THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Fun Stuff => BAND => Topic started by: PECOAE on 03 Feb 2008, 12:23
-
I hear everybody going nutz over buying albums on vinyl, and I just don't get it.
Is it that much better than getting an album on CD and putting it on the computer at 320 kbps?
Somebody explain plz?
-
Sound quality is vastly superior. You get large cases with great artwork.
Edit: Tougher than a CD, can be re-sold too, possibly at a profit, whereas CDs are difficult to give away.
-
Sound quality is somewhat superior, not "vastly". Sound quality depends on having a good record player with good speakers, whereas you can get good CD sound quality on a much cheaper and easier to maintain system. CDs are smaller and thus are good for people like me who have over 1000 albums. CDs have spines that you can glance at and immediately recognise the artist/album, whereas records usually have to be flipped through and take up a ton of space. CDs are portable. You can play them in cars. You can DJ a radio show with a small satchel of CDs instead of lugging around cartons of records. It is very difficult to find many albums on vinyl. Many albums are not even available on vinyl.
On the plus side, having vinyl makes you "cool".
-
Being cool is the primary reason I buy vinyl, rather than the large artwork or fidelity of analog sound.
-
I can't imagine owning thousands of CDs. The sight of CDs makes me feel ill these days. I don't have a record player, and I don't own any vinyl. But cds TICK ME OFF.
-
I'm for the cool too.
-
I can't imagine owning thousands of CDs. The sight of CDs makes me feel ill these days. I don't have a record player, and I don't own any vinyl. But cds TICK ME OFF.
This I don't get. I like vinyl but I like CDs too. In fact the only format I'm not really fond of is probably eight-track.
-
I can't imagine owning thousands of CDs. The sight of CDs makes me feel ill these days. I don't have a record player, and I don't own any vinyl. But cds TICK ME OFF.
So do you own all your music on cassettes or what?
Or are you one of those evil people who don't buy music?
-
CDs are rather pointless in my opinion. If you are arguing that CD's are more portable, take up less space, et cetera, it makes more sense to me just to own a digital copy. It takes up absolutely no physical space, is highly portable on the mp3 player of your choice, and you can keep simply absurd amounts of music on you.
However, if your into owning the hard copy, vinyl seems vastly superior. If you care enough to own the hard copy, I think you would want the artwork that comes with vinyl and the analog sounds.
-
Obviously you don't need any type of recorded audio because if you are that cool all you go to see is live opera.
But seriously, vinyls do look cooler.
-
You're assuming that I have the money or inclination to buy a good mp3 player.
I don't want to waste money on an mp3 player, and I don't like them. With a satchel full of CDs, you can look at them and immediately pick the album you want. With an mp3 player, you have to scroll through titles. You can't just immediately reach out and pluck the CD you want out.
Plus, playing mp3s at someone's house is not always easy or even possible. Some people only own boomboxes, or own older CD players, and who wants to fuck with wires and shit when you're drunk and rocking out?
Yes, I want to own a hard copy. But again, there are a lot of albums that I have that were never issued on vinyl and a lot more that are just really hard to find.
God, I hate this discussion. People used to accept CDs and were cool with them, why is there yet another wave of vinyl purism sweeping through everyone I know?
-
I have over 200 CDs. Infact, I'm looking at them right now. What an embarrassing sight! They're great for storage, great for burning your own playlist, but I don't understand purchasing a CD for the album stored on it. The sight of an album stuffed into a jewel CD case is something that I really dislike now. I love making my own mix CDs and crafting elaborate cases, I don't hate the format completely. £10 for an album on disc? I don't get it. £10 can buy me like, 100 CDRs that I could put my own media on.
-
Okay I'm gonna try playing with fire here and argue with your points Zerodrone.
You're assuming that I have the money or inclination to buy a good mp3 player.
I don't want to waste money on an mp3 player, and I don't like them. With a satchel full of CDs, you can look at them and immediately pick the album you want. With an mp3 player, you have to scroll through titles. You can't just immediately reach out and pluck the CD you want out.
I do agree with you on the price on mp3 players. If you really don't want an mp3 player, they're still pretty expensive for a good one. But is it really that much more trouble to scroll through a list of bands/albums/songs than it is to fumble through jewel cases and have do switch cd's out of a player?
Plus, playing mp3s at someone's house is not always easy or even possible. Some people only own boomboxes, or own older CD players, and who wants to fuck with wires and shit when you're drunk and rocking out?
Well, yeah, most people only do own boomboxes. And most people don't have enough money for good iPod speakers, since they're all overpriced as hell. But most (read: practically all) boomboxes have tape players, and is it really that hard to just have just one of these (http://www.getstoreonline.com/images_catprod/10004370/image.jpg) in your tape player. They only cost about $5-10 US. And again, even drunk, is it that much harder to scroll through a list than to deal with jewel cases?
Yes, I want to own a hard copy. But again, there are a lot of albums that I have that were never issued on vinyl and a lot more that are just really hard to find.
Well, I can't really say anything to this. If you really want the hard copy that bad, CD's would probably be easier. Being only 16 and growing up with mp3 players becoming big, I think it's just easier to own a digital copy.
But whatever. As tommy said, each to their own.
-
Being only 16 and growing up with mp3 players
/thread
-
But seriously, vinyls do look cooler.
Sure they do. But if that's the only reason you're buying them, then that's just stupid.
