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Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
01/26/09
01/26/09
Just explain one thing to me: If this device is playing a vinyl record...capturing all the unique-to-vinyl sound characteristics, and putting that on a CD...won't the CD sound exactly like vinyl does...at least how it sounded during that 1 spin?
01/26/09
brief difference...
Vinyl = captures the true vibration of the sound from the final studio mix.
CD = chops the final studio mix into tiny little pieces resulting in 16bit audio.
01/26/09
01/26/09
Recording systems used by almost every artist these days are based on digital samples, regardless of distribution format. Even artists that use tape often use it as an effect, recording to tape and then transferring to digital.
Both digital and analog systems can sound awesome or crappy depending on their components. Digital isn't worse per se, but there are a lot of crappy digital systems and data-compressed digital files that do conspire to give it a bad rep though.
01/26/09
01/26/09
01/26/09
01/26/09
01/26/09
01/26/09
The best way to help people out in this forum is to pass on what I know. Using vinyl is more or less a hobby, and has an underground cult following. Here's some tips...
1. The player is the key. Where with CD, you can get any player, and you're fine. With vinyl, uh, not so much. You have to choose from belt drive or direct drive. IMHO, go with direct drive. It's the automatic transmission of vinyl lovers.
2. Upkeep, it's pointless to go with vinyl if you don't replace your needles, check your belts, and/or go DJ Jazzy Jeff on your LP's.
3. Unlike CD's, every vinyl recording is different. Albums that use a lot of computer modification will sound like crap on vinyl. This is why you'll never see me own a Britney Spears LP. However, most pre-1992 albums sound excellent. Here's a list of my must-haves...
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Wu-Tang Clan - 36 Chambers: Enter the Wu-Tang
Metallica - The Black Album and everything before that
Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (Go for imported titles)
Purple Rain Soundtrack (Darling Nikki is a vinyl classic)
I have more, but this has become a bible of a comment.
01/27/09
Albums are recorded however they're recorded - these days, digitally. The masters are then distributed in different formats, digital uncompressed, digital compressed, analog. An analog distribution format doesn't add musical information that wasn't added during the recording process. However, analog formats add distortion and compression that you may find pleasing.
If the recording is well mastered (the process after mixing the tracks, before duplication), it should sound as good as it can sound on its own. If it sounds too cold or doesn't gel prior to mastering, mastering engineers use a variety of tools - digital and analog - to make the tracks come together. Whatever else happens to it, mastering produces the digital reference track that will sound as good as it's going to sound.
then, the master is used to generate copies in different formats for distribution. MP3s are compressed files and shadows of the studio master. But if you're comparing an uncompressed (or high resolution) digital file played back on a good system with a good d/a converter to whatever vinyl you've got, the digital won't sound like a "synth" to the vinyl's "grand piano." Despite claims by vinyl fans, blind taste tests confirm this. However, if you're comparing a crappily compressed MP3 played back on an iPod to an excellent vinyl system lovingly maintained by a vinyl fanboy, the vinyl will sound better.
Analog has a coolness factor (and sound artifacts) that people like, but from a pure audio perspective, analog isn't better than digital in 2009.