cymbalism15 Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Alright I will delete this if another thread already exists but I searched and I couldn't find anything so if I missed it, please let me know. Anyways, I was reading this article today http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/audio-designline-blog/4033509/Vinyl-vs-CD-myths-refuse-to-die and it's not the first time that I've heard this argument brought up. It seems that CD quality matches vinyl quality which I didn't know. My question for you guys, and I understand that I am recieving a biased response from a vinyl forum , why vinyl? It's more expensive and harder to keep up so what are the advantages? I've collected records for a while now because of my parents but in light of this new knowledge I was wondering if some of you guys that have been doing it much longer than I have could possibly shed some light on the issue for me. So why vinyl? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dejadevilgod Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Cd is compressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtz Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 My reasons probably differ from most on this board... Me buying vinyl has nothing to do with the sound quality. Cds and records both sound good. A good portion of the music I listen to is only released on vinyl. I started buying vinyl because there was music I wanted that wasn't available on cd. Eventually I switched over to primarily listening to vinyl, so that is the format I buy the most and the format I choose if there is an option. If a release is cd only, or cassette only... I still buy it. I don't understand many people on this board who just seem to be buying their favorite cds on vinyl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gutzonborglum Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 My reasons probably differ from most on this board...Me buying vinyl has nothing to do with the sound quality. Cds and records both sound good. A good portion of the music I listen to is only released on vinyl. I started buying vinyl because there was music I wanted that wasn't available on cd. Eventually I switched over to primarily listening to vinyl, so that is the format I buy the most and the format I choose if there is an option. If a release is cd only, or cassette only... I still buy it. I don't understand many people on this board who just seem to be buying their favorite cds on vinyl. Alfred E Newman makes a lot of sense. Down with homework! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourfourtwo Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 I like having something tangible to hold, I love the packaging, the creativity that goes into a release in terms of linear notes, gate folds, special packaging.. I love listening to whole albums at one time, and I feel digital gives too much freedom to skip a song and move on to the next. That, and like Kurtz said, a lot of bands now only release records. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suchashorttime Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 I think listening to vinyl is more active and ritualistic than listening to digital formats. Records make demands on the listener, such as dropping the needle and flipping sides, hence keeping the listener physically engaged while listening. I think the vinyl format also does the visually artistic side of music moer justice in both cover and insert art, as well as creative color combinations for the record itself. I like digital for driving and working out, but I otherwise I find the whole process of listening to a record far more appealing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GradedOnACurve Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 I like owning physical copies of music. Was buying CDs for years and transferring it to my iPod but found no use for the CDs once that was said and done. Had a few 7" so I decided to buy a record player. Loved it. Found that some vinyl came with download codes or could be found online anyway and switched primarily to vinyl. Gave me a reason to pull out physical music and has its own sound advantages. No brainer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcm1610 Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Interesting, I was just approached by a guy at Record Theatre with almost this same question. I'm in a bad mood so I didn't give him as good a response as I should, but I simply talked about the aesthetic of it... for most people, CDs are outdated because of MP3s (or at least digital files like FLAC), so if you really want something tangible, a record is very appealing. I love physical media. I have bookshelves overflowing with history books, econ books, novels, hockey books, coaching shit, graphic novels, but have no intention of ever buying a nook. That's my comparison. I like the OG format because it's tangible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuzzersonKillwell Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 The size of the format, for me, is a really perfect intersection of music and art. I also enjoy the ritual, I sit down and actively listen when a record is on. CDs or digital, for me, are a passive experience, I tend to play them in the background. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thacriddler Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 I like owning physical copies of music. Was buying CDs for years and transferring it to my iPod but found no use for the CDs once that was said and done. Had a few 7" so I decided to buy a record player. Loved it. Found that some vinyl came with download codes or could be found online anyway and switched primarily to vinyl. Gave me a reason to pull out physical music and has its own sound advantages. No brainer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebistro Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 They look nice in frames on my wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
