The Second Spring of Vinyl

Collecting... I dare you to manage to hear a Vinyl today

Ettore wrote:

What do you think? Also in relation to the evidently lower level of media quality?

If we are talking about a low level of support quality meant as storage media, I agree with you. After all, everything subject to friction is destined to deteriorate with use. Even CDs are, paradoxically, subject to wear. The film on which the tracks are engraved is an extremely thin layer that, if not adequately protected from humidity and high/low temperatures, could flake off. Rotation speed is also decisive for old and poorly preserved CDs. Indeed, media rotates in a range between 1000 and 5000 rpm, so centrifugal force at these speeds must be taken into consideration. This is a problem that vinyl does not have to deal with. I believe that CDs are designed more for frequent and immediate use without having to worry about longevity over time, whereas vinyl is like a sort of archiving—perhaps that is why the latter are collected more than they are listened to assiduously.

Regarding audio quality... Here the discussion becomes very subjective.

As a child, I was able to appreciate the quality of vinyl; my grandfather, with whom I spent most of the day, had many. I don't remember the sound from the old systems when I was a child very well, but I remember quite well what I managed to hear a few years ago. A very warm and "human" sound, that was the impression. Honestly, despite the crackling, I consider the sound of vinyl to be far superior. Everyone has their own belief, though...

TheSimon wrote:

CDs are also paradoxically subject to wear and tear. The film on which the tracks are etched is an extremely thin layer that, if not adequately protected from humidity and high/low temperatures, could flake off. Rotation speed is also decisive for old and poorly preserved CDs. In fact, the media rotates in a range between 1000 and 5000 rpm, so centrifugal force at these speeds must be taken into consideration. This is a problem that vinyl records do not have to deal with. I believe that CDs are designed more for frequent and immediate use without having to worry about longevity over time, whereas vinyl is like a sort of archiving—perhaps that's why the latter are collected more than they are listened to assiduously.

Those who bought original CDs, and therefore have already paid the SIAE royalties as well, will get a discount when the medium deteriorates and they have to buy it again?

If I am not mistaken, are CDs not guaranteed for 50 years?

... c'è chi ha riscoperto la macchina da scrivere 😃

The Typewriter Leroy Anderson Martin Breinschmid with Strauß Festival Orchestra Vienna

Open content (youtube)

Ettore wrote:

The CD is giving way to iPod, iPhone, and more or less legal downloads.

What do you think? Also in relation to the obviously lower quality level of the medium?

Our ears are giving way to "lower fidelity."

High fidelity is not MP3 even if sampled high (360 Kbps); there is still compression that exploits the physiological phenomenon of masking and generates smaller files with less information.

Sorry, what do mp3s have to do with this?

CDs use Wav, an uncompressed format

An interesting article about the different formats

http://www.essereinformatica.it/index.php/notizie-mainmenu-2/ultime-mainmenu-29/76-aac-mp3-wma

The article says at the bottom:

Analog Formats

Even if they are perhaps potentially superior, in practice they have major limitations due to the durability of the medium and the availability of titles. In my opinion, they are highly uneconomical. And then there remains the fact that music from the late eighties onwards has been recorded almost entirely with digital recorders.

Rotore wrote:

... there are those who have rediscovered the typewriter

The Typewriter Leroy Anderson Martin Breinschmid with Strauß Festival Orchestra Vienna

l
Jerry Lewis also used it in one of his films

Jerry Lewis The Typewriter

Open content (youtube)

Very complete article! It effectively makes a valid point: there is no use talking about analog media if the recording is then made digitally!

Natan wrote:

Excuse me, what do mp3s have to do with this?

CDs use Wav, an uncompressed format

I mentioned MP3s because Ettore started by saying that the CD is giving way to iPod and iPhone.

Sergio wrote:

I spoke about MP3 because Ettore started by saying that the CD is giving way to iPod and iPhone.

... actually, I missed it

Let's just say I was focused on CD / Vinyl

Natan wrote:

Let's say I had focused on CD / Vinyl

But I apologize: I should have written about topics related to vinyl... .

Actually Sergio is right, rereading the first post in succession, I think the comparison is precisely between mp3 and vinyl

Some sound technicians have "assured" me that vinyl has superior quality; I don't believe it, and it seems we are rather used to the crackle of vinyl, the apparent greater breath on the high part of the track, or the psychological impact of a beautiful, shiny, large, delicate vinyl record.

The second spring of vinyl: won't it be like the return of wind-up clocks that need to be constantly wound and set?

Natan wrote:

Actually Sergio is right, rereading the first post in succession, I think the comparison is indeed between mp3 and vinyl

Perhaps it is one of the reasons why vinyl has been revitalized. I think that classical music loses a lot in mp3; does it only happen to me that I don't feel pleasure listening to a horrible mp3?

Nowadays, it even happens that some things are released first on Vinyl and then on CD

Tenore wrote:

Maybe it is one of the reasons why vinyl has been revitalized. I think that classical music loses a lot in mp3s; does it only happen to me that I don't feel pleasure listening to a horrid mp3?

Nowadays, it even happens that some things are released first on Vinyl and then on CD

Of course vinyl has a certain charm, but the dynamics are too limited for classical music: the pianissimos were often compromised by various hisses and noises from the vinyl surface, the mechanical transmission, the motor itself, and more.

I remember when they asked Karajan to increase the pianissimos a little and decrease the fortissimos a little precisely to reduce the dynamic range poorly supported by vinyl!

Rotore wrote:

... there are those who have rediscovered the typewriter

The Typewriter Leroy Anderson Martin Breinschmid with Strauß Festival Orchestra Vienna

Natan wrote:

l'even Jerry Lewis used it in one of his films

Jerry Lewis The Typewriter

If I remember correctly, the first score that called for the use of a typewriter is Satie's Parade (1916-17).

Since they seem to have come back into the spotlight and are found everywhere (shops, megastores, and even on the internet).

I became interested in jazz vinyls in a megastore. I'll give two examples:

- Coltrane's A Love Supreme, 1964 album. So the vinyl I saw is definitely a recent reissue, but the vinyl looks new, with a gatefold cardboard cover, 180g LP.

- Miles' Ascenseur pour l'échafaud from 1957, also new, so definitely a reissue. Essential cover, non-gatefold, and here too, a 180g LP.

Now I wonder, I have both albums in mp3 format (like most of the jazz music I listen to), but vinyl has a completely different flavor. The question is this: for collecting purposes, does it make sense to buy the vinyl sold by the megastore, or is it worth searching for the vinyl from the years the album was released? If it were rock music, and for example Led Zeppelin III, I would know for certain that it would be worth searching for the 1970 vinyl, which was released in a provisional sleeve (due to high demand), a sleeve that was replaced after a few months for those who returned it to the store of purchase with the original cardboard; some albums in this provisional sleeve feature a spelling error, which gives good value to the vinyl.

So I wonder, is it worth following this new fashion of new vinyls sold in stores, or is it worth searching for the old vinyls of yesteryear?