Why are Vinyl Records SO Popular... AGAIN?
Vložit
- čas přidán 3. 01. 2023
- It seems like every other day we’re confronted with a new technological wonder that everybody is flocking to, but amidst all the hype there’s a quiet trend towards one of the oldest audio technologies available: vinyl records. But are these relics actually the peak of musical experience, or are we just riding the nostalgia train?
Subscribe to Future Proof!
/ @futureprooftv
Follow Future Proof Health:
/ @futureproofhealth
Stay updated on our socials
Instagram: / futureprooftv
Facebook: / futureprooftv
TikTok: / futureprooftv
Reddit: / futureproof
For further reading, check out the sources for this video here:
docs.google.com/document/d/e/...
Script: Caroline Eaton Pickard
Editor: Kim Su + Kirsten Stanley
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand
Want to work with Future Proof? Get in touch:
contact@befutureproof.ca
I feel like the more we head towards to a digital age, the more we want material things to operate/collect and use, just to remind us of a happier time in our past.
Can agree with this wholeheartedly
Lol.. the millennials who are buying records never ever lived in the "happier time in our past" where vinyl was mainstream. People love to portray themselves as those having non-mainstream taste. That's it.
@@jayantdrummer What are you gonna do about? Stop them, lol.
Guess that explains why cassettes are big again too 🤷 thanks for sharing!!
@FutureProofTV I've actually taken interest in collecting my childhood VHS tapes as it happens lol
I bought my son a record player when he turned 13, and gave him my un unopened 1979 Pink Floyd the wall album. I bought 2 copies when it came out. Promised myself to give it to my first born child when he turned 13. 5 years later his vinyl collection is better than mine. He likes his digital but loves his vinyl. Every month he scours his favorite shop looking for obscure/or popular bands and music. It’s his passion and I’m so glad I started him on it🎉
That is super cool
The wall is the best album of all time
That album would have sold for well over £1000 and would have baught him a much nicer collection
Wholesome
What a great thought into the future you had! I ❤ it. I'm a Pink Floyd groupie & appreciate your foresight to your 1st born!
You forgot another reason some people use physical media: Archival purposes. Streaming services can easily have an artist, album, or song disappear for a variety of reasons. Having a physical copy that has endured time has at least ensured the user still has access.
That's very true, especially now that we're seeing all this stuff go down with television streaming too and shows getting hot-potatoed across platforms or deleted outright. Physical copies aren't infallible of course (some are more delicate than others when it comes to maintenance) but definitely a better option when it comes to ensuring access. Thanks for bringing this up, hadn't looked into that angle as much!
Wait until you find out you can download things
@@Digger-Nick wait until you find out that your hard drive is corrupted, limewire stan.
@@stmonroe That's the equivalent of me telling you that your house is going to burn down with all your music in it... Nonsense
Wait until you find out you can have backups and store things in the cloud.
@@Digger-Nick I don’t think you’re understanding. A physical copy that can be played on a medium that is never going to change because it is mechanical is what I’m talking about. A record player breaks, I can simply get a new one. A hard drive can be corrupted, incompatible with a new OS etc makes it less reliable. Putting something on a cloud drive is still not completely reliable because the company in charge can easily change its policies.
When you bring up the argument of things burning down, those are outside circumstances so in that case, anything can happen with that. But as far as controlling a medium in which I know I have, like a record, I have the ability safely maintaining it and I would be the sole custodian of it. When you talk about hard drives you are not mentioning that someone other than you can potentially have control of its care or something can happen that is out of your control making it unretrievable.
But then again, based on your other comments against me and others, your mind is made up. Have a good day.
My millennial nephew discovered his grandmother’s stereo and her record collection. He was totally clueless and I had to explain how to use it, and he became hooked. He also laid claim on it and my family’s 70’s soul records.
Smart boy 🥰
That’s wonderful
@@fabiana_barros He is.
Millennial or Gen Z? Millennials are reaching their 40s now….
Okay, that's friggin adorable. Hoping he gets good use out of it!!!
My completely stupid reason for buying vinyls is that if there is a digital apocalypse and no electronics are usable anymore, then at least I can still listen to my favourite music 😂
🙋🏽
You wouldn’t care about music if the apocalypse happened
Bruh vinyl isn't eternal. The needles wear out and the vinyls themselves get chewed by said needle literally dragging along the grooves over and over. And trust, I wish this wasn't the case, I love my vinyls lol
You can literally do the same thing with cds.... and cds are like so much cheaper.... especially used cds
@@vinkybong CD's are cheap....for now. Wait until they pick up in popularity again.
