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Manufacturing plant fire threatens worldwide vinyl record supply

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Re: Manufacturing plant fire threatens worldwide vinyl record supply

#61

Post by ScottBurson »

eganist wrote: post #2

I haven't found an objective explanation for why some populations prefer vinyl analog over any digital renditions of a sound. Can anyone share some insight? (I've listened to both, and the description of vinyl or even analog sound as being generally "warmer" never resonated with me.)

Beats me. I still have a collection of LPs I bought in the 1970s and early 80s, and while many of them are pretty good pressings and I don't mind listening to them, some are pretty bad. I have a lot more CDs, and they almost all sound very good to excellent (any defects being in the master, not the medium, of course).

What I do get nostalgic for is music without compression. So many recent recordings I find unlistenable, even when I like the music, because they're compressed to within a dB of their lives. This is a much bigger deal to me than digital vs. analog.

Re: Manufacturing plant fire threatens worldwide vinyl record supply

#62

Post by ScottBurson »

newnewpdro wrote: post #19
yokaze wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To my knowledge, in small volumes vinyl is cheaper to produce than CDs. So, if you want to get a physical medium, it might be the only choice.

It's also trivially recycled, AIUI vinyl records can simply be shredded to bits and put right back into the pressing process to make new ones. I saw a documentary a while back about a region where new local songs were pressed into records on a weekly basis, I think it was in Jamaica. The local music scene was highly ephemeral, and people's records were constantly being recycled for this week's new tunes.

The vinyl gets noisier when it's recycled. The best pressings are on virgin vinyl.

Re: Manufacturing plant fire threatens worldwide vinyl record supply

#63

Post by jakobegger »

kortilla wrote: post #33
jakobegger wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hate everything about CDs. The flimsy jewel cases that break all the time, the tiny artwork, how easily CDs scratch, how choosing a song requires clicking stupid buttons, the delay after inserting CDs, the high pitched whine of the motor, the sound of the stepper motor as it moves the laser... When I listen to music, I want to slow down and relax, and taking a record out of the sleeve is just so much nicer than fid…

I mean it can’t possibly be about CD issues because that’s trivially solved by using a digital music player. I can see the argument about the giant album art making it more of a ritual, but all of the CD complaints sound like lame justifications IMO.

Sorry, for some reason I assumed that the question was about Vinyl vs. CD, maybe because my preference for physical media seems like something obvious that needs no explanation.

Another factor is that I have the same analog hifi system since 16 years. I've grown to like it.

I've also used (and still use) digital players (computers, iPods, smartphones, etc), but they either break, or the software changes every few years, making it kinda hard to get attached to.

Re: Manufacturing plant fire threatens worldwide vinyl record supply

#64

Post by lb1lf »

eganist wrote: post #2

I haven't found an objective explanation for why some populations prefer vinyl analog over any digital renditions of a sound. Can anyone share some insight? (I've listened to both, and the description of vinyl or even analog sound as being generally "warmer" never resonated with me.)

-For me, two main reasons, none of which relate to the perceived superiority of the vinyl format -

a) In recent years, it has been a trend that the vinyl masters suffer from less compression than their digital counterparts. Hence, they may sound better, despite the inherent limitations of the physical format.

b) I note that the mere act of putting a record on the turntable makes me eager to listen more carefully than if I just find the same music on Spotify; this is just a lack of self discipline, but after all - if going through the ritual of readying a record for play is what it takes to listen attentively, then so be it.

Re: Manufacturing plant fire threatens worldwide vinyl record supply

#65

Post by Hamuko »

timthorn wrote: post #45
Hamuko wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, manual transmissions are a clear loser when it comes to responsiveness. You have to manually disengage the clutch, manually change the gear and manually engage the clutch. For comparison, the dual clutch transmission in the Nissan GT-R can shift in 0.15 seconds and that's a 10+ year old car. The ZF 8HP, which is a conventional torque converter transmission used for example in the new BMW M5, is apparently able to…

But you can anticipate the correct gear from the road, rather than having to wait for the transmission to respond to a call from the engine. Going into a curve, you can set a manual gearbox up before you get there so you have the torque to pull the car all the way around, rather than finding the car losing power halfway around.

You can manually select gears on automatics you know.

Re: Manufacturing plant fire threatens worldwide vinyl record supply

#67

Post by Hamuko »

trollied wrote: post #23
lrem wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Manual transmission has clear advantage in responsiveness. Being used to manual, I've just driven an automatic for three days. Despite having 50% more power than my old car, it felt terribly slow because of the gear shift delays.

Depends on the car. Try a decent sports car with a performance gearbox. My previous car was an m140i. 0-60 for the automatic is actually stated as faster for the automatic gearbox, as the car is better at shifting than a human. I don’t think Ferrari even make manual gearboxes with clutches any more?

>I don’t think Ferrari even make manual gearboxes with clutches any more?

Haven't in like a decade.

Re: Manufacturing plant fire threatens worldwide vinyl record supply

#69

Post by timthorn »

Hamuko wrote: post #65
timthorn wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But you can anticipate the correct gear from the road, rather than having to wait for the transmission to respond to a call from the engine. Going into a curve, you can set a manual gearbox up before you get there so you have the torque to pull the car all the way around, rather than finding the car losing power halfway around.

You can manually select gears on automatics you know.

In most, not so quickly - plus you can't slip the clutch across the transition across gears.

Re: Manufacturing plant fire threatens worldwide vinyl record supply

#70

Post by prox »

jakobegger wrote: post #31
eganist wrote: post #2

I haven't found an objective explanation for why some populations prefer vinyl analog over any digital renditions of a sound. Can anyone share some insight? (I've listened to both, and the description of vinyl or even analog sound as being generally "warmer" never resonated with me.)

I hate everything about CDs. The flimsy jewel cases that break all the time, the tiny artwork, how easily CDs scratch, how choosing a song requires clicking stupid buttons, the delay after inserting CDs, the high pitched whine of the motor, the sound of the stepper motor as it moves the laser... When I listen to music, I want to slow down and relax, and taking a record out of the sleeve is just so much nicer than fid…

Not an audiophile, so reading this through the lens of ux, what you describe is a form of pliancy: taking the record out etc. Something that isn’t reproduced properly in digital is feeling and operation (as in actual touch and manipulation) I presume there is something in our brains that responds to that (beyond simple nostalgia)
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