He proceeds to expound on the history of the band, how they formed from the remains of some other stellar indie bands that never made it, how they released these two records, how they then sold out to the man, and how their new albums aren't being released on vinyl because the band members sold their souls to Universal Music Group.
And you think to yourself, "I should've known."
Vinyl is quickly becoming a staple of hipster culture. It seems as though it's the one thing hipsters can universally agree doesn't suck. Now, aside from vinyl being less popular than CDs or digital downloads - and therefore more appealing to hipsters - vinyl possesses three attributes, generally perceived as benefits over other forms of media. These are sound quality, really cool packaging, and quantity control.
SOUND QUALITY
Hipsters can go on and on about how vinyl sounds so much better, and how you wouldn't understand.
SOUND QUALITY
Hipsters can go on and on about how vinyl sounds so much better, and how you wouldn't understand.
Unfortunately, the hipsters have a point. Not only does vinyl have a unique sound that is appealing to many who favour the nostalgic and the tangibly authentic, but the physical nature of vinyl records is such that, provided the record was specifically produced to go to vinyl, it can maintain a higher audio quality than almost any other format, and even gives FLAC and WAV lossless audio files a run for their money.
This is because vinyl is the audio equivalent of film for video and photography. No matter how large you blow up an image that is on film, whether through a slide projector or movie projector, you never see pixels. They don't exist, because the picture is stored in a physical format, not a digital one. It's like drawing a picture with a pencil versus printing one off your computer. One has pixels, the other doesn't.
Now, this all breaks down if the production quality of the album isn't up to snuff. A poorly-produced or low-budget album will not sound better on vinyl than a well-produced album on a CD. And if the audio that went onto the vinyl was digital before it got pressed, the audio quality on the vinyl is of course limited to whatever the quality was before it got pressed.
The record will only be that full-resolution, film-like quality if the audio was either created purely with analog equipment and analog mastering (i.e. no computers), or if everything was created without compressing any audio files.
This is because vinyl is the audio equivalent of film for video and photography. No matter how large you blow up an image that is on film, whether through a slide projector or movie projector, you never see pixels. They don't exist, because the picture is stored in a physical format, not a digital one. It's like drawing a picture with a pencil versus printing one off your computer. One has pixels, the other doesn't.
Now, this all breaks down if the production quality of the album isn't up to snuff. A poorly-produced or low-budget album will not sound better on vinyl than a well-produced album on a CD. And if the audio that went onto the vinyl was digital before it got pressed, the audio quality on the vinyl is of course limited to whatever the quality was before it got pressed.
The record will only be that full-resolution, film-like quality if the audio was either created purely with analog equipment and analog mastering (i.e. no computers), or if everything was created without compressing any audio files.
Realistically, the average human can't really tell the difference between a 320kbs MP3 file and a vinyl record in terms of quality. However, vinyl does have that warm, analog sound going for it, which is sort of an intangible benefit.
REALLY COOL PACKAGING
REALLY COOL PACKAGING
In 1971, The Rolling Stones released an album called "Sticky Fingers" which featured a working zipper attached to the cover, which was a close-up photo of a man's crotch. The listener could unzip the zipper and expose a pair of cotton briefs underneath.
In 2011, Jack White's label, Third Man Records, released what they called the "Triple Decker Record." You can watch the video here, but it's basically a record with a second record inside of it, which you can only access by cutting open the first record, thus destroying it. On the second record is an unreleased, vinyl-only track. And only 300 of these gems are being made - an instant rarity.
Now, if you can tell me of an iTunes download that lets you unzip someone's pants, or a CD inside a CD which contains anything I couldn't find somewhere else on the internet, I would be the first to denounce my affiliation with vinyl records. However, I firmly believe that vinyl still holds the corner market when it comes to really cool packaging.
QUANTITY CONTROL
Virtually all vinyl records have a serial number of sorts etched into the disc, around the outside of the label. This is how collectors and record stores can be sure of whether an album is first edition, or a re-issue of an old album.
Also, when a batch of records is being pressed, only a certain number is made from a set of masters due to wear and tear, and no two sets of masters is completely identical. Add that to the hand-numbering of virtually every vinyl record ever pressed, and you've got a pretty easily traceable medium.
All of this means that information is available on most records as to how many were pressed in total, and by which plants, as well as which batch your particular record likely belongs to. This makes it very easy for a record company to release a limited-edition record on vinyl - once the set number of records has been pressed, they can stop pressing them and throw away the masters. You now have a truly limited-edition product that is completely traceable and verifiable.
