praj-17/QA-MCQ-Open-ended huggingface dataset:
Title: Gramophone_record
Context: The commercial rivalry between RCA Victor and Columbia Records led to RCA Victor's introduction of what it had intended to be a competing vinyl format, the 7-inch (175 mm) 45 rpm disc. For a two-year period from 1948 to 1950, record companies and consumers faced uncertainty over which of these formats would ultimately prevail in what was known as the "War of the Speeds". (See also format war.) In 1949 Capitol and Decca adopted the new LP format and RCA gave in and issued its first LP in January 1950. The 45 rpm size was gaining in popularity, too, and Columbia issued its first 45s in February 1951. By 1954, 200 million 45s had been sold.

question: Which company lost the "War of the Speeds"? 

answer: RCA

question: What speed ultimantly ended up winning the war of the speeds? 

answer: 45 rpm

question: Over which years did the "War of the Speeds" last?  

answer: 1948 to 1950

question: By 1945 what was the total sale of 45s? 

answer: 200 million

question: Which two companies were involved in the "War of the Speeds"? 

answer: RCA Victor and Columbia Records
Title: Gramophone_record
Context: Eventually the 12-inch (300 mm) 33 1⁄3 rpm LP prevailed as the predominant format for musical albums, and 10-inch LPs were no longer issued. The last Columbia Records reissue of any Frank Sinatra songs on a 10-inch LP record was an album called Hall of Fame, CL 2600, issued on October 26, 1956, containing six songs, one each by Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Johnnie Ray, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, and Frankie Laine. The 10-inch LP however had a longer life in the United Kingdom, where important early British rock and roll albums such as Lonnie Donegan's Lonnie Donegan Showcase and Billy Fury's The Sound of Fury were released in that form. The 7-inch (175 mm) 45 rpm disc or "single" established a significant niche for shorter duration discs, typically containing one item on each side. The 45 rpm discs typically emulated the playing time of the former 78 rpm discs, while the 12-inch LP discs eventually provided up to one half-hour of recorded material per side.

question: What format of LPs was discontinued? 

answer: 10-inch

question: What was the significance of October 26th, 1956? 

answer: The last Columbia Records reissue of any Frank Sinatra songs on a 10-inch LP

question: In which country did the 10 in LP exist the longest? 

answer: United Kingdom

question: Which format offered up to 1/2 an hour of recordings per side? 

answer: 12-inch LP

question: Did the 45 rpm or 12 inch disc offer longer playing time? 

answer: 12-inch LP
Title: Gramophone_record
Context: The 45 rpm discs also came in a variety known as extended play (EP), which achieved up to 10–15 minutes play at the expense of attenuating (and possibly compressing) the sound to reduce the width required by the groove. EP discs were cheaper to produce, and were used in cases where unit sales were likely to be more limited or to reissue LP albums on the smaller format for those people who had only 45 rpm players. LP albums could be purchased 1 EP at a time, with four items per EP, or in a boxed set with 3 EPs or 12 items. The large center hole on 45s allows for easier handling by jukebox mechanisms. EPs were generally discontinued by the late 1950s in the U.S. as three- and four-speed record players replaced the individual 45 players. One indication of the decline of the 45 rpm EP is that the last Columbia Records reissue of Frank Sinatra songs on 45 rpm EP records, called Frank Sinatra (Columbia B-2641) was issued on December 7, 1959. The EP lasted considerably longer in Europe, and was a popular format during the 1960s for recordings by artists such as Serge Gainsbourg and the Beatles.

question: What do the initials EP stand for? 

answer: extended play

question: Why were 45s more popular with jukeboxes? 

answer: The large center hole

question: What format was phased out by the end of the 1950s? 

answer: EPs

question: What was a benefit of EPs over LPs? 

