Actually, all commercially available releases, regardless of format - tape, vinyl, CD, high-res - have had their content dynamically compressed in the studio. The maximum theoretical dynamic range for vinyl is roughly 70 dB, whereas for digital, it's 96 16-bit, and 144 for 24-bit, so I doubt that dynamic range is a motivating factor with respect to vinyl's continuation in the market. Nor is demonstrably better performance in distortion, SNR, or channel separation, since vinyl clearly lags in each of those performance categories. I believe it's something else, and I think the old slide rules that I keep in the house scratch the same itch: nostalgia.A non-compressed vinyl vs a music file heavily compressed which basically has no dynamics at all. What sounds best? That even if the music file was played via a lossless streaming provider.
-
WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!
Nice turntables. Attached picture is an absolute requirement.
- Thread starter DanielT
- Start date
There's never ever been a single recording made that couldn't be more accurately reproduced by a digital source than a vinyl one.
Digital recordings are simply going to reflect what was coded, for better of worse.
You may have preferred it, I've heard that often.
Folks back then weren't used to hearing what was actually on the recording and found CDs bright and edgey.
Sometimes a perfect reproduction of a master tape isn't always pretty.
The vinyl masters have always had different manipulations done to the master feed to take the edge off and make them "press-able and trackable."
Vinyl Mastering
Tips for vinyl mastering - preparing digital masters for vinyl pressing.
www.gottagrooverecords.com
5)Always center your bass frequencies. Drums, bass guitar and low synths need to be in the center of the stereo image to ensure proper groove geometry.
6)De-ess your vocal tracks!
Use whatever you prefer, but vinyl is many decades obsolete when it comes to High Fidelity music reproduction in the home.
Last edited:
I remember when I bought my SME 3009S2 Improved, choosing between fixed and removable headshell. I chose the former based on the claimed benefits, but wish I'd chosen the latter for convenience, like my SME 3012 with removable headshell.
All true. I can add that digital sounds good due to its technical merits and therefore never give any suprises; it is expected. Vinyl on the other hand is expected to sound poor, and more often give suprises.
And a note; if I used that theoretical maximum dynamic range above the room noise floor, it (or my wife) would kill me. Especially if I used 96 or 144 dB.
OP
DanielT
Master Contributor
- Thread Starter
- #1,066
But if you happen to have these two, Vinyl vs. CD as source:There's never ever been a single recording made that couldn't be more accurately reproduced by a digital source than a vinyl one.
Digital recordings are simply going to reflect what was coded, for better of worse.
You may have preferred it, I've heard that often.
Folks back then weren't used to hearing what was actually on the recording and found CDs bright and edgey.
Sometimes a perfect reproduction of a master tape isn't always pretty.
The vinyl masters have always had different manipulations done to the master feed to take the edge off and make them "press-able and trackable."
4)Do not mix hi-hats and cymbals too loud. They will cause distortion and/or trigger the high frequency limiter in our rack.Vinyl Mastering
Tips for vinyl mastering - preparing digital masters for vinyl pressing.
5)Always center your bass frequencies. Drums, bass guitar and low synths need to be in the center of the stereo image to ensure proper groove geometry.
6)De-ess your vocal tracks!
Use whatever you prefer, but vinyl is many decades obsolete when it comes to High Fidelity music reproduction in the home.
How do you look at it then?
You'd blow out your windows. LOL
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2020
- Messages
- 2,482
- Likes
- 3,898
I don't understand your question. The remaster is very compressed. Also, as is commonly known, the DR result for Vinyl is inaccurately too high thanks to crest factor.
But why would you own that one when you could have this, or half a dozen other uncompressed CD's of that album?
You chose the worst possible pressing as an example?
Is it just the crest factor or is it also all the other noise and distortion that is introduced into the recording of vinyl playback by the equipment, environmental noise, etc.?
No. Nowadays, I use an HP49G for quick calculations, but I like to keep the slide rules around as a novelty and the occasional walk down Memory Lane to a time when I did need and use a slide rule. Same for my turntable.
There's a difference between theoretical capability and music requirements. I attended a live jazz festival last week. For one song during performances by various artists, I recorded a minimum unweighted SPL of 86.5 at my seat. The maximum was 119.9. (And, yes, I was wearing earplugs to protect my hearing.) That comes out to a difference of 33.4 dB between the softest and loudest parts of the song. Live orchestral pieces can have twice that difference. Regardless, it's all compressed in the studio.
Last edited:
OP
DanielT
Master Contributor
- Thread Starter
- #1,073
This thing with inaccurately regarding DR result for vinyl I imagine exists. How much such inaccurately can it be about do you think? Generally that is for vinyl that is.
It's not really of any practical importance to me because, see my reply below to Sal1950:
Of course, you want what you show, if you can choose, but if you only had the two I showed. I wonder how one would experience them?Provided played on a capable record player without squeaking / crackling / static etc.
For my own part, it has no practical significance because I don't play vinyl for the dynamics (or lack of). It's just a nostalgia trip for me when I play with vinyl (not so often, mostly streamed music these days).
_____
Compression is damn sad when it comes to music that is in itself really good, like:
They have murdered "Tears for Fears" ... digitally!
Check this out: https://magicvinyldigital.net/2022/03/04/tears-for-fears-the-tipping-point-review-lp-cd-qobuz-tidal-amazon-atmos-blu-ray-audio/ ALL the existing digital formats are screwed! The compression, the clipping! Quoting my buddy Danny: "The sound engineers should be shot. Out of a...
audiosciencereview.com
Last edited:
Worse - a snake oil pedlar that has drunk the cool aid is - at least - sort of - honest. One just saying what the customer want's to hear is the worst sort of charlatan. In reality a common fraudster.
OP
DanielT
Master Contributor
- Thread Starter
- #1,076
Brutal ugly. Not weird steampunk cool, not industrial metal design cool instead wtf is that.
I actually had to double check to make sure it wasn't a joke.Speaking of steampunk and then combined with new technology:
This artwork was created with the help of Artificial Intelligence
It was, if not real, at least wierd.
the AI also gets the perspectives wrong, misses some gears and gets the gear correspondences wrong!!Brutal ugly. Not weird steampunk cool, not industrial metal design cool instead wtf is that.
Speaking of steampunk and then combined with new technology:
This artwork was created with the help of Artificial Intelligence
View attachment 402303
It was, if not real, at least wierd.
That's awesome. As a retired mechanic-machinist I love Steampunk art.
Seems also to be missing a tone arm.the AI also gets the perspectives wrong, misses some gears and gets the gear correspondences wrong!!
That's the advanced feature that lowers the noise floor and decreases the wear on your precious vinyl collection.
Similar threads