THE ATTITUDE
QUANTITY CONTROL
Virtually all vinyl records have a serial number of sorts etched into the disc, around the outside of the label. This is how collectors and record stores can be sure of whether an album is first edition, or a re-issue of an old album.
Also, when a batch of records is being pressed, only a certain number is made from a set of masters due to wear and tear, and no two sets of masters is completely identical. Add that to the hand-numbering of virtually every vinyl record ever pressed, and you've got a pretty easily traceable medium.
All of this means that information is available on most records as to how many were pressed in total, and by which plants, as well as which batch your particular record likely belongs to. This makes it very easy for a record company to release a limited-edition record on vinyl - once the set number of records has been pressed, they can stop pressing them and throw away the masters. You now have a truly limited-edition product that is completely traceable and verifiable.
THE ATTITUDE
In my opinion, the best thing about vinyl is the attitude that comes with owning a record. I don't mean the pretentious superiority complex - that's just what hipsters develop when their record collection is more obscure than yours. What I value is the understanding that your music is something of value.
A vinyl record is just so tangible; it's something that you have to care for and protect. If it is damaged, you can no longer listen to it properly. If it's dirty, it won't sound the way it should until you clean it.
It's also so much more physical. When you play the record, you see it spin. If you put your hand on it to slow it down, you hear it slow down and you hear the pitch shift down. A CD would just stop playing, because in a way, it's not actually real; the music is just a bunch of ones and zeroes.
I think it's this combined with the limited nature of vinyl and the packaging possibilities that creates the attitude that music is something to be valued, and is so much more than just the individual songs. It creates an emotional attachment to the music that goes beyond what the songs sound like, and extends to how the album feels in your hands, how you care for your record collection, how you gingerly place the needle on the record so as not to damage it while playing it.
The physical entity of the music is like your pet, and the music itself is the payoff you receive for caring for it.
RESPONSE
If you have any comments or questions, I would love to hear them! Feel free to leave any kind of response in the comments.
It's also so much more physical. When you play the record, you see it spin. If you put your hand on it to slow it down, you hear it slow down and you hear the pitch shift down. A CD would just stop playing, because in a way, it's not actually real; the music is just a bunch of ones and zeroes.
I think it's this combined with the limited nature of vinyl and the packaging possibilities that creates the attitude that music is something to be valued, and is so much more than just the individual songs. It creates an emotional attachment to the music that goes beyond what the songs sound like, and extends to how the album feels in your hands, how you care for your record collection, how you gingerly place the needle on the record so as not to damage it while playing it.
The physical entity of the music is like your pet, and the music itself is the payoff you receive for caring for it.
RESPONSE
If you have any comments or questions, I would love to hear them! Feel free to leave any kind of response in the comments.
I have a great vinyl music collection at my parents' house... of music hipsters would be unlikely to enjoy (1980s pop, mostly). Your section on the particular sound of vinyl reminded me of when my Dad used to record our LPs onto cassettes on his giant cassette deck, using Dolby Noise Reduction - and we'd hate it because that great LP sound was gone. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha! Yeah... The little hipster man inside of me cringes at the thought! And as a hipster, I can say with authority that a hipster can safely listen to 80s pop, provided it's done ironically.
DeleteThere are benefits to MP3s, though. One is that it is much easier to download than to drive around looking for that golden nugget of a record store (or order from some record store in Los Angeles and have to wait five business days). Two is that there are great albums that are hard to find in record stores. You can find rare albums on eBay, but people can charge ridiculous prices for those.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly can't beat the convenience and economy of MP3s. But when did hipsters ever do anything out of convenience?
DeleteI actually was just gifted my first vinyl record and I'm now shopping around for a record player. Eden and Matt (I think) both have this record player in a suitcase thing, which seems really cool. I also agree with your assessment of film. As a former projectionist from the days before digital, physically handling the reels and projecting it as best as I could, there is just so much more depth and quality, and that certain feel that comes from the image. I think the only mainstream theatre left projecting film is KP.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your comments on film reels. And the suitcase turntable that Eden and Matt have is pretty cool - I don't know what brand it is, but Crosley makes some very similar ones that are really slick:
Deletehttp://www.crosleyradio.com/Product.aspx?pid=1686
http://www.crosleyradio.com/Product.aspx?pid=1939