Personally, I don't listen to my music loud enough to notice the difference between a vinyl and a cd. I find CDs (or MP3s...not so much for my MP3 player, but for the fact that I enjoy listening to music most whilst I'm on the computer) more convenient. I buy music for the music, not for the 'cool factor'.
-
Just about every home now has a computer. And just about all computer speakers will connect to an mp3 player with no hassle. When I had a CD player, I was spending about £20 a week on batteries. That's ridiculous.
I bet that to Zerodrone, our tendencies to prefer vinyl to CDs looks a lot like his bizarre preference for walkman CD players over mp3 players does to us. INSIGHTFUL!
-
Batteries? You are aware that stereos and CD players can be plugged in, right? And what about rechargable batteries?
I don't own a Walkman. I never find myself wanting to tune out the sounds of the world when I'm out. I like to gather information, not shut myself out from the environment.
Even so, you can't exactly get around the fact that if your Walkman breaks, you don't lose all the CDs you played on it. If your mp3 player gets screwed up, you lose data, not just the device for playing data.
-
it makes more sense to me just to own a digital copy. It takes up absolutely no physical space, is highly portable on the mp3 player of your choice, and you can keep simply absurd amounts of music on you.
Until the MP3 player breaks, as they all inevitably do, and/or your computer hard drive crashes, destroying your entire amassed music collection, if you don't have hard copies of them. Just having solely MP3s reduces the sense of having something special and meaningful that I get by physically owning an album, being able to look at it.
I also don't see much reason to be buying vinyl versions of newly released albums. It's cool to have records of classic albums, but do we really need a vinyl of In Rainbows?
-
In retrospect the only thing I really needed to say in this thread is:
You try storing 1000 records in a small apartment in a way that you can easily access all of them, and in a way that you can glance at your collection and instantly recognise any one of them (CDs have spines that are easy to identify).
That's it, really.
-
Are you in a hurry? Do you really need to find your music *that* quickly if you're just listening to it in the house? Take your time, decide! Besides, it's not hard to browse vinyl if you just organise your collection.
-
I actually have an easier time finding vinyl, since I can flick through them but my CDs are in stacks where I can only see the spines which seems to make it trickier for me to find what I want. If I'd just get around to organising them again like I used to I wouldn't have a problem with either though.
I also don't see much reason to be buying vinyl versions of newly released albums. It's cool to have records of classic albums, but do we really need a vinyl of In Rainbows?
I don't see why having vinyl of an old record is better than having vinyl of a new one. There are more reasons to choose vinyl over CDs than nostalgia, that's never a factor for me when I choose to buy vinyl over any other format.
-
CDs have spines that you can glance at and immediately recognise the artist/album, whereas records usually have to be flipped through and take up a ton of space. CDs are portable. You can play them in cars.
about that:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n33ACfZ45ys
-
Even so, you can't exactly get around the fact that if your Walkman breaks, you don't lose all the CDs you played on it. If your mp3 player gets screwed up, you lose data, not just the device for playing data.
Until the MP3 player breaks, as they all inevitably do, and/or your computer hard drive crashes, destroying your entire amassed music collection, if you don't have hard copies of them. Just having solely MP3s reduces the sense of having something special and meaningful that I get by physically owning an album, being able to look at it.
I also don't see much reason to be buying vinyl versions of newly released albums. It's cool to have records of classic albums, but do we really need a vinyl of In Rainbows?
I fucking hate it when mp3 players break. To me, that's their one major downfall. And I've gone through a few mp3 players, so I realize how much it sucks to lose your entire music collection. But that's also why you back your shit up in multiple places.
However, that can be a pain in the ass, and I can see where you're coming from if you don't wanna deal with that stuff.
Like I said, in my lifetime experiences, mp3's are easier overall. They are, by no means, perfect though.
Also RedLion, if you prefer the vinyl format you're going to want to own the vinyl version of a new release, plus what a pack of wolves said.
-
I'm a vinyl junky.
I find that it does sound significantly better, especially if you can spend a bit more and get a real good player. (even dollar vs. dollar, IE a $1500 CD player sounds drastically worse than a $1500 record player at least in my experience)
I feel that vinyl sounds more "real" than CD does. It may cost a bit more per album but it works out ok since used albums (particularly electronic) can be had for pennies.
In my personal opinion if one really loves music then an effort to enjoy it in its highest quality is in order. (IE vinyl, FLAC files into a good external DAC, or a good CD player)
then again i am bit of an audiophile...
anyone looking to get into vinyl should look for a decent vintage player (most of them are a bit better than what you would get new under ~400)
low budget vinyl thread on head-fi
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f7/low-budget-vinyl-source-228059/
-
I'm a vinyl junky.
I find that it does sound significantly better, especially if you can spend a bit more and get a real good player. (even dollar vs. dollar, IE a $1500 CD player sounds drastically worse than a $1500 record player at least in my experience)
I feel that vinyl sounds more "real" than CD does. It may cost a bit more per album but it works out ok since used albums (particularly electronic) can be had for pennies.
In my personal opinion if one really loves music then an effort to enjoy it in its highest quality is in order. (IE vinyl, FLAC files into a good external DAC, or a good CD player)
then again i am bit of an audiophile...
anyone looking to get into vinyl should look for a decent vintage player (most of them are a bit better than what you would get new under ~400)
low budget vinyl thread on head-fi
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f7/low-budget-vinyl-source-228059/
but i can't listen to it when i'm out shopping for legumes, now can i?
does it print money?