necroscope Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 It's the last viable physical form of music. If you don't want to live in a download/mp3 world, vinyl is all that's left. There are still CDs and they will be around awhile longer for bands who can't afford to do anything else, but they've been dying for a long time. So what's left? Records. Also as others have already said, it's more interactive, bigger nicer packaging, etc.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexschelldorf Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 So I can interact with all of you fine people on this board. danoise 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circuit bored records Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Large artwork and more tactile listening experience. Quality? Meh, CDs and mp3s still sound great on my system too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deafmx Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 They look nice in frames on my wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molder Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 The undeniable "warmth" of the music. Surely makes it sound like a contained LIVE performance of the music. My best example is the drums on Hendrix's Axis sound like the drums are being played IN the room live in front of me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daiei Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Along with everything that's already been said, I enjoy the collecting aspect. Limited releases make me "hunt" for records. I like knowing that I am one of only 999 other people that have the record. Countless thousands can buy a CD and infinite people can easily download. Makes me feel more connected with the music. On a similar note, the price of vinyl helps me purchase only the "essentials." I feel digital has pampered all of us. That being said, I'm not a vinyl ecxlusive kind of guy. Digital/CDs definitely have their pros. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timthefatguy Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 I started collecting almost 7 years ago, my reason then was the thought that you could still buy/listen to new music on an old format, something about that seemed cool, it'd be like playing a playstation 3 game on a NES or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natealcatraz Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 What can survive an EMP shockwave? If it can survive, then I'll listen to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylo234 Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 The size of the format, for me, is a really perfect intersection of music and art.I also enjoy the ritual, I sit down and actively listen when a record is on. CDs or digital, for me, are a passive experience, I tend to play them in the background. This. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin848 Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Because chicks dig it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outxofxbeer Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 I started buying records because I was a poor college student making minimum wage and at the time ('98-'99) 7"s were in the $2-$3 range and lp's were $5-$6 from No Idea. While at the same time Record Town sold their CD's for $15-$17 which was ridiculous. CD's have dropped in price and records have increased but it's still my preferred medium. pizza face 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Dopp Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 When I used to buy CD's, I'd rip them onto my computer and then the CD would just get thrown in the corner. CD's are just outdated. In my car I listen to my iPod (or iPhone) and my generation almost always has an iPod dock or an aux input in the car so that you can listen to your iPod or Zune or whatever else you choose. Vinyl makes music tangible to me. Being able to see the album artwork, the insert, the packaging... that whole thing is just cooler than CD's. Plus, with more and more records coming with a digital download code, why would you even need CD's? You have the record for when you want to play music at home, and you have the digital download for your laptop and your iPod. It seriously is the best of both worlds. And as a few others have said, the hunt for something that's collectible is pretty cool too. I feel like the casual music listener doesn't really care... but when you buy a record, you're actually investing in the music. I don't know if that makes sense, but that's how I feel anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fixedfrequencies Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 whine-yl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mameeshkamowskwoz Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 If something is recorded in analog (tape) the sound is more "captured". There are subtleties to the sound that you can and cannot hear, but when recorded analog it is there. Analog sources can then be transferred to digital, but the sound (frequency, bit rate, tone and other factors) are compressed to a medium that does not have the infinite range of sounds that tape (DAT or regular) or vinyl do. So when you record to analog and physically imprint that sound to the medium it remains. If you compress to digital you get what fits into that medium's range (16 bit 44.1 khz for cd, 24 bit 96 khz for DVD.) That being said there are plenty of recordings (a lot of stuff recorded in the 90s and 2000s) that are recorded digitally, so often it may as well be a cd since that audio when put on vinyl would have no better audio quality. You can record digitally in a bit and frequency higher than will fit on a cd (which could then be on DVD audio or HDCD) but would still not sound as good as an analog source on analog format. That's why when CDs first came out (some still hae it) you'd see three letter mastering descriptions in the booklet or the back of the case using all As and Ds. This is a SPARS code. The A is analog and the D is digital. It tells you in order what the source was, what the mixing format was and what the mastering format was. So a cd from a 70s album would probably be AAD or ADD depending on if it was mixed using analog or digital media. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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