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I thought people prefer the sound of vinyl because it's analog and has a much wider range that digital music. (Not because it's distorted)

TylerE 12y ago
Exactly. And also that it can't be loudness-warred to death.
- enneff 12y ago
  "Loudness wars" has everything to do with mastering and very little to do with the actual medium. Yes, the onset of the loudness wars coincided with the rise of digital distribution, but you can master a record to be just as loud as a CD. On the other hand, you can't master a record to have as much dynamic range as a CD. That's why classical music enthusiasts tend to prefer CDs.
  - TylerE 12y ago
    No you can't. A record cut that hot would make the needle skip out of the groove.
    - enneff 12y ago
      Have you listened to any recently released records? They're loud as hell.
JohnTHaller 12y ago
Vinyl in actual use has a much narrower range than CDs or MP3s. One things that is common, though, is for Vinyl to be mastered differently than the digital final result. So, it is entirely possible for the CD/MP3 release of a given song to have a much narrower dynamic range than a Vinyl release of a given song despite being released on demonstrably inferior technology.
- colechristensen 12y ago
  Said differently, the limitations of a medium can lead to better decisions. What can be done with a limited toolset is often better than what can be done with an unlimited toolset.
  - JohnTHaller 12y ago
    In this specific case, it's not a result of the toolset, but a result of the consumer. The vinyl enthusiast is buying something they are a fan of at a higher price and expecting a quality product. The typical MP3 customer is buying it based on a 15 second sample. So, the 'loudness wars' still apply to many digital products, sadly.
    - colechristensen 12y ago
      The loudness wars aren't physically possible on vinyl, they aren't prevented by customer preference but instead by physics. Photographing in black and white forces the photographer to concentrate on light, shadow, and texture. There are several art forms where the artist picks a set of restrictions to work in and that exploration can create great things. The demoscene creates mind-blowing works because they have to work in such a small data space. If every organism survived and reproduced without any restriction, the sum of life would be pond scum. The punishing negative feedback of restrictions drives creation – just as much as breaking those boundaries. Less is more. Worse is better. Everything in moderation.
      - JohnTHaller 12y ago
        They could still just as easily take the existing digital master and dial down the amplitude a bit to work with vinyl. This would be especially easy considering how few vinyl records they sell vs digital. But, many people are paying a premium for vinyl and expecting better sound.
- TylerE 12y ago
  That is simply NOT TRUE. Vinyl has been demonstrated to be able to cut and playback frequencies of up to 70khz, and many commercially released records from as far back as the 70s had data up to the mid 40khz range (and in fact this is required for quadraphonic playback).
emddudley 12y ago
Wider range of what?
robotresearcher 12y ago
Vinyl sounds nice to many people. It has likeable, some say 'musical', distortion. A turntable with a nice amp and speakers is a novel treat to people who have grown up with low-bitrate mp3s and ear buds. Sounds different. And having to work a bit harder and paying attention means you tend to get more out of it. Of course, a well-mastered CD and a nice pair of headphones also sounds great and might be a more accurate reproduction of what they heard in the studio. I just like music every way :)
- StavrosK 12y ago
  Α FLAC player with a nice amp and speakers is an even nicer way, and, about the working hard part, I could say the same for waiting tables to buy your music. I don't know, this all sounds like rationalization to me. Saying "I grew up with vinyl so it sounds more familiar to me" is fine, I grew up with 8-bit graphics and I like them, but they're not objectively better. Trying to rationalize this preference with things like "bigger pixels are easier to see" is a bit disingenuous, though.

TylerE 12y ago

Exactly. And also that it can't be loudness-warred to death.

enneff 12y ago
"Loudness wars" has everything to do with mastering and very little to do with the actual medium. Yes, the onset of the loudness wars coincided with the rise of digital distribution, but you can master a record to be just as loud as a CD. On the other hand, you can't master a record to have as much dynamic range as a CD. That's why classical music enthusiasts tend to prefer CDs.
- TylerE 12y ago
  No you can't. A record cut that hot would make the needle skip out of the groove.
  - enneff 12y ago
    Have you listened to any recently released records? They're loud as hell.

JohnTHaller 12y ago

Vinyl in actual use has a much narrower range than CDs or MP3s. One things that is common, though, is for Vinyl to be mastered differently than the digital final result. So, it is entirely possible for the CD/MP3 release of a given song to have a much narrower dynamic range than a Vinyl release of a given song despite being released on demonstrably inferior technology.

colechristensen 12y ago
Said differently, the limitations of a medium can lead to better decisions. What can be done with a limited toolset is often better than what can be done with an unlimited toolset.
- JohnTHaller 12y ago
  In this specific case, it's not a result of the toolset, but a result of the consumer. The vinyl enthusiast is buying something they are a fan of at a higher price and expecting a quality product. The typical MP3 customer is buying it based on a 15 second sample. So, the 'loudness wars' still apply to many digital products, sadly.
  - colechristensen 12y ago
    The loudness wars aren't physically possible on vinyl, they aren't prevented by customer preference but instead by physics. Photographing in black and white forces the photographer to concentrate on light, shadow, and texture. There are several art forms where the artist picks a set of restrictions to work in and that exploration can create great things. The demoscene creates mind-blowing works because they have to work in such a small data space. If every organism survived and reproduced without any restriction, the sum of life would be pond scum. The punishing negative feedback of restrictions drives creation – just as much as breaking those boundaries. Less is more. Worse is better. Everything in moderation.
    - JohnTHaller 12y ago
      They could still just as easily take the existing digital master and dial down the amplitude a bit to work with vinyl. This would be especially easy considering how few vinyl records they sell vs digital. But, many people are paying a premium for vinyl and expecting better sound.
TylerE 12y ago
That is simply NOT TRUE. Vinyl has been demonstrated to be able to cut and playback frequencies of up to 70khz, and many commercially released records from as far back as the 70s had data up to the mid 40khz range (and in fact this is required for quadraphonic playback).

emddudley 12y ago

Wider range of what?

robotresearcher 12y ago

Vinyl sounds nice to many people. It has likeable, some say 'musical', distortion. A turntable with a nice amp and speakers is a novel treat to people who have grown up with low-bitrate mp3s and ear buds. Sounds different. And having to work a bit harder and paying attention means you tend to get more out of it. Of course, a well-mastered CD and a nice pair of headphones also sounds great and might be a more accurate reproduction of what they heard in the studio. I just like music every way :)

StavrosK 12y ago
Α FLAC player with a nice amp and speakers is an even nicer way, and, about the working hard part, I could say the same for waiting tables to buy your music. I don't know, this all sounds like rationalization to me. Saying "I grew up with vinyl so it sounds more familiar to me" is fine, I grew up with 8-bit graphics and I like them, but they're not objectively better. Trying to rationalize this preference with things like "bigger pixels are easier to see" is a bit disingenuous, though.