Vinyl Me Please Essentials

MikeH said:
Even now, there are albums that I know were recorded digitally that I could just buy a FLAC or WAV file of and the sound difference wouldn't be all that different, but I still buy the vinyl.
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I do the same, but, although I haven't done much A/Bing myself, I've seen quite a few reports of there being considerably more compression applied to the digital releases than to the vinyl mastering for whatever reason. Definitely not always the case though.
 
MikeH said:
I'm not entirely sure when I first started collecting that I knew any better. A lot of times I assumed "oh it's on vinyl, it's supposed to sound better that way!" Even now, there are albums that I know were recorded digitally that I could just buy a FLAC or WAV file of and the sound difference wouldn't be all that different, but I still buy the vinyl. In the case of the Jorge Ben, I think they figured that most VMP members would be amped about it being available in the US for the first time. Plus, I assume the majority of VMP members do not even ask about the source and accept that it says "from the highest possible quality source".
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Absolutely agree, and a few years ago I was clueless on all of this so I wasn’t trying to throw shade on anyone who doesn’t think about sound quality as number one. My apologies if that came off sort of belittleing. My bad.
 
Dark Star Boogie said:
Absolutely agree, and a few years ago I was clueless on all of this so I wasn’t trying to throw shade on anyone who doesn’t think about sound quality as number one. My apologies if that came off sort of belittleing. My bad.
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I'll only belittling Storf, nobody else! Seriously though, not trying to come off as judgmental to people who don't prioritize that. Just ranting about the people who do prioritize it being frequently ignored by the marketing of VMP. They do seem to be doing better lately, but the inconsistencies are always frustrating.
 
Dark Star Boogie said:
Absolutely agree, and a few years ago I was clueless on all of this so I wasn’t trying to throw shade on anyone who doesn’t think about sound quality as number one. My apologies if that came off sort of belittleing. My bad.
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Oh I didn't read it like that. I just remember a simpler time when I didn't drop $60+ on MM Blue Note pressings haha. Looking back, I wish I had known all of that stuff sooner though because there are a lot of things I now own that I wouldn't have spend the money on necessarily.
 
MikeH said:
A lot of times I assumed "oh it's on vinyl, it's supposed to sound better that way!" Even now, there are albums that I know were recorded digitally that I could just buy a FLAC or WAV file of and the sound difference wouldn't be all that different, but I still buy the vinyl.
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In my experience, digital vs vinyl is a total crap shoot unless you're doing your homework. I don't always do mine, but I do seek out specific pressings of certain things. But honestly I love getting things for the record store, and sometimes I just jump on things because I like the album, or even just the album art. Like the old days of going to CD Warehouse with the family.

But seriously, just like sometimes the vinyl is better, sometimes the digital is better. It all depends on the mastering of the specific release.
For examples: Portugal. The Man - Woodstock and the new Claypool/Lennon album, both of those have MUCH better digital masters. Tool's picture disk of Lateralus is another example.

But then VMP's master of Fiona is miles better. And several releases from Analog Productions and Mofi. It's all about who's doing the master and the press.

And on the same topic... I have a few albums on vinyl, CD and streaming. - not all digital is the same either. It's ALL down to that specific release you are pulling.
 
displayname said:
In my experience, digital vs vinyl is a total crap shoot unless you're doing your homework. I don't always do mine, but I do seek out specific pressings of certain things. But honestly I love getting things for the record store, and sometimes I just jump on things because I like the album, or even just the album art. Like the old days of going to CD Warehouse with the family.

But seriously, just like sometimes the vinyl is better, sometimes the digital is better. It all depends on the mastering of the specific release.
For examples: Portugal. The Man - Woodstock and the new Claypool/Lennon album, both of those have MUCH better digital masters. Tool's picture disk of Lateralus is another example.

But then VMP's master of Fiona is miles better. And several releases from Analog Productions and Mofi. It's all about who's doing the master and the press.

And on the same topic... I have a few albums on vinyl, CD and streaming. - not all digital is the same either. It's ALL down to that specific release you are pulling.
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Yea--I didn't mean to speak in generalities and I know not all digital files are created equal, but when I first started I assumed that EVERY vinyl pressing sounded superior to any other format. I have some vinyl records that sound better than any digital version out there, and I have some digital versions that blow the vinyl out of the water. It always comes down to a lot of research like ya said.
 
First month in years I won't be receiving my VMP ROTMs and it feels good for so many reasons...

To my wallet - You're not off the hook, to celebrate, we're going shopping for vinyl we actually want to own. From now on we're filling holes in the collection rather than making them.
 
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radiodead said:
Pretty sure I’m either canceling this month or just going down to one track and keeping Jorge Ben. I like having the option to buy exclusives so I’m not sure I want to full on cancel but this is a poor month.
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I thought that as well, but in reality, receiving one shitty record a month just for the opportunity to spend more money on a record that you're likely to have to contact CS about for one reason or another, isn't worth it.

The world is full of vinyl - ELSEWHERE! 😁
 
dhodo said:
but some people who collect records think the sound quality is the most important part of the pressing.
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Dark Star Boogie said:
It’s crazy that this isn’t number one for most vinyl collectors.
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We all collect differently, and there's nothing wrong with that. To each their own. I prefer original records over reissues for many reasons. They aren't the right reasons for everyone, but they're the right reasons for me.

I perceive a homogenization that seems to be happening with reissued records. Does every record have to have the Kevin Gray sound applied to it? It's like having the same person curate every radio station of a certain genre across the United States - every station sounds the same.
 
High Rant District said:
I perceive a homogenization that seems to be happening with reissued records. Does every record have to have the Kevin Gray sound applied to it? It's like having the same person curate every radio station of a certain genre across the United States - every station sounds the same.
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Hey, some are done by Ryan Smith or Bernie Grundman!

To me, I think it is important just to have a mastering engineer. There are a lot working besides the big names and GZ DMM at $28 seems lazy.

I'm with you on originals, even though I know it is irrational. I'll almost always go for a real VG+ original over a reissue if I can get it for a similar price (which sometimes takes a lot of saved eBay searches and some luck).
 
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