On Fri, 19 Jun 98 15:54:20 CST, you wrote:
quoted 2 lines but am curious as to know how many IDMers listen to vinyl as
>but am curious as to know how many IDMers listen to vinyl as
>a matter of tradition as opposed to practicality...
Ooh, nice thread!
Personally, I buy a mixture of CD and vinyl. In some cases, I'll even
buy the same album/single on CD *and* vinyl. Why? Well, there's a
number of reasons:
1) There are many releases you can only get on vinyl. Ie, most of the
stuff on Skam, Musik aus Strom, and countless others. If I limited
myself to just CD purchases, then I'd miss out on the vast majority of
great stuff that's out there.
2) Personally, I think vinyl has a 'warmer' sound than CD. Sure,
there's a bit of vinyl crackle on there, but that's always been a part
of this sort of music. I bought the Boards of Canada album on CD and
vinyl. The CD version I'll probably play most, because it's more
convenient, but the vinyl version does sound a lot 'richer' and
'warmer'. It's hard to describe, but sometimes CD just sounds a bit
too clinical. After all, the original sound has been diced and spliced
into digital components, whereas on vinyl you get the full analogue
treatment.
When FSOL's 'Accelerator' first came out, I could only find a vinyl
copy. I lived with that for ages, until last year I decided to buy the
CD version, just in case it was due for deletion. Somehow, the CD
version didn't sound as 'warm' as the vinyl.
3) Vinyl packaging is much nicer -- the artwork always looks better. I
much prefer to hold a heavy slice of vinyl in a large, sturdy and
well-illustrated cover than a small plastic disc tucked away in a
flimy plastic case with microdot graphics and text.
So, those are my reasons. The majority of stuff I buy is on CD, but I
still buy a lot of vinyl. I buy all Warp singles on CD and vinyl -- CD
for convenience and vinyl for the warmer sound. If one gets damaged
beyond repair, I can always rely on the other.
At the end of the day, just stick with what you know. If you prefer
the clean sound of CD over crackly vinyl, then that's fine -- after
all, it's your enjoyment of the music that counts, no-one elses.
/\/)ark
http://www.sonance.demon.co.uk/