-
i still have a MP3 player, and a music server hooked up to my stereo.
alot of vinyl comes with 320Kps or VBR MP3 downloads (about 1/2 of new releases)
the rest i torrent.
I do buy CD's if the release is CD only, then it gets ripped in FLAC then put away.
-
It is very difficult to find many albums on vinyl. Many albums are not even available on vinyl.
It depends on what kind of music you listen to though. I can only think of a few releases I've wanted that weren't grime where there wasn't a vinyl release, but I can think of tons that never got put out on CD. I've got a friend who owns a record player purely so she can rip albums she buys on vinyl and then she'll never play them again, since otherwise there'd be no way for her to buy them and she only ever listens to mp3s so has no use for the record itself except as a means of producing a digital version.
-
Are you in a hurry? Do you really need to find your music *that* quickly if you're just listening to it in the house? Take your time, decide! Besides, it's not hard to browse vinyl if you just organise your collection.
Even if you have 1000 albums in alphabetical order, you can't glance at your collection, spot something you hadn't thought of in a while, and go "Oh hey, I should throw that in."
If you already know what you want to listen to, of course it doesn't matter if it's a record or CD as long as you have them in alphabetical order.
But the simple fact is that there's no way to look at 1000 records in a glance and have one just jump out at you.
-
Vinyl's a pain in the arse. Maybe it's because the only real experience I've had with vinyl has been with my parents' old L.P.s and 45s, but vinyl records scratch easily, in a climate like Australia's you have to make sure the sun never even glances at them or they're liable to become unplayable, it's a hassle to get them in and out of the little sleeves, the sleeves don't really last all that well, and you only get around a quarter of an hour of music before you have to get up and flip the record, which for me really interrupts the listening experience as I like to become more deeply immersed in the music than that. As for the "sounding better" thing, I find that's relative. I listen to my C.D.s on a fairly cheap C.D. player and I definitely notice the difference when I play them on a better system, but most of the time it's not a worry. Why? Because I have the system I have. I find that superior sound quality is only something I notice when I'm actually experiencing it.
-
Opinions on how to listen to music:
Vinyl - If you like music, this is probably the way to go! And I don't just mean listening to music, but you care about how it's packaged and the distinctive sound you get from a record. The covers and artwork, while maybe not as sturdy as a jewel case, are much more interesting, especially a lot of albums from the 60s and 70s. Personally, I think blues and classic rock sound the best in this format. If I had a working record player, I would build upon the small record collection I have and the collection my mom has had since she was a teenager.
CDs - Good for people who want physical copies that can be listened in a car, stereo, or on a computer. The sound quality is pretty good and is probably the most versatile medium available for music, as they can also be converted to mp3s and backed up on a computer or mp3 player. The artwork is not as interesting and jewel cases suck, as they crack easily, but they protect your music well enough. Also good for making mixes for other people, as just about everyone has a CD player.
Cassettes - Good for playing in a car if your car only has a tape player (like mine), but otherwise not worth the money, as they just don't hold up as long as the previous two, which affects the already medium quality of sound. Also good for making actual mixtapes, which I have done using my stereo.
8-tracks - Why do these exist? I'm not really sure. They're like beta tapes. The reason for their existence is debatable except as a transitory medium from vinyl to cassette.
Phonograph - Good for historical purposes. If you have one of these, you are either weird or awesome.
Live - Good for concerts, but not portable in the slightest. If you have a live band that follows you around and plays what you want to hear, can I be your friend?
And I forgot...
MP3s - They don't really exist physically and you have to back them up in a million places, so really, what's they point of buying mp3s? Go buy a CD and convert it instead of just buying sound.
-
Yeah... replacing my stereo with a live 50 piece cover band that lives in a small room in my mansion is one of my idle "What I'll Do When I'm Stupidly Rich" daydreams.
-
dont forget
SACD and DVD-A - great sound but limited releases. 5.1 mixes can be an immersing godsend or a gimmicky curse depending on who did the mastering.
this is a great way to go for classical music lovers.
-
Does vinyl really sound better?
I dunno, I've always thought of vinyl as the crackly, old, easily scratched records of lore.
-
Live - Good for concerts, but not portable in the slightest. If you have a live band that follows you around and plays what you want to hear, can I be your friend?
Oh man how freaking awesome would this be! They just follow you around and break out into song every once in a while. It's the live soundtrack to your life!
-
Vinyl - If you like music, this is probably the way to go!
This is the argument for vinyl that really gets on my tits. It's the superior-sounding assumption that vinyl lovers are "more into" music than us terrible CD owners.
The difference in sound quality is entirely subjective and also more to do with the system than the medium. Of course a cheap boombox doesn't sound as good as a record player with nice speakers.
-
Playing vinyl is to playing mp3s as making leaf tea in a nice round, small pot is to throwing a teabag in a cup. The ritual is really the important part for me. The media is nicer too, vinyl and leaves are just prettier. The other bonus is that records double as posters.
Vinyl is just nice, and I don't really care about your reason.
-
Does vinyl really sound better?
