My opinions and elaborations
on the state of the US music culture concerning its audio format
It
seems that over the last 30 years or so, music has become more and more
digitally processed. I can see how this
is more convenient and consumes less space.
On the other hand, where oh where did vinyl go? While there are still bands that produce
their records on vinyl format, it seems to becoming less and less over time.
So, why
buy vinyl records? If you haven’t
listened to an album on vinyl after listening to it on cd, you have no room to
talk. I’m sorry, but there is a
difference in the quality of sound on a vinyl record. It might be best described as a warmer sound. But, really you just have to listen. You have to sit down, remove all the
distractions, if possible, and center your attention on the music. Obviously it helps to have a nice set of
speakers, but even if they’re the same speakers you listen to your CDs on, you
should notice a distinct difference.
Yes, it might also help to have a nice record player, and a fancy needle
or cartridge. But simply put, vinyl
sounds better. The music could range
from classical to rock to punk rock, but the same song you’d hear on a CD
honestly won’t sound quite the same.
Sure,
your average mp3 player can just about hold an entire record collection and fit
in your pocket, and you can plug it into your car stereo and listen to those
endless hours of music on a long road trip.
At the same time, a good sized vinyl collection can take up half of a
room…okay maybe if it’s an entire collection of rock music ranging from Abba to
ZZ Top. But, yes, it takes up more
room. On the other hand, the quality of
sound floating off the record and into your ears seems light years ahead, when
in fact LP records were introduced well before the baby-boomers generation. All I can say, is I’m glad that vinyl is not
dead.
Fortunately
for many vinyl junkies, there are still a handful of independent record stores
out there. I can’t speak how they are
holding up in this time of economic struggle, but fortunately they are still
out there selling records and keeping people happy. Also, it’s fun to go into a record store and
thumb through records. You might find a
few gems, and walk out with some great music, or you might simply find a record
that might have a good song or two, but admire the cool cover art. That’s another great thing about vinyl; the
sweet cover art. But, really, getting
lost in a record store can be like going back in time and dusting off an old
book.
I can
see for some people, it’s an investment.
It’s obviously cheaper to buy an mp3 player and download all your music
from the internet. If you want to invest
in vinyl, you have to buy an amplifier, a turntable, speakers and all those
wonderful wire components. Then you have
to figure out how to set it up.
Although, I’m sure if you look, there’s a Youtube video on that. Of course, you could always try to get one of
those turntable/speaker all-in-one units.
But, when it comes down to it, it’s more expensive…especially if you buy
a nice needle or turntable cartridge. However,
if you truly have an appreciation for music and sound quality, I feel it's a
worthwhile investment.
