> With low press runs and the ability to spend more time on the
details of an album cover, the release can make a much more significant
artistic statement than a crate of factory-produced CDs.
I most certainly agree with this. The new releases on NeoOuija seem
to spell this out quite nicely in my opinion.
> Some people like to buy handmade crafts and other goods. If you
wanted
something to cherish and treasure for years, would you buy a box of
four
Ugli beer glasses from Ikea or would you go for a complex, vibrantly
colorful hand-blown piece from Peter Greenwood?
A good example of this is the limited run (101 copies) of the new
Mira Calix album "One On One", which comes in handmade, screenprinted
sleeves crafted by the artist (David Vallade). And I agree. I'd rather have
this than a sterile CD sitting in my collection any day. Having said that, I
guess I wouldn't mind having both, simply for the convenience CD affords.
But then, music shouldn't be about convenience should it?
However, let's face it - the quality of your vinyl listening
experience is far more dependent on the quality of the player you're using
than it is with CD's. Plus you have to spend quite a considerable amount
more money to find a quality turntable that delivers results these days
compared to a CD player. Sorry, I didn't wish to stray from the point and
get back to a rather tired CD vs vinyl debate.
James.
quoted 76 lines -----Original Message-----
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Alex Reynolds [SMTP:reynolda@sas.upenn.edu]
> Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2000 7:34 PM
> To: idm@hyperreal.org
> Subject: (idm) the vinyl question
>
> >From: Gil <gyaker@fragment.com>
> >Subject: why vinyl?
> >
> >Why do IDM labels continue such a high output of vinyl only releases?
> >Arn't CDs still cheaper to make these days? Plus there are less variables
> >with how the end product will sound.
> >...
> >So why in the IDM scene, where the emphasis from the consumer side isn't
> >so much on turntable manipulations or DJ needs, are more than half of the
> >new weekly releases still pressed on vinyl??
>
> There are numerous advantages and motivations for vinyl releases:
>
> -- low-end frequencies are much more enveloping on a record than with a
> CD
>
> While this is probably due more to naturally occuring noise than anything
> else, the bass on a record is much more lush and warm than a compact disc.
> It lends a release a degree of intimacy, of humanity. Being able to feel
> the music in your bones is as important as feeling it in your soul. It's
> the whole package.
>
> My studio engineer friend once said that analogue is much more forgiving
> than digital of mistakes and glitches in the musical process. While there
> may be more variables in pressing vinyl, these hidden qualities can end up
> making the recording sound better.
>
> -- vinyl is more 'exclusive'
>
> Alternatively, this could
> say a lot about the hipster doofus mentality of the listener. I imagine
> that short runs of CD-Rs create much the same effect in its fans.
>
> This is a bit extreme --
> some technology is involved with making records -- but I think it makes
> the
> general point. It's generally an issue of craftsmanship versus technical
> precision and your own philosophy about these things.
>
> -- the fun factor
>
> Without a painfully artificial interface, CDs do not lend themselves to
> playing with sound and arrangements of sound in the same natural,
> intuitive
> way as vinyl. I mean, I never saw anyone scratch records but knew -- just
> from bouncing the needle in the middle of a record -- that moving the
> record at very high speeds would give a cool sawtooth effect that is fun
> to
> play with. Add a second turntable and a mixer and you have your own sonic
> sandbox.
>
> -- chicks love the dj
>
> With IDM listeners as uptight as us, we male primates need as much help in
> the ladies department as we can possibly get: "<grunt> <snort> Hey, baby,
> let me show you my three-armed, error-cancelling, laser-powered
> turntable..." "Oooo..."
>
> Alex Reynolds
> SAS Computing / Biology
> University of Pennsylvania
> Philadelphia, PA 19104-6228
> V +1 215 573.2818 / F +1 215 898.8780
> http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~reynolda/
>
>
>
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