I dunno, I've always thought of vinyl as the crackly, old, easily scratched records of lore.
common misconception due to the fact most people treated their records like shit (non-music loving friends scratched CD's anyone?)
if cared for IE carbon fiber brush, stylus cleaner, and wet record cleaner fluid or cleaning machine.
if its clean and not damaged vinyl will not crackle or pop.
a local Hi-Fi shop should be more than happy to do a demo for you, many Hi-Fi shops are still turntables as their main source. You can make the decision if it sounds better yourself.
doing an A/B test with the same record and CD is alot of fun.
EDIT: a good shop should have a library of Vinyl and CD's for people to walk in and listen to.
-
Apparently, digital recordings are inferior by definition. My dad showed me a diagram about it.
It's approximated and sampled to digital from analog and back.
-
Yes, of course digital vs. analog is provably different and there is some "loss" in a digital format but people who claim to be able to hear some kind of massive difference are, I think, deluding themselves.
Either that or a decade of playing in loud rock bands has dulled me to the finer nuances. Still, I really don't think the sound difference is that big if you have a good stereo, especially since CD technology has come a long way.
-
I buy old used vinyl records because I like the way they smell.
-
Yes, of course digital vs. analog is provably different and there is some "loss" in a digital format but people who claim to be able to hear some kind of massive difference are, I think, deluding themselves.
Either that or a decade of playing in loud rock bands has dulled me to the finer nuances. Still, I really don't think the sound difference is that big if you have a good stereo, especially since CD technology has come a long way.
cd players have come a long way, but CD technology is still the same 16bit red book setup as always. it would be nice if the switch to SACD had worked... maybe a new Blue ray music format. I can dream i guess. something 24 or 32bit. 5.1 and 2 channel stored on the same disk...
EDIT: in that same pattern new turntables are worlds apart from things made in the 60's-80's. The new SME tonearms are brilliant and far better than their old ones. My friends VPI scoutmaster is way better than any of my old decks.
-
Another "con" for M.P.3 players: they're set up for earphone or headphone listening. Sure, you can get bits and pieces to add to them so that you can hook them up to a sound system with speakers, but you have to spend extra money for that and it can be annoying to have to set up and it's just not as easy as taking a C.D. or a vinyl record out of its case and slipping it into the player. This is an important point because some music just flat-out sounds better when heard in the open air through speakers, rather than in a closed-off environment through headphones straight into your ear.
-
Another "con" for M.P.3 players: they're set up for earphone or headphone listening. Sure, you can get bits and pieces to add to them so that you can hook them up to a sound system with speakers, but you have to spend extra money for that and it can be annoying to have to set up and it's just not as easy as taking a C.D. or a vinyl record out of its case and slipping it into the player. This is an important point because some music just flat-out sounds better when heard in the open air through speakers, rather than in a closed-off environment through headphones straight into your ear.
hmm... a con for MP3 players. but a dedicated music server is the easiest way to pick songs in the world.
build a music server out of a computer or buy something like
http://www.slimdevices.com/ (wireless, can use pandora and internet radio)
or if you have money to blow
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/audiovideo/1330/qsonix-q100-music-server.html
http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/10/sooloos-to-store-your-lossless-tunes/
i use my old laptop with http://www.fooblog2000.com/ as the user interface
then output is into a USB to SPDIF converter box, then to my modded zhaolu DAC (sounds good for the cost)
-
Would vinyl still have superior quality if the music was digitally recorded?
-
Would vinyl still have superior quality if the music was digitally recorded?
i don't know what the recording setup for the albums i listen to is.
but because of the limitations of the red book CD standard, i going to say in general yes.
we really do need higher quality digital media, its been far too many years. Some sort of 24bit 192khz DTS download format would rock.
-
the graph how stuff works uses is a bit better IMO
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/question487.htm
-
How many of you actually own a cd that has become too scratched to play?
I have CDs that are over a decade old and have been played thousands of times and don't have a scratch on them.
People who scratch their CDs are just lazy or stupid with them.
-
Why do I own vinyl?
Because I can see through it. That's right, translucent vinyl. It is the coolest. Sounds good too.
Too bad my turntable done broke :(
-
I buy vinyl because I want to learn how to DJ and all that, and I find the whole idea of doing that on a CD a little weird - not as tactile, and not as challenging. Other than that, I really don't mind.
SEE WHAT ANYWAYS SAID.
-
I have scratched CDs so badly that they have trouble playing, namely the bargain-bin copy of Back in Black I got when I was 11. But then, I did have it when I was 11, so it's probably seen all sorts of misuse.
I must say that I enjoy the whole dropping of the needle onto the record. It is very neat. The whole 'analogueness' of the LP still really appeals to me, ultimately. However I also have a whole bunch of CDs and I continue to buy both formats. I also have a bunch of tapes since my car stereo hasn't met a tape adapter it's liked in almost a year, and that one wasn't mine. I will agree that maintaining an LP collection in a dorm room would quickly get rather crowded.
-
I must say that I enjoy the whole dropping of the needle onto the record.
I enjoy sticking a needle into my veins.
Cause it makes me feel like I'm a man.
-
Shouldn't it be 'spike?'
I was introduced to that song in like 12th Grade by Christ Kilbourne, the guy that introduced to to such sundry things as The Pop Group, Death from Above (1979), Pelican, Pig Destroyer, Bucket Full of Teeth, The Microphones, every screamo band ever, the Avalanches, and independent music in general. I owe a lot to that man.
-
Shouldn't it be 'spike?'
Yes, but then the connection to the post I was quoting would not have been obvious.
-
You get large cases with great artwork.