I am a millenial and I grew up listening to vinyl at home. I enjoy the experience of vinyl because it reminds me of my childhood and the sound is so warm. Not to mention having to rotate the record keeps me present and engaged while listening.
There's definitely something to be said about the physical act of playing music and being encouraged to listen to an album all the way through. Feels more like an intentional act rather than a background thing. Thanks for sharing!
Now these are some legitimate reasons to be busting out your records hehe
"keeps me present and engaged while listening" this sums it up. Just like the experience of going to a concert. Engagement is the key word, relationships work when you are engaged. This in a time of disengagement in general.
Vinyl records retain the ultrasonic frequencies that musical instruments emit. Spotify, MP3 and CDs don't retain those ultrasonic frequencies. Those frequencies have been shown to have a positive effect on the human mind. This may be why people prefer the vinyl sound as it is superior in this way.
I almost exclusively thrift for vinyl at independent stores because of the cost and sustainability. There are millions of already manufactured records that are sitting in antique, thrift and record stores that can cost as little as $1, sometimes free. It’s also a great way to explore the rest of an album where you might be familiar with just one song.
So true! Wish more people had a mindset like yourself, even relatively new albums wind up at the thrift stores since people buy them without knowing if they'll like it or not 🤦♂🤦♀
I like to get my hands on video game music on vinyl but I've never seen one in a thrift shop, yet. 🤷♂️ Guess because it's a relatively new niche especially aimed at fans, so when they get their hands on it, they'll just keep it (as they should).
I do the same thing with cassettes. The really fun finds are finding old used blank cassettes and hearing what people have recorded on them. I’ve heard everything from the mediocre to stuff that deserves to be digitized for posterity.
@@mentalmadness2192 while not E X A C T LY video game music, find a fun one called Pac Man Fever by Buckner and Garcia. It’s more a love letter album to those first gen arcade video games
@@InflatablePlane The problem with thrifting cassettes is, theoretically, you can never tell if the tape is worn until you start playing it. With vinyl, you can at least check for scratches and/or warping before you buy it.
There's a couple of reasons why albums do tend to sound better on vinyl but it has nothing to do with inherent sonic merits of the medium. The real cause is that for a couple of decades, the trend on digital sound is to compress the dynamic range of recordings by brickwalling and/or letting them reach the point of digital cliping, so they end lacking any dynamic range. This makes them sound "louder" in terms of average loudness, but obviously it also makes them sound lifeless and non-organic after people adjust their volume levels, if not also harshly distorting. People in the musical industry insist doing it for no reason other than they baselessly assume the public wants this and it's something that could not been done on vinyl because on extremely low dynamic range, the needle would have trouble tracking the record. So ironically, vinyl releases end up having better dynamic range than digital, even though vinyl cannot match digital in how much dynamic range can be reproduced. Another thing is that many digital releases are mastered so as to simulate being played "loud" while being played on low volume, on the assumption that they will be played by shitty small speakers so the "loudness" must be simulated somehow. This is a lose-lose game though, and essentially means they sound shitty on low volume and even shittier when played louder. Again, the irony is that I'm looking for the best source to hear an album digitally and some times this means obtaining the vinyl and digitizing it. Because, you know, vinyl still sounds like vinyl, even when digitized, which is a testament to vinyl's superiority lol.
Yes and no. Most modern recordings, even when they end up as vinyls are recorded as digital masters. So it's really more about the final digital files that people tend to listen to and where. Spotify will have that compressed sound but when you have DSD, Redbook, Tidal, Qobuz, and other Hi-Rez lossless music that are also played on higher end digital source/DAC, amp, and headphone/speakers (like my Chord Hugo TT2 + Cayin HA-300 amp + Audeze LCD-3), you will notice the difference between compressed and real lossless digital and vinyls.
But otherwise, I agree how loudness compression sucks
@@JoeGunawanfotosiamo I think you are raising another issue that doesn't negate anything I said though.
1. Leaving file compression versus vinyl and lossless and hi-res digital aside for a second, my point was that the only reason vinyl might sound better than digital to a great deal of people who buy records is almost 100% due to a more natural and dynamic mastering selected for vinyl as opposed to the current trends towards dynamic range compression or loudness simulation.
