I wonder if the Resurgence of VinyL is the Answer

[starving student]

to inferior audio format distribution, lately alot of the kids have been getting into vinyl, I hope it keeps on growing, it seems like a certain part of the population is looking for more value in their music, they want something to hold onto and artist are starting to press up their shit more and more

computer wallpaper and screensavers are just no replacement for album covers, there used to be a whole community of artist surrounding the making of an album it was very healthy, not so cold and isolated as encoding up some mp3s

[1.6180339887]

to inferior audio format distribution

I thought FLAC was the answer to that particular question ?

[hurlingdervish]

i have a record player and i love vinyl

but there is a good reason the cd was invented

it gets clunky and you run out of space...i've seen kids with rooms full of vinyl from diggin for samples

i don't care who you are that's no fun.

unless they drop the prices for production and distribution i don't think it will ever reach the popularity it once had. hell the new animal collective was 35 bucks on vinyl...kind of expensive for an album, but necessary since the thing was 3 or 4 records

I say NO, it's not the answer, but it's nice to have the option.

[starving student]

yeah it's a shame how much it cost, digging for vinyl is another story though not only is it fun but in most cases necessary.

when you think about what records are made of it should be cheap to make them

[8O]

I don't want to thread-jack here, but just seeing a new released Naim HD player, I was wondering: if you transfer the master recordings into a lossless digital medium, like flac for instance, and it stays as a digital file, then surely decoding from the digital domain will be perfect on every player from the very cheapest to the most expensive. I mean, before the DAC, the bits in the data will all be read 100% accurately, the same as all files are usually retrieved from your HD. So, as a source, a flac-supporting HD-player will be the most accurate version of the master you will be able to get. Right? Right, guys?

[Hidden Driveways]

I don't think owning a copy of the music that's as accurate to the master tapes is the point.

The point is to make an emotional connection with the music, and vinyl is by far the most powerful medium for this.

The more new records you personally buy, the bigger it will get. Now get shopping!

[starving student]

yeah i think that's my point, when you get an audio file the music could be wonderful but the divide between the computer and the person is so great, watching stuff on somebody's website like videos or what have you leaves the listener as connected as mtv or anything else on television it's distant. but when you've got a great album in your hands and you put it on and listen to it while still holding the album cover is a special experience, the crazy thing is that most kids these days don't know enough of what they're missing but they can still tell that their missing something.

[osopolar]

It's not only the "emotional connection" to the Vinyl.

It's also a very different format, that gives you more bass frequency on rock records.
And a kind of gritty highs...that might be there because of the way Lp's are mastered.
((((((and the medium..of course).


I mean...you listen to Revolver by the beatles.....on a vinyl...and the bass stab you in the chest for 40 minutes.

You play the same album in your ipod...with earbuds....i assure you...you cant feel the same.

That applies to that specific record..as well as so many millions more.

It is a one of a kind experience...that deserves to be kept.

[8O]

...
I mean...you listen to Revolver by the beatles.....on a vinyl...and the bass stab you in the chest for 40 minutes.

You play the same album in your ipod...with earbuds....i assure you...you cant feel the same.

That applies to that specific record..as well as so many millions more.

It is a one of a kind experience...that deserves to be kept.
...

I disagree completely. I'd say the emotional power of music is almost completely determined by the musical content and very, very little by the subtleties of the medium. People hearing, e.g. your example, Revolver, today for the first time on a CD instead of vinyl will still be blown away by what a great album it is. And all the new music being produced today, the vast majority of which will never be on vinyl, doesn't have any emotional connection?? I'm not talking about Britney here, I'm talking about the good stuff, including, for example, performances of classical music which will be recorded digitally and released purely on digital media. It will, hopefully, be reproduced as accurately as possible to the experience of sitting in that concert hall when it was performed. My emotional connection is with the music itself, not with the accuracy of the RIAA curve or the ritual of placing the disk on the platter.