It'd look pretty stupid if I had the little CD insert of Rocket to Russia framed on my wall. The full-sized cover is so much better.
-
Vinyl - If you like music, this is probably the way to go!
This is the argument for vinyl that really gets on my tits. It's the superior-sounding assumption that vinyl lovers are "more into" music than us terrible CD owners.
I wasn't being serious (and I basically explained what I was getting at in the next sentence). I own like two or three albums on vinyl. Most of my music is CD or mp3 (also backed up on CD). When someone actually takes care of their vinyl or CDs, they sound almost the same and it's really hard to tell the difference unless you know what you're looking for.
But honestly, the packaging for vinyl is vastly superior, as there's more room to do more interesting things with it, like with Physical Graffiti (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7b/LedZeppelinPhysicalGraffitialbumcover.jpg), where there is an insert to change what shows through the windows on the cover and also Sticky Fingers (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/99/RSSF71.jpg), which featured a real zipper that was functional. Most (almost all) CDs just can't do this due to lack of space because of being in a jewel case.
The only current form of music I don't like buying are mp3s. Because I'm buying electronic sound, which has no physical form, that I have to buy CDs to back them up on in case of my hard drive dying (again). I lost a few albums I'd gotten off of iTunes (b-day gift certificate) because I'd forgotten to back them up.
-
No. I didn't know this until after the fact, which is STUPID, because I found a way to report that I had lost them, and I could see every song/album I'd gotten from them, but if I want to re-download it, I have to pay for it. Again.
Which I will, because Stop Making Sense is just too good not to have a copy of, but I'm buying the CD this time, dammit. I love Macs, but fuck Apple with its iTunes crap.
-
I buy a lot of vinyl because a sizeable chunk (though i wouldn't say a majority) of the music I buy is not available on cd and downloads just don't do it for me (unless there is no choice because spending 100+ for an out-of-print 7" is not feasible for me)
Vinyl records occasionally have fun goodies packed in (which while not the reason I buy the record are still nice), from full-sized posters to buttons, to patches, to even combs.
The latest re-release of King Khan and BBQ's self-titled was pressed with an one-sided second lp with 6 exclusive tracks not on the cd and the packaging even included a weird board game (game pieces included!)
-
I just hate CDs in general. And DVDs. I remember the days when I could rent a movie from a video store without it screwing up, going into choppy blocks midway through and me trying to figure out if I should just skip the part or turn it into the store for another one. I remember when the biggest problem with renting a movie was tracking.
The same goes with CDs. I want Vinyl and Cassette tapes simply because they last much longer. I take care of my cds, but things happen and both the cd and the casing is extremely fragile, especially for the price I'm shelling out. I now burn each cd I buy so I have an extra copy in case one breaks. I'm impatiently waiting for the next technology that wont be as ridiculous as the current one.
-
No. I didn't know this until after the fact, which is STUPID, because I found a way to report that I had lost them, and I could see every song/album I'd gotten from them, but if I want to re-download it, I have to pay for it. Again.
Which I will, because Stop Making Sense is just too good not to have a copy of, but I'm buying the CD this time, dammit. I love Macs, but fuck Apple with its iTunes crap.
send customer support an e-mail, they should let you re-download the songs you lost. A friend of mine lost ~60 songs when reformatting his iPhone, one quick e-mail and they set it up so he could download them all again.
-
I did and they never replied nor enabled me to redownload anything. This was 5 months ago and I'm too lazy to bother with it, because I'd just rather go buy a physical copy like I should have done in the first place. (It was from a gift certificate, so it's not like I personally lost money.)
-
Last I knew, they let you re-download everything you've lost..at thirty cents a song.
-
I'm a vinyl junky.
I find that it does sound significantly better, especially if you can spend a bit more and get a real good player. (even dollar vs. dollar, IE a $1500 CD player sounds drastically worse than a $1500 record player at least in my experience)
I feel that vinyl sounds more "real" than CD does. It may cost a bit more per album but it works out ok since used albums (particularly electronic) can be had for pennies.
In my personal opinion if one really loves music then an effort to enjoy it in its highest quality is in order. (IE vinyl, FLAC files into a good external DAC, or a good CD player)
then again i am bit of an audiophile...
anyone looking to get into vinyl should look for a decent vintage player (most of them are a bit better than what you would get new under ~400)
low budget vinyl thread on head-fi
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f7/low-budget-vinyl-source-228059/
this is exactly what i wanted to say, but couldnt find the right words for it. My cd player gets very little use at the moment, and it cost me a fair bit of money.
-
i mostly get vinyl not because of any trivial reason like "sound quality" and "coolinessness" i get vinyls because vinyls just feel more authentic and have an almost spiritual feeling
i still have my dads old vinyl collection too, if i sold it which i'd never do i could probably get about 10 grand so its a good investement to begin with, but its mostly for the spiritual feeling, i mean c'mon, when i hold the beatles "let it be" album on vinyl its like touching a piece of the 60's while having the cd format just makes it seem... different ina worse way
-
i mostly get vinyl not because of any trivial reason like "sound quality" and "coolinessness" i get vinyls because vinyls just feel more authentic and have an almost spiritual feeling
i still have my dads old vinyl collection too, if i sold it which i'd never do i could probably get about 10 grand so its a good investement to begin with, but its mostly for the spiritual feeling, i mean c'mon, when i hold the beatles "let it be" album on vinyl its like touching a piece of the 60's while having the cd format just makes it seem... different ina worse way
you bring up some good points, but i for one don't believe sound quality is trivial. Music is sound after all, i feel that their is a direct correlation (to a point) between my enjoyment and sound quality. Not to say that I'm going to like Nsync playing on a 500k dollar setup more than my computer speakers. but to say that i do enjoy Neon Bible on my stereo more than with some ipod ear buds.
and this does effect my choice of source format.
