NPR: Putting a New Spin on Vinyl Records

Lester · Post by **Lester** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 1:35 pm

Putting a New Spin on Vinyl Records
Morning Edition, April 16, 2007 Â· CD sales are declining, but there has been a resurgence in vinyl. Audiophiles are drawn to records because there aren't any anti-piracy restrictions and people claim they just sound better than their digital counterparts.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... Id=9598796

SHOCKLEY · Post by **SHOCKLEY** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 1:42 pm

Yeah, especially if you are into the older music..

The Howlin Wolf CD Box Set that I have cannot hold a candle to the great low end sound that I get from the Chess issue vinyl..

Not even close...

lastone · Post by **lastone** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 7:50 pm

and people claim they just sound better than their digital counterparts.

I have had many an arguement on this one and the "Digi" guys just can't comprehend it. Records do sound better many times as does any analog sourced musical composition that is done corectly. And there is a one word explanation. HARMONICS. (It's called a complex waveform for a reason) The one thing digital can not reproduce and in fact has been deemed unwanted by those in the digital world.

High bit rate digtal with straigh thru A/D- D/A is great as a transmission system. But it can not reproduce the origional sound fidelity. (Please look up the meaning of the word...there is no such thing as "High Fidelity"!) An analog recording is as close to the origional sound as we have ever produced.

I had better stop before I get in a fight here. But I did have my AM sounding as much like my record player as possible....and even with only 11Kc of audio, it was good.

Digital strips the original harmonics and over-tones and creates its own third order 'noise'. Quality is selected by bandwidth and sample frequency.

One last thing. Some time ago there was a question somewhere on here about why CDs are louder now days than in the mid 90's. The reason is simple (though sadly true). The little MP3 players codec program removes any sound below its threshold. Low sounds (and even passages) are lost. Thus newer CDs increased compression to remove the lows.

Go figure.

P.S.
I believe it was an ad agency for RCA that came up with "High Fidelity" to promote its new line of "Superhetrodyne" radios eight decades ago.

fearpeddler · Post by **fearpeddler** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 7:55 pm

I've seen a few different turntables that have usb cables on them so you can hood the thing straight to your computer and start peelin' tracks..

Jay Nunley · Post by **Jay Nunley** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 8:17 pm

Fuck vinyl.

Zak Tyler · Post by **Zak Tyler** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 12:00 pm

so jay, what you're really saying is.......

fearpeddler · Post by **fearpeddler** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 1:33 pm

I dunno nunley, I have a pile of old music both on cd and vinyl, and I definitely prefer the vinyl sound of the album to the cd, even with all the poppin and cracking theres just something in that sound that i dunno... sounds more real i guess, at a loss for words..

Bob Loblaw · Post by **Bob Loblaw** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 7:00 pm

Jay Nunley wrote:Fuck vinyl.

Eat a bullet.

Jet Black · Post by **Jet Black** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 7:49 pm

Audiophiles by and large don't give a crap about copy protection as a reason for liking vinyl LPs. LP lovers hold that normal CDs cause the brain to reject the sampled nature of a digital waveform, in much the same way as your brain makes you carsick when what your eyes see and what your inner ear reports don't correspond. This is often referred to jokingly as "digital discombobulation." You brain is hearin' it, but it ain't buyin' it. Vinyl is great but most of the new proponents of it aren't putting forth the effort in buying or setting up the proper equipment to enjoy it's musical superiority. The normal Joe with his crap boombox is not going to enjoy music more if he has a turntable plugged into it. He's just going to remember how CD did away with pops, tics, scratches, skips, and groove crosstalk. Sure, analog is always better, but analog vs. digital is of no concern if your speakers and amplification make you bored and irritated in ten minutes of listening to any kind of source.

Recording an LP onto a digital source is like taking a picture of the Mona Lisa with a cellphone camera.

Jay! I love you, man.

Jay Nunley · Post by **Jay Nunley** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 9:09 pm

Lo Blow wrote:Eat a bullet.

Gobble my knob, imaging boy. You owe me alcohol and drugs, or do I owe you? I can't remember.

Jet Black wrote:LP lovers hold that normal CDs cause the brain to reject the sampled nature of a digital waveform, in much the same way as your brain makes you carsick when what your eyes see and what your inner ear reports don't correspond. This is often referred to jokingly as "digital discombobulation." You brain is hearin' it, but it ain't buyin' it.

Jet! You need to come around more often. We miss you and your take on things is missed.

I still say "Fuck vinyl." For that stuff you said to be true the digital audio line would have to be plugged into the brain instead of into an amp and speakers. Digital audio essentially becomes analog as soon as it hits a listening device. Even if you could skip speakers or headphones the audio still has to be heard through the ear which is an analog device.

Look, I miss record stores and album art too. I understand the romanticism behind the love of vinyl. I can't argue with that part of it. I can argue that vinyl can't even come close to the range and clarity of good digital audio. Also, it is very portable and there is no hiss and pop.

