Analog Music

[ladyapple27]

I read a newspaper article that said that the new premium vinyl is becoming trendy  among young music collectors. There was a discussion about the difference in sound quality between analog and digital. I agree that the analog has a warmer sound with more depth. I frequently hear old favorites of mine in digital form for the first time and am disappointed. Older singles were engineered to sound good on the record players of their era and something is lost in the transition to digital. Among others, Sun and Bluebird recordings really should be experienced on vinyl.

I love the easy storage and transportabilty of digital, but I'll always have some vinyl and not just because I'm a dinosaur. 

Comments

[brak55.livejournal.com]

I've been seeing this trend for awhile and like it, but find it a little strange. It's like the younger generation has this huge gap. At one end, you have the people who want high quality and they are realizing that the vinyl can provide it. At the other end is the other 95%+ who don't seem to care what the quality is as they are satisfied with digital downloads at low bit rates which obliterate the highs and lows or, even worse, streaming which can really kill quality if not at a high enough bandwidth.

[ladyapple27.livejournal.com]

Poor quality downloads also deaden the emotional effect of great performances. There is a misconception that the most expressive singers just go wild and let it all out, but it's really the singers with a combination of empathy and vocal control who create a mood. Poor quality reproductions leave out the masterful touches like a sigh or a vocal quaver in just the right place.

Think of the little quiver in Ben E. King's voice as he sings a line from the classic "Stand by Me." "I won't cry, I won't cry, no, I won't shed a tear.." The meaning changes without the contrast between the brave words and the delivery.

Of course, as we have discussed before, some people don't understand the meaning of the lyrics, let alone the emotional context.