The Vinyl Phenomenon
While the market is comparatively small, the numbers are impressive. While all other physical music formats in the German music industry saw sales declines last year, revenue from this black gold rose from 19 million euros in 2012 to 29 million euros in 2013. When you consider that in 2006 sales were just 6 million euros, it becomes clear just how much progress has been made here. Both retailers and artists have recognized this potential. Since 2007, there has been the so-called 'Record Store Day'. The movement to save record store culture originated in the United States, and now thousands of shops around the world participate. The event, which takes place each year on the third weekend in April, has grown into a major occasion. Strictly limited vinyl editions are offered exclusively on this day, well-known bands perform so-called 'instore gigs', and parties and club nights round out the lineup. Major retail chains are excluded from the festivities. Only the independent music media trade is allowed to take part and showcase its strengths: personalized advice, community among like-minded music fans, new discoveries, and musical inspirations. ;)
Beyond the social aspect, space and time also often play a role that shouldn’t be underestimated—even if that sounds clichéd. Due to the format, the cover and booklet offer plenty of space, so artwork here isn’t just artwork, but can truly be a work of art. You can then give this the full attention it deserves while listening, because you’ll search in vain for a skip function on a turntable. Instead, you might hear that familiar crackle, which is an absolute dealbreaker for some people and just the right finishing touch for others. John Peel clearly took a stance on this: “Somebody was trying to tell me that CDs are better than vinyl because they don’t have any surface noise. I said, "Listen, mate, *life* has surface noise". That brings us to the technical facts about the vinyl record.
This Year’s Record Store Day Has Come and Gone
Analog Technology
First, it’s important to note that the long history of the vinyl record has seen a wide range of different manufacturing processes, material experiments, and technical adjustments. These relate to things like playback time, running direction, or playback speed, and have accordingly led to the development of various playback systems. A full examination of this would exceed the scope of this article, so no claim to completeness is made here. The standard vinyl record of today consists mostly of polyvinyl chloride, which gives it its typical name "vinyl". During industrial production, a groove is pressed into the PVC disc, which usually runs counterclockwise from the outside to the inside, and whose profile is an analog representation of the original music recording in terms of frequency spectrum and time progression. This makes one of the key differences between analog and digital storage practically tangible: the digital storage method allows a much larger amount of data to be fit onto the comparatively small CD than on an analog vinyl record, which only stores 20 to 25 minutes of music per side. In contrast, the CD has no analog groove representation; instead, the data—or rather, the portion that was accounted for during the analog-to-digital conversion—is encoded in the "pits" and "lands" on its surface. The unique traits of both worlds will also play a role when we look at sound quality.
PVC became the standard raw material for vinyl record production for a number of reasons. Unlike the shellac records that were still in use into the 1960s, vinyl discs were less fragile. Radio stations began sending recorded radio programs or advertising jingles to disk jockeys in the 1930s, so they turned to this alternative material. The greater flexibility was also a boon for children’s records, and the shellac shortage during World War II didn’t hurt either. Furthermore, this new material also excelled from a technical standpoint. Better use of the disc surface was now possible, and the groove was made narrower. This increased playback time and, combined with a finer stylus, created a richer, improved sound with lower background noise levels.
Despite all these improvements, however, not all problems could be eliminated. Since it is a soft material, vinyl discs are somewhat prone to scratches. Excessive heat can cause warping, and static electricity turns the disc into a veritable dust magnet. Careless handling is met with increased crackling, popping, or in the worst case, even skips and jumps during playback, which can ruin the listening experience. This medium does require some care and attention, but as mentioned at the start, that’s precisely why many enthusiasts cherish it.
The Groove Under the Microscope
Sound Quality
You get the feeling of opening Pandora’s box when you mention the words sound quality, vinyl, and CD in the same breath. Ever since the introduction of the silver disc, the debate over the pros and cons of both formats has raged on, and there are constant reports from the front lines of bitter trench warfare over the one true truth about music playback. We’ll content ourselves with providing you with a few facts to help you find your own personal answer.
The sound quality of a vinyl record naturally depends first and foremost on the material mix used, and the cutting process also inevitably affects the final result. As the available groove space per rotation decreases as you move inward, the rotation speed remains constant. The groove modulations that represent the sound therefore have a longer wavelength in the outer areas than they do near the center hole. This fact alone affects the sound, especially with complex high-frequency signal components, and this is by no means a phenomenon reserved for esoteric enthusiasts. In fact, during production, whenever possible, cuts are avoided that go too far into the center, and the order of the tracks can also be influenced by this factor. The list of such technical nuances and possible adjustment processes could go on forever, but under no circumstances should this be interpreted as an argument against vinyl. It simply shows that there are an enormous number of influencing factors, so a superficial, ideologically driven debate—like so many others—misses the mark entirely.
One final example: the technological limit of the frequency range that a CD can reproduce under theoretically perfect conditions is 22050 Hz (Nyquist frequency at a 44.1 kHz sampling rate). Modern vinyl pressings can easily exceed this limit. But to hear the full spectrum, all other components of the playback chain—such as the turntable, cartridge, tonearm, stylus, and phono preamp—must be optimally tuned. The CD can easily cover the lower end of the frequency range, meanwhile. The vinyl record, on the other hand, hits its physical limits at the lower end of the human-audible frequency spectrum (around 20 Hz) and below.
There is no doubt, however, about the background noises already mentioned. These are not present on the CD. That alone is why its sound is usually perceived as cleaner. That said, the supposedly less perfect analog technology also produces those 'flaws' that the human ear finds particularly pleasing to listen to. It’s not uncommon for vinyl listening to have the high end perceived as very pleasant due to harmonic distortion, and the overall sound as particularly dynamic thanks to slight compression. As you might expect, these effects, which are influenced among other things by the playback system, occur in varying degrees. This brings us back to the question of whether you welcome such effects or see them as a distortion, and it’s time for another round of the vinyl vs. CD debate.
Showcasing Vinyl in Style
Conclusion
The conciliatory final message: We are not in The Matrix, and you don’t have to choose between the blue or red pill. Neil Young is proof of this, as he moves seamlessly between the analog and digital worlds. While he’s pushing forward with his vision of a high-resolution digital music player called Pono, he and Jack White recorded an album in a 1947 telephone booth-like booth that cuts audio messages directly onto vinyl. The frequency range of the Voice-O-Graph leaves something to be desired, but it is completely analog. In the end, it’s definitely a gut decision whether you choose to dive into the world of vinyl or not. Either way, it offers the chance to rediscover music, possibly listen to it more mindfully, and redefine its place in your life.
If you’ve gotten the urge to get started again, optimize your playback chain, or send your old trusted system out to pasture to enjoy the benefits of the latest technology, we’d be happy to provide you with comprehensive, personalized advice.
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