answer: EP discs were cheaper
Title: Gramophone_record
Context: From the mid-1950s through the 1960s, in the U.S. the common home record player or "stereo" (after the introduction of stereo recording) would typically have had these features: a three- or four-speed player (78, 45, 33 1⁄3, and sometimes 16 2⁄3 rpm); with changer, a tall spindle that would hold several records and automatically drop a new record on top of the previous one when it had finished playing, a combination cartridge with both 78 and microgroove styli and a way to flip between the two; and some kind of adapter for playing the 45s with their larger center hole. The adapter could be a small solid circle that fit onto the bottom of the spindle (meaning only one 45 could be played at a time) or a larger adaptor that fit over the entire spindle, permitting a stack of 45s to be played.

question: What three speeds were sound on most home stereos in the mid 1950's? 

answer: 78, 45, 33 1⁄3

question: What feature of 45s required an adapter in most home stereos? 

answer: larger center hole.

question: What feature was found on more home stereos that allowed continuous play between records? 

answer: changer

question: What format was less common but could sometimes be found on home stereos? 

answer: 16 2⁄3 rpm
Title: Gramophone_record
Context: RCA 45s were also adapted to the smaller spindle of an LP player with a plastic snap-in insert known as a "spider". These inserts, commissioned by RCA president David Sarnoff and invented by Thomas Hutchison, were prevalent starting in the 1960s, selling in the tens of millions per year during the 45 rpm heyday. In countries outside the U.S., 45s often had the smaller album-sized holes, e.g., Australia and New Zealand, or as in the United Kingdom, especially before the 1970s, the disc had a small hole within a circular central section held only by three or four lands so that it could be easily punched out if desired (typically for use in jukeboxes).

question: Wy did records outside of the US often have small holes with the ability to punch out the center? 

answer: for use in jukeboxes

question: What were the plastic inserts which would adapt 45s to the smaller spindle of an LP player called? 

answer: spider

question: What invention did Thomas Hutchinson introduce? 

answer: spider

question: Whom were the adaptable inserts for 45s to LPs commissioned by? 

answer: RCA president David Sarnoff

question: How many spiders were sold in the 45 rpm heydays? 

answer: tens of millions per year
Title: Gramophone_record
Context: The term "high fidelity" was coined in the 1920s by some manufacturers of radio receivers and phonographs to differentiate their better-sounding products claimed as providing "perfect" sound reproduction. The term began to be used by some audio engineers and consumers through the 1930s and 1940s. After 1949 a variety of improvements in recording and playback technologies, especially stereo recordings, which became widely available in 1958, gave a boost to the "hi-fi" classification of products, leading to sales of individual components for the home such as amplifiers, loudspeakers, phonographs, and tape players. High Fidelity and Audio were two magazines that hi-fi consumers and engineers could read for reviews of playback equipment and recordings.

question: What term was coined to differentiate better sounding products in the 1920s? 

answer: high fidelity

question: What magazines provided reviews for audio equipment? 

answer: High Fidelity and Audio

question: What happened in 1958 that changed the home music scene? 

answer: variety of improvements in recording and playback technologies

question: During what years did the term HiFi take off with engineers? 

answer: 1930s and 1940s

question: What term would be used when one said they produced perfect sound reproduction? 

answer: high fidelity
Title: Gramophone_record
Context: Stereophonic sound recording, which attempts to provide a more natural listening experience by reproducing the spatial locations of sound sources in the horizontal plane, was the natural extension to monophonic recording, and attracted various alternative engineering attempts. The ultimately dominant "45/45" stereophonic record system was invented by Alan Blumlein of EMI in 1931 and patented the same year. EMI cut the first stereo test discs using the system in 1933 (see Bell Labs Stereo Experiments of 1933) although the system was not exploited commercially until much later.

question: What did Alan Blumlein event? 

answer: stereophonic record system

question: When did EMI create the first stereo discs? 

answer: 1933

question: What was the benefit of 45/45 stereo sound? 

answer: more natural listening experience

question: What year was stereo sound patented?  

answer: 1931

question: How was the commercial success of stereo sound in the 1930s? 