[8O]

yeah i think that's my point, when you get an audio file the music could be wonderful but the divide between the computer and the person is so great, watching stuff on somebody's website like videos or what have you leaves the listener as connected as mtv or anything else on television it's distant. but when you've got a great album in your hands and you put it on and listen to it while still holding the album cover is a special experience, the crazy thing is that most kids these days don't know enough of what they're missing but they can still tell that their missing something.

Also disagree, sorry. Listening to stuff digitally doesn't automatically not taking the time to listen. If I listen to CD or something off a HD, and I sit down and take the time to appreciate the music, I still get that great album experience. If you need the album sleeve in front of you to keep you from distractions or need the ritual of going up to the turntable every 40 minutes, then that's fine, but recognise it for what it is, and not be fooled into thinking that people can't have the same level of emotional connection unless they hear it on vinyl.

[o0o]

vinyl is better

[starving student]

yeah i think that's my point, when you get an audio file the music could be wonderful but the divide between the computer and the person is so great, watching stuff on somebody's website like videos or what have you leaves the listener as connected as mtv or anything else on television it's distant. but when you've got a great album in your hands and you put it on and listen to it while still holding the album cover is a special experience, the crazy thing is that most kids these days don't know enough of what they're missing but they can still tell that their missing something.

Also disagree, sorry. Listening to stuff digitally doesn't automatically not taking the time to listen. If I listen to CD or something off a HD, and I sit down and take the time to appreciate the music, I still get that great album experience. If you need the album sleeve in front of you to keep you from distractions or need the ritual of going up to the turntable every 40 minutes, then that's fine, but recognise it for what it is, and not be fooled into thinking that people can't have the same level of emotional connection unless they hear it on vinyl.

it's funny how you said you still get that great album experience, but before and after that all you talk about is how stupid that experience is, are you sure you haven't fooled yourself?

[smartass303]

vinyl distribution is good for the distribution foodchain (artist>label>distributor>shop).
i know people working in there so i suppose its good.

but today i heard dj sprinkles on crappy myspace for the first time and had goosebumps.

its all about this special feeling not about the format (i would say its not even about the audio quality),

303

[Hidden Driveways]

...all the new music being produced today, the vast majority of which will never be on vinyl, doesn't have any emotional connection??

That's your quote, not mine. Of course good music still has a strong emotional connection. The argument is that vinyl provides deeper emotional connection, and that adds value to a release.

Case in point: Monolake. A couple years ago I was at Kim's Records in Manhattan going through the electronic stuff on vinyl. During that visit I came across a bunch of Monolake 12 inches. They were cool looking, very minimal, black wax + black label in a clear jacket. I thought to myself... "not today, but I'll come back and get these soon." Of course, dumb move, because when I came back a couple weeks later they were all gone.

I own a Monolake CD and I like it very much, Digital Cities (I think is the title). I would buy another Monolake CD in the future. But, those 12 inches haunt me. I want them more than I want the CD. I don't want to buy them online, but if I never find them from digging around in record stores, I will buy them online eventually. For me, the act of finding new music still requires the hunt, the discovery, and the acquisition. It's a very rewarding experience to find music this way. It always has been and it always will be.

I like finding new music on Myspace and other mediums like that too. Sure, Myspace can give you goosebumps. But for me, adopting a piece of vinyl into my permanent collection, so I can pull it on Sunday afternoons and listen to it in all of its glory, feel it in my hands, and smell it when I pull it from the sleeve, that to me is the most enjoyable way to connect with the music I love. God bless this new generation that's driving vinyl sales through the roof. It's not just for old goats like me. It's a universal thing that knows no age.

[leisuremuffin]

after moving 6 times with a collection of more than 2000 lps (those were the ones i moved with, had more packed up at parents house) any emotional connection gets old. I love my records and will never sell them. I love to listen to them. But i'm not buying anymore or moving with them until i own a house (so maybe never). With my lifestyle it's simply not something i can do. Frankly, I'd much rather have all those records as digital files.


.lm.