-
I'm mostly just a whore for the artwork, the whole process of putting the record on and sitting with the gatefold/pocket in your lap while you rock out one-finger-hardcore-style. Then you turn it up. Repeat. Put it all back and sit and wonder why your whole room isn't filled with vinyl.
So irrational? Yeah. Essential? Damn straight.
-
i like to sit there with the lyric sheets
-
The same goes with CDs. I want Vinyl and Cassette tapes simply because they last much longer.
CASSETTES last longer than CDs?
What kind of bizarro world do you live in?
It's not hard to take care of CDs. Put them back in the case when you're done. Put the case back in your collection. Don't leave them lying on the floor.
No matter what, a cassette (especially one produced after 1992) will fuck up eventually. Like I said, I have a lot of CDs that I've had for as many as 15 years that don't have a scratch on them.
-
Many of mine were bought used! And so, they are scratched, also!
-
I still have all of my cassettes from the 80s.
Cassettes from the 80s weren't produced under the "planned obsolescence" guidelines.
Still, seriously, you can't argue that tapes don't degrade, since tapes come into physical contact with the reading device and CDs do not.
Jesus, I thought I was making a bad joke when I used to say that one day we'll have people who feel nostalgiac for cassettes.
-
Clearly you never made a mixtape!
-
Hint: making a mixtape is a bitch.
-
Mixtapes don't count. I've made dozens of those. I still have mixtapes from ex-girlfriends.
But that's different.
Making mixtapes is a bitch? How so? I always find it really fun.
-
remember the days when I could rent a movie from a video store without it screwing up, going into choppy blocks midway through and me trying to figure out if I should just skip the part or turn it into the store for another one.
...Where the heck do you rent from? DVDs and Sharp Objects, Inc.? Seriously, this has never happened to me. Ever.
-
Apparently, digital recordings are inferior by definition. My dad showed me a diagram about it.
this is probably my favorite part of this thread
-
"Son, we need to have a talk. About the facts of Life. Here's a diagram..."
-
Mixtapes don't count. I've made dozens of those. I still have mixtapes from ex-girlfriends.
But that's different.
Making mixtapes is a bitch? How so? I always find it really fun.
Mostly trying to find both decent quality tapes and a method of recording. It's a lot of work to put into it to get a quality-sounding mixtape.
I mean, the actual music selection is pretty much the same, but acquiring the materials is much tougher.
-
i don't really have any tapes (other than what my parents had and I've never looked at them)
i do have a few Nakamichi MR-2 tape decks in the basement though.
-
i mostly get vinyl not because of any trivial reason like "sound quality" and "coolinessness" i get vinyls because vinyls just feel more authentic and have an almost spiritual feeling
i still have my dads old vinyl collection too, if i sold it which i'd never do i could probably get about 10 grand so its a good investement to begin with, but its mostly for the spiritual feeling, i mean c'mon, when i hold the beatles "let it be" album on vinyl its like touching a piece of the 60's while having the cd format just makes it seem... different ina worse way
you bring up some good points, but i for one don't believe sound quality is trivial. Music is sound after all, i feel that their is a direct correlation (to a point) between my enjoyment and sound quality. Not to say that I'm going to like Nsync playing on a 500k dollar setup more than my computer speakers. but to say that i do enjoy Neon Bible on my stereo more than with some ipod ear buds.
and this does effect my choice of source format.
i didn't mean that sound quality was trivial but i think sound quality is something you can live with haha but yeah your right
-
Apparently, digital recordings are inferior by definition. My dad showed me a diagram about it.
this is probably my favorite part of this thread
don't knock it, my dad HAS to draw a diagram for anything and everything.
-
remember the days when I could rent a movie from a video store without it screwing up, going into choppy blocks midway through and me trying to figure out if I should just skip the part or turn it into the store for another one.
...Where the heck do you rent from? DVDs and Sharp Objects, Inc.? Seriously, this has never happened to me. Ever.
You're serious? I rent from a large multitude of video stores in this town and it is much more often than not that the dvd is scratched up in some way and screws up during the movie. I've started to request a 5 minute cleaning of each movie at the stores that do it, even though it makes me sound like a bitch.
-
I've never rented a DVD that had scratches or skipped majorly, but that is probably balanced by the fact that the only DVDs I've really ever rented are reasonably far outside the mainstream and as such haven't been rented by many other people, or haven't been rented by the kind of jackasses who let their kids play frisbee with the DVD.
Also I generally rent new releases.
Still, I've had worse luck with video tapes. No matter what, any VCR can just up and decide to eat any video tape.
-
I always find it amusing buying electronic artists, hell most rock artists too, on vinyl. These sort of bands record primarily on digital right? So they take an analogue signal, translate it to a lower quality digital copy (sampling rates etc as mentioned previously) and then transfer it back to analogue again for the vinyl.
Seems a little silly.
That said, I'll still buy vinyl over CDs given the choice and the right price.
Mp3 is still my current method of choice though. I own 8 vinyls, 200ish CDs and 28gig of mp3s. Each is still slowly building.