answer: was not exploited commercially until much later.
Title: Gramophone_record
Context: The development of quadraphonic records was announced in 1971. These recorded four separate sound signals. This was achieved on the two stereo channels by electronic matrixing, where the additional channels were combined into the main signal. When the records were played, phase-detection circuits in the amplifiers were able to decode the signals into four separate channels. There were two main systems of matrixed quadraphonic records produced, confusingly named SQ (by CBS) and QS (by Sansui). They proved commercially unsuccessful, but were an important precursor to later surround-sound systems, as seen in SACD and home cinema today.

question: What did quadraphonic recording feature? 

answer: recorded four separate sound signals.

question: What was the newest break through in home sound systems in 1971? 

answer: development of quadraphonic records

question: How would the commercial success of quadraphonic records be defined? 

answer: commercially unsuccessful

question: What did developments in quadraphonic recordings inspire? 

answer: later surround-sound systems
Title: Gramophone_record
Context: A different format, CD-4 (not to be confused with compact disc), by RCA, encoded the front-rear difference information on an ultrasonic carrier, which required a special wideband cartridge to capture it on carefully calibrated pickup arm/turntable combinations. CD-4 was even less successful than the two matrixed formats. (A further problem was that no cutting heads were available that could handle the HF information. That was remedied by cutting at half the speed. Later, the special half-speed cutting heads and equalization techniques were employed to get a wider frequency response in stereo with reduced distortion and greater headroom.)

question: What was a major issue with CD-4 technology? 

answer: no cutting heads were available that could handle the HF information

question: How widespread was the success of CD-4 format?  

answer: even less successful than the two matrixed formats

question: What format was less successful than quadraphonic? 

answer: CD-4

question: What were potential benefits of the CD-4 format? 

answer: reduced distortion and greater headroom

question: Who created the CD-4 format? 

answer: RCA
Title: Gramophone_record
Context: Under the direction of recording engineer C. Robert Fine, Mercury Records initiated a minimalist single microphone monaural recording technique in 1951. The first record, a Chicago Symphony Orchestra performance of Pictures at an Exhibition, conducted by Rafael Kubelik, was described as "being in the living presence of the orchestra" by The New York Times music critic. The series of records was then named Mercury Living Presence. In 1955, Mercury began three-channel stereo recordings, still based on the principle of the single microphone. The center (single) microphone was of paramount importance, with the two side mics adding depth and space. Record masters were cut directly from a three-track to two-track mixdown console, with all editing of the master tapes done on the original three-tracks. In 1961, Mercury enhanced this technique with three-microphone stereo recordings using 35 mm magnetic film instead of half-inch tape for recording. The greater thickness and width of 35 mm magnetic film prevented tape layer print-through and pre-echo and gained extended frequency range and transient response. The Mercury Living Presence recordings were remastered to CD in the 1990s by the original producer, Wilma Cozart Fine, using the same method of 3-to-2 mix directly to the master recorder.

question: For which company did C. Robert Fine work for? 

answer: Mercury Records

question: What benefits were found in using the 35mm magnetic film? 

answer: prevented tape layer print-through and pre-echo and gained extended frequency range and transient response

question: Who developed the 3-to-2 mix to create lifelike recordings? 

answer: Mercury

question: Which microphone hold the most importance in 3 microphone recording? 

answer: The center

question: In which year did Mercury begin 3 channel stereo recording? 

answer: 1955
Title: Gramophone_record
Context: Through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, various methods to improve the dynamic range of mass-produced records involved highly advanced disc cutting equipment. These techniques, marketed, to name two, as the CBS DisComputer and Teldec Direct Metal Mastering, were used to reduce inner-groove distortion. RCA Victor introduced another system to reduce dynamic range and achieve a groove with less surface noise under the commercial name of Dynagroove. Two main elements were combined: another disk material with less surface noise in the groove and dynamic compression for masking background noise. Sometimes this was called "diaphragming" the source material and not favoured by some music lovers for its unnatural side effects. Both elements were reflected in the brandname of Dynagroove, described elsewhere in more detail. It also used the earlier advanced method of forward-looking control on groove spacing with respect to volume of sound and position on the disk. Lower recorded volume used closer spacing; higher recorded volume used wider spacing, especially with lower frequencies. Also, the higher track density at lower volumes enabled disk recordings to end farther away from the disk center than usual, helping to reduce endtrack distortion even further.