Bob Loblaw · Post by **Bob Loblaw** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 10:54 pm

Fuckface wrote:
Lo Blow wrote:Eat a bullet.
Gobble my knob, imaging boy. You owe me alcohol and drugs, or do I owe you? I can't remember.

I believe I owe you. Payback should come shortly as I'll be coming in for a weekend soon. My daughter is graduating Kindergarten.

Maybe I can stop by the station and poke holes in your imaging...You can wax poetic about how well you've got Selector set-up and I'll still be laughing at your :22 Sweepers with Looney Tunes drops in 'em.

[/love]

Can't believe I'm gonna say this, but I miss the record stores and the effort they put into their front glass art.

I still shop for vinyl...coupla stores downtown still sell 'em. It's not the ame quality though. These dub plates are shit nowadays. Pressing Digital to Vinyl is ridiculous.

Big Dawg · Post by **Big Dawg** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 7:00 am

FearPeddler wrote:I've seen a few different turntables that have usb cables on them so you can hood the thing straight to your computer and start peelin' tracks..

"Featuring Plug and Play USB compatibility with both PC and Macintosh computers, the TTUSB turntable makes digitizing oneâ€™s vinyl record collection a breeze. Equipped with an adjustable anti-skating control for increased stereo balance, support for 33.33 and 45 RPM playback speeds, Â± 10% adjustable pitch control, and a 1/8-inch stereo minijack input connector to facilitate the transfer of cassette tapes, Numarkâ€™s TTUSB is the perfect tool for digitally archiving oneâ€™s record collection. Combined with Audacityâ€™s software (PC and Mac compatible) for removing clicks and other noises, the TTUSB is an easy-to-use, comprehensive solution to the challenge of transferring oneâ€™s record collection to a computer or portable music player."
"But It Now" price: US $169.99

Zak Tyler · Post by **Zak Tyler** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 8:02 am

Bob Loblaw wrote:
Fuckface wrote:
Lo Blow wrote:Eat a bullet.
Gobble my knob, imaging boy. You owe me alcohol and drugs, or do I owe you? I can't remember.

LMAO!
[/feelin' alot of love in this room today]

Bob Campbell · Post by **Bob Campbell** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:01 am

my 2 cents.

You hear vinyl fans ( I'm one) use the word "warmth" when describing why we prefer it over digital. I'm not a techie, but warmth describes it best for me. More depth of something, maybe those harmonics mentioned earlier.
I have a pretty good turntable, an old Kenwood direct drive from the early 80's. I just feel like I'm getting more of a live sound from vinyl.

I also have a peeve with digital recording. Maybe it's just me, but since digital recording has come in, I don't think there's been a decent drum sound recorded. Snares always sound thin, toms flat. Maybe it's just the production preference, but for my money, the ultimate in recording quality came in the mid to late 80's when analog recording reached its technical peak. BIG drums, fat guitars. "Lush" may be the term I'm searching for here.

"knob gobbling"....THAT is funny shit.

SPIKE NESMITH! · Post by **SPIKE NESMITH!** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:40 am

I love vinyl....

Zak Tyler · Post by **Zak Tyler** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:42 am

SPIKE NESMITH! wrote:I love vinyl....

Loblaw has one of those outfits. he wears it out to the bdsm clubs in dc. saw it hanging in his Focus after he picked it up from the cleaners....

Big Media · Post by **Big Media** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:26 am

Jay Nunley wrote:Even if you could skip speakers or headphones the audio still has to be heard through the ear which is an analog device.

Yep. Once analog, always analog.

I do miss those classic juke boxes that played the 45s.

Since I was trained at WMUL by the legendary Bob Ball (anyone know what happened to him), I know how to cue a record. Thanks to Bob, I was able to win a bet with a veteran DJ as to whether or not I could do it. He still owes me $20.

Bob Loblaw · Post by **Bob Loblaw** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:40 am

Zak Tyler wrote:
SPIKE NESMITH! wrote:I love vinyl....

Loblaw has one of those outfits. he wears it out to the bdsm clubs in dc. saw it hanging in his Focus after he picked it up from the cleaners....

I bought it from your Dad.

Zak Tyler · Post by **Zak Tyler** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:43 am

but you coulda got it online for 1/2 the price....

Zak Tyler · Post by **Zak Tyler** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 7:07 am

[back on topic]
THIS JUST IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I found Tesla's new release in my mailbox this morning. reading through the "propaganda" that came with it made me think of this thread. here's a quote:

"Real to Reel" allows Tesla to TESLA-FY classic rock songs from the late 60's and early 70's, recorded directly to analog tape with vintage gear for a sonic purity that is as timeless as the originals but with the signature Tesla sound.

the 3 song cd has covers of Zeppelin's "Thank You", James Gang's "Walk Away", and The Temptations "Ball of Confusion"

i must say it sounds pretty good... but the average joe probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference or even care.