[Jack Qwek (OP)]

What we hear in any vinyl album is given by the shape of the grooves. I think nobody ever tried to decode these shapes with microscopes, because it would take too long. These grooves on the master are shaped by musical vibrations from the cutting stylus. But randomly we can try to cut them without music vibrations, tapping the stylus manually or with the help of an electric toothbrush (or any vibrator), while the vinyl blank is spinning. Would be interesting to hear what kind of music we get from these grooves.

[RD]

What we hear in any vinyl album is given by the shape of the grooves.
I think nobody ever tried to decode these shapes with microscopes, because it would take too long.

There are [expensive] laser-turntables which read vinyl records with a laser beam, rather than touching them with a needle , (as shown above).

[Jack Qwek (OP)]

yes I know. There is a woman who converted digital audio files into 3D-printable vinyl records. But I am not allowed to post external links (?).

[chiralSPO]

I believe that members that have posted more than a certain number of times can post links. I don't remember what the cutoff is, but it is not terribly high (just to prevent spammers).

[Colin2B]

If you put an electric toothbrush onto the cutter head it would cut grooves which produce sound like an electric toothbrush. There will be some distortion because the linkage won't be perfect. I think the sound will be mono because stereo requires coordination of vertical and horizontal parts of the groove to give separate LH & RH tracks, at the very least it would be best listened to in mono - or not at all.

[RD]

But randomly we can try to cut them ... with the help of an electric toothbrush (or any vibrator), while the vinyl blank is spinning. Would be interesting to hear what kind of music we get from these grooves.

It wouldn't be musical ... http://freesound.org/people/Benboncan/sounds/81020/

[Jack Qwek (OP)]

I don't know if that would sound like an electric toothbrush. I was just trying to figure out what would be a way of shaping the grooves manually, without music.

[Colin2B]

I don't know if that would sound like an electric toothbrush.

Yes it does. If you look at the design of the early recording machines the mechanical microphone - diaphragm - connects directly to the stylus in order to cut the groove. All that changed was an electrical circuit to add sensitivity and drive the transducer.
You can demonstrate this by putting your ear close to the stylus of a record player and you can hear faint sound of music - works better with some records than others.

[Jack Qwek (OP)]

I don't know if that would sound like an electric toothbrush.

Yes it does. If you look at the design of the early recording machines the mechanical microphone - diaphragm - connects directly to the stylus in order to cut the groove. All that changed was an electrical circuit to add sensitivity and drive the transducer.
You can demonstrate this by putting your ear close to the stylus of a record player and you can hear faint sound of music - works better with some records than others.

you mean the Edison phonograph? No electricity was required, but the sounds needed to get inside a horn. The idea of the toothbrush I am talking about is not about sounds or microphones, but just a way of creating different grooves shapes randomly, without any music, tapping the stylus up, down, left right, tapping it with your hands, setting different speeds on the toothbrush, etc, while the master is spinning on the turntable.

[RD]

... The idea of the toothbrush I am talking about is not about sounds or microphones, but just a way of creating different grooves shapes randomly ...

If truly random it would be white noise, which would be colored by the frequency-response of the apparatus ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colors_of_noise