question: What technique were used to reduce inner-groove distortion? 

answer: CBS DisComputer and Teldec Direct Metal Mastering

question: Who developed the Dynagroove format? 

answer: RCA Victor

question: Why did some music lovers frown upon diaphragming?  

answer: unnatural side effects

question: What did closer groove spacing result in? 

answer: Lower recorded volume

question: What would be found with higher recorded volumes? 

answer: wider spacing
Title: Gramophone_record
Context: Also in the late 1970s, "direct-to-disc" records were produced, aimed at an audiophile niche market. These completely bypassed the use of magnetic tape in favor of a "purist" transcription directly to the master lacquer disc. Also during this period, half-speed mastered and "original master" records were released, using expensive state-of-the-art technology. A further late 1970s development was the Disco Eye-Cued system used mainly on Motown 12-inch singles released between 1978 and 1980. The introduction, drum-breaks, or choruses of a track were indicated by widely separated grooves, giving a visual cue to DJs mixing the records. The appearance of these records is similar to an LP, but they only contain one track each side.

question: How did Disco Eye-Cued system benefit DJs? 

answer: visual cue to DJs mixing the records

question: How did Disco Eye-Cued sysems differ from LPs? 

answer: only contain one track each side

question: When was the Disco Eye-Cued System developed? 

answer: late 1970s

question: What were direct to disc recordings expected to product? 

answer: a "purist" transcription

question: When were 'half speed' and 'digitally remastered' recordings being released? 

answer: late 1970s
Title: Gramophone_record
Context: The mid-1970s saw the introduction of dbx-encoded records, again for the audiophile niche market. These were completely incompatible with standard record playback preamplifiers, relying on the dbx compandor encoding/decoding scheme to greatly increase dynamic range (dbx encoded disks were recorded with the dynamic range compressed by a factor of two in dB: quiet sounds were meant to be played back at low gain and loud sounds were meant to be played back at high gain, via automatic gain control in the playback equipment; this reduced the effect of surface noise on quiet passages). A similar and very short-lived scheme involved using the CBS-developed "CX" noise reduction encoding/decoding scheme.

question: What was required for quality playback of DBX recordings? 

answer: automatic gain control

question: When were DBX recordings released? 

answer: mid-1970s

question: How compatible were DBX encoded recordings with prior technologies? 

answer: completely incompatible with

question: What was the intention of DBX encoded recordings? 

answer: reduced the effect of surface noise on quiet passages

question: What did CBS develop in order to reduce outside noise? 

answer: "CX" noise reduction
Title: Gramophone_record
Context: ELPJ, a Japanese-based company, sells a laser turntable that uses a laser to read vinyl discs optically, without physical contact. The laser turntable eliminates record wear and the possibility of accidental scratches, which degrade the sound, but its expense limits use primarily to digital archiving of analog records, and the laser does not play back colored vinyl or picture discs. Various other laser-based turntables were tried during the 1990s, but while a laser reads the groove very accurately, since it does not touch the record, the dust that vinyl attracts due to static electric charge is not mechanically pushed out of the groove, worsening sound quality in casual use compared to conventional stylus playback.

question: What company out of Japan offered laser turntables that read vinyl discs optically? 

answer: ELPJ

question: What was a benedit of laser read discs? 

answer: eliminates record wear

question: What was a drawback of laser read discs? 

answer: degrade the sound

question: What was the primary use of laser read discs? 

answer: archiving of analog records

question: What was a major issue for laser read discs? 

answer: dust
Title: Gramophone_record
Context: In some ways similar to the laser turntable is the IRENE scanning machine for disc records, which images with microphotography in two dimensions, invented by a team of physicists at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories. IRENE will retrieve the information from a laterally modulated monaural grooved sound source without touching the medium itself, but cannot read vertically modulated information. This excludes grooved recordings such as cylinders and some radio transcriptions that feature a hill-and-dale format of recording, and stereophonic or quadraphonic grooved recordings, which utilize a combination of the two as well as supersonic encoding for quadraphonic.

