Sony plans to make vinyl records again • Hacker News Board

Re: Sony plans to make vinyl records again

#211

Post by skciva » Fri, Jun 30, 2017, 5:46 PM UTC

eanzenberg wrote: post #191

bcrescimanno wrote: post #144

As someone who started collecting vinyl about 3 years ago, it's about the difference between passive and active involvement in music. So much of our music consumption these days is a largely passive activity. We have music in our headphones while we work. We have music on in our cars while we drive. We have music on in the background of social events. While modern digital formats have given us true ubiquity of music…

I dunno.. digital music just sounds better, is more consistent, portable, and all around easier to play than vinyl. Why stop there? Do you also churn your own butter, milk your own cows, shave with a straight razor? Personally, I think it's just silly hipster bias.

So you don't understand why people like something and dismiss it as silly hipster bias? Does everything have to be about efficiency and logical superiority? People enjoy the experience more and are spending money on it. How horrible.

Re: Sony plans to make vinyl records again

#212

Post by cheeseprocedure » Fri, Jun 30, 2017, 5:47 PM UTC

eanzenberg wrote: post #191

bcrescimanno wrote: post #144

As someone who started collecting vinyl about 3 years ago, it's about the difference between passive and active involvement in music. So much of our music consumption these days is a largely passive activity. We have music in our headphones while we work. We have music on in our cars while we drive. We have music on in the background of social events. While modern digital formats have given us true ubiquity of music…

I dunno.. digital music just sounds better, is more consistent, portable, and all around easier to play than vinyl. Why stop there? Do you also churn your own butter, milk your own cows, shave with a straight razor? Personally, I think it's just silly hipster bias.

Due to physical limitations of the medium, mastering the vinyl release of an album is often (usually?) a separate process than mastering the digital version.

One of the consequences is less compression/clipping, better dynamic range, etc. for the vinyl version. This can have a huge positive impact on sound quality.

You don't have to be a nutbar audiophile to appreciate it, either - you can even hear the difference between old rock albums and their heavily compressed re-releases.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sound-advice/q-how-does-masterin...

http://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/end-loudness-war

Re: Sony plans to make vinyl records again

#213

Post by nocman » Fri, Jun 30, 2017, 5:48 PM UTC

bcrescimanno wrote: post #144

As someone who started collecting vinyl about 3 years ago, it's about the difference between passive and active involvement in music. So much of our music consumption these days is a largely passive activity. We have music in our headphones while we work. We have music on in our cars while we drive. We have music on in the background of social events. While modern digital formats have given us true ubiquity of music…

While I can understand the nostalgia of playing music on a record player (many of us had lots of records when we were younger), and how that experience could be different for you, perhaps in a very pleasant way, I find the idea that the experience of using one medium over another somehow makes you more "serious" about the music (or more engaged with the music, or whatever else you want to call it) is laughable.

You can be every bit as "active" in the listening experience playing the music on an iPod or a CD player as you are sticking a needle on a vinyl record. And for that matter, you can be just as passive in the listening experience listening to a vinyl recording (well, OK, you might get a slight bit more exercise getting your butt off of the chair when the record is over -- if you can't get someone else to put on the next record :-D).

I do think that our culture is terribly entertainment-driven, and that much of the time music is just background noise that isn't really being paid attention to, but that has nothing to do with the medium, except that some mediums make that easier to do than others.

I Also think the culture tends to underestimate the value of peace and quiet, and that the TV or stereo doesn't have to be on 24 hours a day. Don't get me wrong, I love music, and so does my family. We have it playing regularly at our house. I'll still crank up the stereo when a song is particularly good (it's usually too loud for my kids before it's too loud for me :-D). But having some quiet in the day, so you can think without being bombarded with stuff in the background is also important -- not just for older people either -- kids and young adults need it too.

[edited to remove unintended indentation]

Re: Sony plans to make vinyl records again

#214

Post by lyime » Fri, Jun 30, 2017, 5:48 PM UTC

eanzenberg wrote: post #191

bcrescimanno wrote: post #144

As someone who started collecting vinyl about 3 years ago, it's about the difference between passive and active involvement in music. So much of our music consumption these days is a largely passive activity. We have music in our headphones while we work. We have music on in our cars while we drive. We have music on in the background of social events. While modern digital formats have given us true ubiquity of music…

I dunno.. digital music just sounds better, is more consistent, portable, and all around easier to play than vinyl. Why stop there? Do you also churn your own butter, milk your own cows, shave with a straight razor? Personally, I think it's just silly hipster bias.

