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Pirate Vinyl Records! :D
40hz:
+1 w/f0dder.
The entire esthetic for what constitutes a "good" recording, along with the techniques and process used to record it, has changed so radically with the advent of digital that it's pointless to compare analog and digital - let alone to try to estabish (in absolute terms) which is superior. Each is good in its own way. And each has its own unique strengths and shortcomings.
Comparing analog to digital would make as much sense as trying to determine whether an electric guitar, a synth, or a flute is "better."
It all depends on what sounds good to your ears. And no two are exactly alike.
Edvard:
1 - This if freaking awesome. Makes me want to start buying stuff on vinyl again, copy it and stow away the original until the copy wears out. If only this could be used to cure skips...
2 - The only beefs I really have with digital vs. vinyl is the artifacting produced by compression (almost non-existent on properly recorded CDs, and only distractingly noticeable to MY ears on mp3s of 128Kbps or less) and the god-awful sonic vomitry of the Loudness Warw. And as f0dder said, both cases can be corrected by the judicious hand of an experienced producer/engineer. On the other hand, a worn needle or over-played vinyl is as bad or worse than any claimed digital harshness.
That said, I remember I once had a cassette of a band called Arsenal, their album "Factory Smog Is a Sign of Progress". I thought it was pretty good, but I happened to hear a recording of the same album a friend of mine recorded from vinyl. The difference was like comparing bologna to steak, and sold me on vinyl for a number of years.
Great years those were... :Thmbsup:
40hz:
I still prefer vinyl for the more organic ambiance and softness of the sound. But that's what I grew up with so that probably has a lot to do with how I feel about it. It's what I learned sounded "right" - and the preference is now linked too deeply in the neurons processing sound for me to feel differently.
Those who go back to vinyl may remember a company that did half-speed vinyl mastering. They were called Mobile Fidelity. An album by them went for about $15 when a regular LP cost about $5-$8. If you had a really good cartridge in your turntable and a decent stereo amp and quality speakers, the difference was like night and day. No warble, hiss, clicks or pops!
My Garrand turntable (with a high-end Pickering cartridge) running through a homebrew tube preamp and Carver Cube stereo amp attached to a pair of ESS speakers really did half-speed mastered albums justice.
:Thmbsup:
Tinman57:
For those of us who have had the experience of listening to Japanese pressed vinyls, there's the difference between night and day. Their albums are mastered on a thick plate, about twice as thick as a cheap-ass LP's from the states. You don't get all that pop, hum, clicks, etc like the U.S. versions. There was once an organization trying to get the U.S. standards up to par with the rest of the world, but if failed and soon after CD's came into being.
As far as the U.S. pressed LP's, I don't like them. To me CD's are pure sound, as long as it's played on a good quality CD player and a proper Pink-Noise adjusted Graphic Equalizer. And even better when ran through a Dynamic Sound Expander. Just my :two:
Renegade:
I generally use a flat EQ with no effects. Why mess with what the band and recording engineers intended? Sometimes I'll put up the bass for some music, but in general, I listen to it flat.
For LP sound vs. CD, well, they're different. LPs have that analog warmth with all it's imperfections. The perfect sound of a CD is, well, it is what it is.
There are quite a few small studios/labels that put out LPs in small batches for collectors. They typically charge a bit of a premium, but the product you get is extraordinary.
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