question: Who is Irene? 

answer: scanning machine for disc records

question: Where was IRENE developed? 

answer: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories

question: What is the primary use of IRENE? 

answer: retrieve the information

question: Can IRENE read vertically modulated information? 

answer: cannot read vertically modulated information

question: Does IRENE require the  ability to touch the media? 

answer: without touching the medium
Title: Gramophone_record
Context: Terms such as "long-play" (LP) and "extended-play" (EP) describe multi-track records that play much longer than the single-item-per-side records, which typically do not go much past four minutes per side. An LP can play for up to 30 minutes per side, though most played for about 22 minutes per side, bringing the total playing time of a typical LP recording to about forty-five minutes. Many pre-1952 LPs, however, played for about 15 minutes per side. The 7-inch 45 rpm format normally contains one item per side but a 7-inch EP could achieve recording times of 10 to 15 minutes at the expense of attenuating and compressing the sound to reduce the width required by the groove. EP discs were generally used to make available tracks not on singles including tracks on LPs albums in a smaller, less expensive format for those who had only 45 rpm players. The large center hole on 7-inch 45 rpm records allows for easier handling by jukebox mechanisms. The term "album", originally used to mean a "book" with liner notes, holding several 78 rpm records each in its own "page" or sleeve, no longer has any relation to the physical format: a single LP record, or nowadays more typically a compact disc.

question: What terms are used for recording with more than one track? 

answer: long-play" (LP) and "extended-play" (EP

question: What is a typical max playing time of an LP? 

answer: forty-five minutes

question: Which format is cheaper, LP or EP? 

answer: LPs

question: Which format held recordings ranging from 10 to 15 minutes? 

answer: 7-inch EP

question: What was a normal play time per side for LPs? 

answer: 22 minutes
Title: Gramophone_record
Context: In March 1949, as RCA released the 45, Columbia released several hundred 7 inch 33 1/3 rpm small spindle hole singles. This format was soon dropped as it became clear that the RCA 45 was the single of choice and the Columbia 12 inch LP would be the 'album' of choice. The first release of the 45 came in seven colors: black 47-xxxx popular series, yellow 47-xxxx juvenile series, green (teal) 48-xxxx country series, deep red 49-xxxx classical series, bright red (cerise) 50-xxxx blues/spiritual series, light blue 51-xxxx international series, dark blue 52-xxxx light classics. All colors were soon dropped in favor of black because of production problems. However, yellow and deep red were continued until about 1952. The first 45 rpm record created for sale was "PeeWee the Piccolo" RCA 47-0147 pressed in yellow translucent vinyl at the Sherman Avenue plant, Indianapolis Dec. 7, 1948, R.O. Price, plant manager.

question: Which colors of 45 were available as late as 1952 before being discontinued? 

answer: yellow and deep red

question: PeeWee the Piccolo was what? 

answer: The first 45 rpm record created for sale

question: What significance does Dec 7/ 1948 hold? 

answer: The first 45 rpm record created for sale

question: How many colors were 45s available in when first released? 

answer: seven colors

question: When did RCA release the 45? 

answer: March 1949
Title: Gramophone_record
Context: The normal commercial disc is engraved with two sound-bearing concentric spiral grooves, one on each side, running from the outside edge towards the center. The last part of the spiral meets an earlier part to form a circle. The sound is encoded by fine variations in the edges of the groove that cause a stylus (needle) placed in it to vibrate at acoustic frequencies when the disc is rotated at the correct speed. Generally, the outer and inner parts of the groove bear no intended sound (an exception is Split Enz's Mental Notes).

question: In which direction does the groove in a normal disc run? 

answer: outside edge towards the center

question: How is sound encoded on a commercial disc? 

answer: by fine variations

question: Does it matter at which speed a disc is spun? 

answer: correct speed

question: Do all grooves bear data? 

answer: no