Yeah, you don't know. I listen to a ton of music that's only released on vinyl. For example, almost all records you find at Yoyako (https://www.yoyaku.io/) are vinyl-only.

Re: Sony plans to make vinyl records again

#215

Post by marcosdumay » Fri, Jun 30, 2017, 5:51 PM UTC

empath75 wrote: post #184

bcrescimanno wrote: post #144

As someone who started collecting vinyl about 3 years ago, it's about the difference between passive and active involvement in music. So much of our music consumption these days is a largely passive activity. We have music in our headphones while we work. We have music on in our cars while we drive. We have music on in the background of social events. While modern digital formats have given us true ubiquity of music…

This is the only explanation for this that I could actually understand. Anyone telling me that they think it sounds better just triggers eye rolling.

Honestly, have you looked at your sound system recently?

At the time of vinyl, the RIAA had standards on how to process the sound. Those were good standards. On the move to digital we threw them away, and nowadays some companies go into the cheapest route, some go into the best benchmarks route, and nearly no company tries to release a system that sounds good anymore.

But vinyl systems still have to follow the RIAA standards, otherwise they'll get completely distorted.

Re: Sony plans to make vinyl records again

#216

Post by swiley » Fri, Jun 30, 2017, 5:51 PM UTC

hashkb wrote: post #71

swiley wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It sounds like (as others are saying) the limitations of vinyl as a medium had social effects that made it sound better (similar to the limitations of older video game consoles.)

That may be true, but you could just not use gross compression on your digital tracks to achieve loudness and it'd be moot.

Right, that's why it's a social thing and not a technical thing.

In reality, it could be that a randomly selected record sounds nicer than a randomly selected CD track, even though it really has little to do with the media itself.

This sort of thing happens all the time, just look at the culture that has developed around windows software development compared to the equivalent with GNU/Linux. It's not really a technical thing, there's very little that each OS isn't capable of. But the way the average piece of software for both platforms is designed, documented, and marketed is totally different.

Re: Sony plans to make vinyl records again

#217

Post by cartoonfoxes » Fri, Jun 30, 2017, 5:51 PM UTC

I've spent a significant fraction of the last 20+ years staring into screens. Analogue tickles my brain the same way computers and anything electronic or digital did when I was a kid. I have no illusions that my preference for vinyl in purchased media is anything other than emotional.

Re: Sony plans to make vinyl records again

#218

Post by knownothing » Fri, Jun 30, 2017, 5:51 PM UTC

bcrescimanno wrote: post #144

As someone who started collecting vinyl about 3 years ago, it's about the difference between passive and active involvement in music. So much of our music consumption these days is a largely passive activity. We have music in our headphones while we work. We have music on in our cars while we drive. We have music on in the background of social events. While modern digital formats have given us true ubiquity of music…

Perhaps. I see the passive/active duality more clearly with listening (or consuming) versus performing music.

There has been a strong shift towards consumption in all forms as we've gotten better at making things.

Re: Sony plans to make vinyl records again

#219

Post by rquirk » Fri, Jun 30, 2017, 5:53 PM UTC

eanzenberg wrote: post #191

bcrescimanno wrote: post #144

As someone who started collecting vinyl about 3 years ago, it's about the difference between passive and active involvement in music. So much of our music consumption these days is a largely passive activity. We have music in our headphones while we work. We have music on in our cars while we drive. We have music on in the background of social events. While modern digital formats have given us true ubiquity of music…

I dunno.. digital music just sounds better, is more consistent, portable, and all around easier to play than vinyl. Why stop there? Do you also churn your own butter, milk your own cows, shave with a straight razor? Personally, I think it's just silly hipster bias.

Straight razors are pretty popular still in shaving forums.

Re: Sony plans to make vinyl records again

#220

Post by lastflowers » Fri, Jun 30, 2017, 5:54 PM UTC

sosuke wrote: post #187

vertex-four wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's still a lot of narrative-based music, it's just not heavily pushed in music stores and on the radio. A lot of it sits on bandcamp - the New Albion trilogy, The Mechanisms' sets, etc etc.

Thanks for the leads I'm always looking to expand my horizon.

I've been using the Store at VinylMePlease every few months to discover new bands. I'll put their albums on a Spotify list and remove those that really don't jive.