound increases with the weight. The date of an album is usually printed behind the vinyl. There are three types of vinyl records based on size and rotations per minute — 45 rpm (singles), 78 rpm (earliest) and 100 rpm (quite recent). With greater rotations come better quality and information in the output.
“While the vintage model can accommodate only 78 rpm, the electric one can hold different rpms. A vinyl record usually has a maximum of six grooves which means that it can hold six songs. It can play continuously for a maximum time of 30 minutes unlike CDs that play for hours. There is a needle attached to the diaphragm of tonearm in a vintage model. As the needle plays along the edges of the grooves the music is produced. A horn is usually used to enhance the quality of the otherwise harsh sound. The newer version permits playing both the sides of vinyl but I haven’t tried,” he explains. Unless the manual requirements are met, the record player will not function.
More than the music it is the parts of the instrument that makes the musical experience exquisite. There are two types of needle — one made of ceramic in the older version, and the moving coil magnet in the newer version. The beauty lies in how the needle plays along the grooves. To keep it in sync with the music there is anti-skate. In the latest recorder, the accuracy is maintained. Speed is fixed and electronically controlled.
“In old records that are being reprinted you can find a difference in tonal quality.
The music is clear without grainy effects. Somehow manufacturing it is challenging because of the technological and mechanical aspects. Vinyl is an investment. My latest recorder cost `48,000 and each vinyl record costs about `2,000. My son is equally interested in them. I even ask my relatives or friends in other parts of the city and country to pick interesting music up. My dream is to collect ghazals by Hariharan titled Sukoon, and Raga on Jazz by Ramamoorthy,” he says.
Prized possessions
● M S Vishwanathan and his orchestra
● 20 greatest hits of The Beatles
● Chitti Babu collection
● Ananda Shankar collection
● Namaskar by Dilip Roy