They offer greater convenience than vinyl. I store my CDs on a server at high bit rates (shown in double blind tests to be indistinguishable from CD) so get good quality and and convenience.
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Albums Are Dead - Ola Englund's Thoughts
- Thread starter monsterthompson
- Start date
They offer greater convenience than vinyl. I store my CDs on a server at high bit rates (shown in double blind tests to be indistinguishable from CD) so get good quality and and convenience.
Indeed, but if the source is vinyl you have lower dynamic range, more noise, and inferior stereo imaging compared to a well engineered CD, so you could do even better with your stereo. Having a good stereo and using vinyl is like buying a boutique hand-wired amp and speakers and then using a Squier Affinity
Even before that you could use the skip button to miss the tracks you didn't like. And you can even do it with vinyl. Even some tape decks had fast forward that would search for silence. And then there was radio. And before the album you could load up your Dansette with a selection of a dozen singles in your personal order. And then there were mix tapes.
The album, as a continuous form, that was moderately prevalent, was probably only the 70s to 90s, really, for pop music.
I actually find I am going back to trying to listen to entire albums as it is good discipline, plus I'd like to write one. Maybe I am behind the times, but doing continuous form live performances of around an hour has given me a taste for it.
Maybe it is sustainable, but it would be hard to turn down the opportunity to crystallise a gain of that size, and still retain control. Either you can put the cash in the bank and be set for life, or invest in some new venture. And probably but a Fodera, a Wal, a 70s P and one of those super expensive Squiers
If there is a solar storm strong enough to wipe my hard drive and my CDs then music will be the last of my worries. It might kill all my CD players too, but if society survives they can make more. The end of the world as we know it would be more pressing, and I don't have enough tins of food stored, although I do have two large dogs, at least.
Indeed, but if the source is vinyl you have lower dynamic range, more noise, and inferior stereo imaging compared to a well engineered CD, so you could do even better with your stereo. Having a good stereo and using vinyl is like buying a boutique hand-wired amp and speakers and then using a Squier Affinity
If you poke around on audio forums, there's actually a big debate about older systems that designed for for records vs CDs. I don't know enough to take side, but some say pre-CD amps were optimized to sound good with the distinct qualities of vinyl factored into the design and can sound harsh when used with a CD. So to use you analogy, some say playing a record through 70s system is like playing a '59 Les Paul through a '61 Fender Twin.
And then you can go down a whole rabbit hole about analog tape masters to lath cutters, digitally recorded music was never made for vinyl, vinyl rereleses of old albums are almost always made from digital masters and on and on... and then you lose your mind.
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Just remember that while some of us are older and not always wiser - not everything new is automatically good just because it’s new. Digital technology has some great advantages but also some disadvantages compared to analog. It has lost some good points that analog stuff was good for. Hi-fi audio is a thing of the past and while some of the tiny new bluetooth speakers are amazingly convenient they still don’t sound as good as good quality hi-fi speakers of days gone by. New can be great, but not always.Yeah, it's about our attitude towards reality, and how we truly accept it, isn't it?
I don't think it's just this mythical "positivity" that your writing reflects, for the years I've been reading posts on talkbass, you've been among the top 5 people that I consider actually being wise and realistic but also not narrow minded.
I'm constantly trying my best to understand older people's perspectives (which is obviously harder due to the big generation gap since I'm only 25), and I can exchange ideas just fine a lot of the time without any flame going on, but when they use sweeping statements that make no sense in the context, I always have to doubt their perspective as having very little relation to the observable reality, and most of the time, I get called a kid and having no perspective because I don't consider things that were true 50 years ago to still be true today and because I don't take someone's word for granted (just because they are older, basically).
As I wrote previously in this thread, it's actually disheartening to see older people (who truly believe they're wise just because they're experienced, which doesn't go hand in hand as often as we'd all like) get stuck in their ways and discard many things that came after they've stopped looking for new music and new music styles, but you seem to have always been open to new ideas and tried to grasp them and accept/reject with skepticism and realism, which I'd like to see more often in those parts, particularly among the older generations, but of course, younger people as well.
Me having issues with people 2-3 generations older than me doesn't come from talkbass, however - but actual wiseasses (not to be confused with our very own Wisebass) from real life who all seem to know everything but fail at every A/B test I've ever given them.
Adorning a sousaphone is desirable but the trumpet bell should not have any adornments as they make it quieter. The best trumpet for steampunk is naked brass, worn off lacquer and my 77 Benge qualifies. Extra trumpet bells can be attached to violin bodies for Stroh violins. That's some technology, babyMake sure to add some steampunk mods to it tho. Poverty and breakdown of civilization should not be standing in way of being ridiculously cool.
Indeed, but if the source is vinyl you have lower dynamic range, more noise, and inferior stereo imaging compared to a well engineered CD, so you could do even better with your stereo. Having a good stereo and using vinyl is like buying a boutique hand-wired amp and speakers and then using a Squier Affinity
The man himself agrees:
"The biggest distorter is the LP itself. I've made thousands of LP masters. I used to make 17 a day, with two lathes going simultaneously, and I'm glad to see the LP go. As far as I'm concerned, good riddance. It was a constant battle to try to make that music sound the way it should. It was never any good. And if people don't like what they hear in digital, they should blame the engineer who did it. Blame the mastering house. Blame the mixing engineer. That's why some digital recordings sound terrible, and I'm not denying that they do, but don't blame the medium."
Rudy Van Gelder
Those are the guys that spend thousands of $ on speaker cables and electric cables because "it sounds better". Don't listen too much on that crap.
Naw man, usually its crusty old hippies with big record collections and too much time on their hands.
Sometimes I wonder if we older geezers have seen the peak of humanity - it may all go south from here. I’m not ready to believe that yet but I do wonder at times. I won’t be around for you younger guys to say “I told you so” if it all turns out rosy though. All things must pass.I like how this thread went from "albums are dead" to "the human civilization is dead", I believe people who read the whole thread will get a big chuckle out of it
The thread so far has been about how to make money from music in the new era. That might not be the pressing issue in the future. I have the luxury of not needing to. I can put my effort into making good music and not give a damn who buys it.
Whoa......hide the sharp things.
Denial is a wonderful place to live.
Never doubt it.
Hipsters invariably get a chuckle out of almost everything being said. It’s a badge of honor in their circles to be perpetually “above it all.”
Well, all the great civilizations (Maya, Egipt, Rome, Greece, Mesopotamia, etc.) came to an end. And many of them were followed by dark times. It's a cycle.
To me playing a Les Paul into a Twin sounds like the right way to do it
In terms of old preamps, that was to make up for deficiencies in the vinyl. But assuming you have a well engineered CD and a good amp and speakers, the CD should be better. You can always stick a stereo tube mic preamp and run a hot signal into it to add some noise and distortion to get the vinyl sound back.
While you can skip tracks on vinyl, on the plus side, it's less convenient, and having to listen to a long form (or long form video) and remain engaged is a good thing to be encouraged.
So first of all, that was rather insulting, if subtle... Plus, completely off base. You think "the music industry" is telling young people what music to like? The music industry is in a complete shambles, and if you understood the point of the video, you'd also understand that bands don't need "the music industry" (as it was formerly understood) to be successful, when they can control their own presence on Youtube, Bandcamp, Facebook, etc.
I can't agree. They are a lot hipper to marketing than my generation.
Does that work if your amp is a tube amp? Or is that redundant?
Oh yeah, vinyl is definitely less convenient. Don't get me wrong, I use iTunes and my iPhone and make playlist for in my car. I like both just like I like Netflix and going to the movie theater.
