In the world of dance music, you don’t have to search very hard to find traces of a bitter old vinyl DJ who has taken to his keyboard to vent his frustrations about how using LP's was and still is the more legitimate way to DJ. Opinions aside, have you ever stopped to wonder about how this supposedly superior format actually works? High-resolution images of a vinyl and stylus popped up on the internet as far back as a year ago, and the extremely up-close picture is stunning. Take a look for yourself below:
Ben Krasnow wanted to take it a step further and show the world what this looks like in action. In a video that was uploaded to the Applied Science YouTube channel, he describes how he made a stop motion video using images taken by his electron microscope. This type of microscope allows the user to observe objects that are much smaller than what an ordinary microscope can see. The results are absolutely extraordinary.
Ben walks you through the process with a detailed explanation of every step that he took to make this a reality. He shows you the inner workings of a phonograph cartridge and then explains how the magnets on the stylus interact with coils to create the electrical current that becomes audio. He even explains why he had to cut off small pieces of a record and then coat the pieces with silver metal to allow the electron microscope to work properly. The science that went into making this relatively short GIF is impressive, and the final product is even more so. Whether or not it adds fuel to the argument for vinyl DJs is probably still up in the air. For now, check out the video below and enjoy a satisfying illustration of the marvel that is the vinyl record.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuCdsyCWmt8?rel=0&showinfo=0&w=853&h=480]