-
let their kids play frisbee with the DVD.
Oooooooh, I've done that. Well, not with actual DVDs, but with those AOL disks that are all over the place
-
CD Pro: more fun in a microwave!
-
I buy vinyl just because I think it's cool. I have some records that sound better on vinyl, and some that don't. It's really all about the mastering. The media makes very little difference.
Mostly vinyl just looks and feels a lot cooler to have around.
-
I thought that the superior sound quality of vinyl was pure bunk. Then I bought some vinyl.
-
dude, i'm a sig now
i should get some elliot smith on vinyl.
-
I've been framing my vinyl this month. It makes for some great wall art. It's a pain in the ass to find (inexpensive) frames the right size, though.
-
I picked one up from Urban Outfitters. I think they're like $20 or $22 a piece.
-
I picked one up from Urban Outfitters. I think they're like $20 or $22 a piece.
$20? I wouldn't even spend that on most vinyl I buy! Try looking at dollar stores, I got frames for like 2 bucks each. I painted the frames & hung them up along with some concert posters... very pleased with the result.
-
I didn't pay $20! It was on sale for like $15.
-
Yeah I found some at Wal-Mart. A lot cheaper than $15...
-
The problem with this being that I do not and will not shop at Wal-Mart.
-
Eh, I'd rather go there than Urban Outfitters...
-
Target ok? They have em for $9.99 on their website. Seriously, you should be able to get em for $7 at most if you look around. They're black plastic & then paint them whatever color you want. Instant awesome. My problem is I keep breaking into my 1969 VU Live with Lou Reed. I painted the frame electric blue, so basically, yeah vinyl's better.... what a great cover!
-
That's why I have an original and a re-release of London Calling. Original framed, re-release for listening to.
I guess I'll have to check Target next time I'm there. $10 sounds good to me.
-
That's why I have an original and a re-release of London Calling. Original framed, re-release for listening to.
I guess I'll have to check Target next time I'm there. $10 sounds good to me.
Yeah I did that for a couple albums as well. The best part is I have a bunch of frames painted, so switching them up changes the look of my wall. One day I'll get around to framing my concert posters as well, but I need those done professionally as some are worth quite a bit. That has proved to be expensive!
-
How many of you actually own a cd that has become too scratched to play?
I have CDs that are over a decade old and have been played thousands of times and don't have a scratch on them.
People who scratch their CDs are just lazy or stupid with them.
Jewel cases are not always very nice. There's one disc I have that's scratched because the case malfunctioned. Incidentally, it's my favorite.
Also, why has the fact that vinyl degrades over time not been mentioned? Or were so many old vinyl records from 1960-1980 just made with subpar materials and equipment in the first place?
At home there are many vinyl records. And I greatly prefer digital remasters of most of them.
-
i would like to my 2 pence worth in on this but i think this article from Fact says it all for me!
F*ck Yes! Vinyl Matters
One of the first things i did when i stopped living in London a few months ago was buy a record player again. I had given up records largely because of practicability: storage and retrievability, real problems when living in cramped conditions, ceased to be an issue when music was consumed as digital objects accessed via a searchable database.
But this user-friendliness was not without its drawbacks. Everyone knows that the compression of sound upon the mp3 format depends makes for a thinner sound. Yet listening to music via an iPod involves compression in another sense. With an iPod, it is the space in which one experiences music, as well as the space 'in' the sound itself, that is radically attenuated. The term 'i' and 'pod' here are all to accurate: with the iPod, music functions as a means of keeping the world at bay. It is part of an urban defence kit, a means of transforming all territory into 'my' space. Instead of circulating in public space in which social interaction is possible, iPod users move in a solipsistic bubble that rebuffs contacy. The mp3 player cannot be held solely responsible for this trend of course - it began with Walkman - but the iPod has certainly exacerbated it.
Charlie Bertsch has argued that the timing of the introduction of the ipod , in the immediate wake of 2001, was crucial. Its appeal, he argues, was in large part that it transformed, "music into shelter". Economic, as well as political, changes means this has a special attraction in the 00's: with increasing numbers of people commuting, the iPod allowed time spent travelling to and from work to become leisure time.
Yet the easy availability of music anywhere, anytime has inevitably meant that music has become less valued. Researches from Leicester, Surrey and York universities announced last year that listening to music typically involves less emotional commitment than it used to. "In the 19th century" they announced, "music was seen as a highly valued treasure with fundamental and near-mystical powers of human communication. It was experienced within clearly defined contexts, and its value was intrinsically bound up with those contexts"
Returning to vinyl is a way of restoring this sense of context and occasion to music. the sheer fact of having to turn a record over means that it cannot be relegated to background listening in the way that a potentially endless iTunes stream can. The LP becomes a discrete experience again, with a sense of drama dictated by the two sides of the record. Records demand both space and time. Vinyl decompresses the listening experience, making the music a tactile presence in a room rather than just a background noise in your head.
Words: K-punk
-
If someone is not invested in the music they listen to, it seems to me that it's a problem with the person, not the medium.
-
If someone is not invested in the music they listen to, it seems to me that it's a problem with the person, not the medium.
Second'd.
And why can't music become background music sometimes - it seems to me that would make it more important, bringing together one's life in some way, maybe?
-
i'm not saying it can't, i love to make a quick playlist, wack the volume up and get on with the cleaning, washing etc etc. what i am saying is that i dont actually listen to it, its just there to kill the silence and make the housework that bit easier. when i put on a record i'm very rarely doing anything other than sitting down and listening to it. plus if an artist is ever going to bonus tracks on an album, they''l put it on the vinyl.
-
except for big black
and anything on itunes ever.
-
F*ck Yes! Vinyl Matters
One of the first things i did when i stopped living in London a few months ago was buy a record player again. I had given up records largely because of practicability: storage and retrievability, real problems when living in cramped conditions, ceased to be an issue when music was consumed as digital objects accessed via a searchable database.
But this user-friendliness was not without its drawbacks. Everyone knows that the compression of sound upon the mp3 format depends makes for a thinner sound. Yet listening to music via an iPod involves compression in another sense. With an iPod, it is the space in which one experiences music, as well as the space 'in' the sound itself, that is radically attenuated. The term 'i' and 'pod' here are all to accurate: with the iPod, music functions as a means of keeping the world at bay. It is part of an urban defence kit, a means of transforming all territory into 'my' space. Instead of circulating in public space in which social interaction is possible, iPod users move in a solipsistic bubble that rebuffs contacy. The mp3 player cannot be held solely responsible for this trend of course - it began with Walkman - but the iPod has certainly exacerbated it.
Charlie Bertsch has argued that the timing of the introduction of the ipod , in the immediate wake of 2001, was crucial. Its appeal, he argues, was in large part that it transformed, "music into shelter". Economic, as well as political, changes means this has a special attraction in the 00's: with increasing numbers of people commuting, the iPod allowed time spent travelling to and from work to become leisure time.
Yet the easy availability of music anywhere, anytime has inevitably meant that music has become less valued. Researches from Leicester, Surrey and York universities announced last year that listening to music typically involves less emotional commitment than it used to. "In the 19th century" they announced, "music was seen as a highly valued treasure with fundamental and near-mystical powers of human communication. It was experienced within clearly defined contexts, and its value was intrinsically bound up with those contexts"
Returning to vinyl is a way of restoring this sense of context and occasion to music. the sheer fact of having to turn a record over means that it cannot be relegated to background listening in the way that a potentially endless iTunes stream can. The LP becomes a discrete experience again, with a sense of drama dictated by the two sides of the record. Records demand both space and time. Vinyl decompresses the listening experience, making the music a tactile presence in a room rather than just a background noise in your head.
Words: K-punk
I get this, and I have heard this from -- dare I say it -- older people. I rememeber a Joe Strummer interview where he mentions that sitting down to listen to a record was a big deal, an event, entertainment. Now it's just part of multi-tasking.
And that's true. I'm listening to a song as I type this. I multi task and have music as my backround much too often.
I get that appeal of vinyl, and I have vinyl myself where that sort concentration happens.
But, never fear, music will not stop having "near-mysical powers of human communiction." That's why I am dumbfounded by my favorite artists, and I dare not try my hand at music. I can master words, but I cannot master the impossible, life-saving magaic that comes with music. It intimidates the hell out of me because it's THAT important.
So, iTunes won't ruin it, don't worry.
I still dig the vinyl, too. I like the history of it, the scratch of it, the crackle, the noises. But I like CDs too, and I like to be able to fit 400 songs into my jeans pocket.
It's all good, kids.
-
To add to the debate...(and to re-interpret parts of the fact post)...
I get dragged into discussions about the merits of vinyl versus cd versus ipod on a weekly basis - I work as a dj, and the snobbery that surrounds format is obscene. My preference is with CDs, the main reason being practicality.
Firstly - it's more cost effective. Though buying 7" is cheaper in the short term, records, especially when being transported, do get damaged, and having to buy 2 copies of some single seems pointless - I resent having to spend money on back-ups of songs when the money could be spent on even more music. With CDs, you buy it/download it, burn it onto your computer and ta dah! You have a back-up for when one messes up.
Secondly - transport and space, as the fact post stated. Huge record bags look cool as, but they're virtually impossible to carry anywhere. I injure myself on a regular basis just trying to carry a CD wallet around. Plus, if my music collection was on vinyl, I wouldn't have room to sleep or live in my room. Plus, it would be harder to find what I needed at any given point - I'm scatty at best and like to have my music sub-divided into genres and alphebetised, and like to be able to create playlists and compilation CDs in a second. YES I AM A NERD. But I still get derided by other DJs for using shiny plastic discs, despite the fact that my set never suffers from it.
Throw into this the fact that the majority of places I work at no longer have both record decks working, but have super flash CD mixers, this is a sign that even clubs, the main bastion of Vinyl Snobbery, are giving up on the cherished reverence of vinyl in favour of having cables for iPods and decent CD equipment.
That said, my basis for preference is one based on listening to and playing music in a commercial setting. I haven't disowned the notion of vinyl at all, and still get seduced by the ones with pretty colours and shapes (Fiery Furnaces still win with the green glittery 7"). But, I have to really know and love an album to want to own it on record - much like London Calling. It'll take me a year or so to know that an album is important enough for me to want to actually cherish, and enjoy the whole process of setting it in the player, admiring the artwork etc and just listen to it. I'm not saying that I'd get any less pleasure from listening to it on CD, but having the vinyl seems to be my personal indicator that this album is something to treasure, rather than just be told that I've listened to the songs from it 554 times on an iTunes playlist...