2. When I was 25 and I could still hear 18khz and upwards, I could reliably tell the difference between lossless and files that were compressed on high quality settings when listening on studio monitors or some decent heaphones. Still, you could find some recording that was so squashed to shit during mastering in the early 00's that made this inceasingly hard. Now I'm 38 and still able to tell lossless on jazz recordings etc even though I barely hear 16k, so I keep those in flac but in many other cases I do not bother because I don't consider this the make-or-break point when it comes to musical enjoyment. Many modern codecs are transparent enough for the vast majority of people, so whatever sonic difference may exist, it will be a drop in the ocean compared to the difference between a sonic quality-oriented mastering as opposed to one that focuses on "loudness". So while you may technically have an additional point there, I don't think it's the most crucial one. Your system may be amazing at revealing many details inside a mix that may enhance your experience, like reverberations and stereo image and I don't doubt you can discern the benefits of owing such a system, but when it comes to frequency fidelity between formats, I have to ask, how old are you? Can you still hear 16,5k? Can you really tell when there's some miniscule distortion up there due to lossy compression or low pass filters at 22khz? To reiterate my point, most people who prefer the "sound of vinyl" would still like it better when listening to that master after digitizing and uploading it to youtube versus a new cd mastered with no dynamics and simulated "loud" frequencies. Especially asuming that they own a pc and some low end hi-fi amp and speakers, I'd say that between these two, it's the mastering that will make most of the difference. In the days when compressed music files was mainly older mp3s at 128-192 kbps constant bitrate I would totally agree with you that this was also an important factor, but now I don't think it's anyware near crucial.
Agreed, compression is the root of all evil. But compression happens in the mixing room and so shows up on masters regardless of whether they go to MP3, CD, or vinyl. If a CD of a song has compression, so will the vinyl record.
@@seanluke3052 No, even different digital media (older/newer remasters of classical albums, CDs versus streaming, hi-resolution digital) may feature different rates of compression, if not be mastered completely separately. Enough artists who also release their albums in SACD and high-resolution files these days may do nice, dynamic masters for these versions while releasing a "loud" CD which to me sounds crazy, as if they know what was supposed to sound good and they intentionally left CD and standard streaming out of it. But especially vinyl will be cut by a separate master, usually quite in line with the "vinyl" sound one presumably expects from it. But crucially, it will not featured squashed dynamics like other sources, as this creates even technical problems. Too little dynamics and the needle will have trouble tracking the record. If you have heard a record that is brickwalled like a modern CD I'd be interested to know though.
I prefer CDs. Not just because of the audio quality, but for the ease of use, as well. Sure, the plastic cover is not nearly as cool as the full blown art on a cardboard that the vinyl have, but they're much smaller, easier to deposit and also cheaper. There was a video I have watched a few years ago, made by someone passionate about HiFi and this stuck with me: in a world full of everything going virtual, listening to a physical copy of your favourite album feels like a digital detox, and it gives you the opportunity to better commit to an artist, an album, etc. Being more mindful about the music you're listening feels very good when you sit down and put your headphones on, to listen to that album you've waited so much for. And especially for the albums where there are transition sounds, where everything is just seamlessly tied together.. mmm, chef kiss.
CD's with limited sampling and bitrate. Great. You know nothing.
There's definitely something to be said about physical formats encouraging users to listen to entire albums rather than cherry pick through to find a favorite song (not saying some don't, just less common). Deeeefinitely more of a commitment to an artist/album, so one could say there's a case for using both digital and physical music formats - one for finding out what you like and another to support artists/keep an archive. Thoughts?
That's nothing more than hippy bullshit dude lmao.
@@FutureProofTV I use both streaming and physical media exactly like that.
@@J3unG never mind it still sounds fantastic at 1411 kbps. Higher than streaming services using lower bitrate like 256 kbps.
I have a soft spot for the stereo systems of the late 20th century. They played records, CDs, tapes, radio, cable tv audio (for a while), etc. You just had to buy a player for that media format and wire it into the stereo amp and connect that to speakers. It was modular and customizable. There was no all-in-one, no OS, no driver updates, etc. The only real planned obsolescence in the 20th century was the shift from 78 to 33 and from 33 to CD. You could literally play every major media format after the Edison cylinder with one system. And if you like playing stuff out of contemporary smart devices, all you need is an AUX IN, which is that vestigial input for tape. Vinyl is great. Having a stereo that frees you from the walled garden of streaming music is ever greater.
Walled garden of streaming? Warez, bro. Warez. Ignorance is not pretty.
@@J3unG Good point. So much media is free and open online - and yet many people do get stuck in walled gardens on Spotify or iTunes (remember when iTunes wrecked people's mp3 libraries when everything when from hard-drive to the cloud?). It's not that someone savvy cannot be in control. It's more than many people just want something easy and convenient, and don't realize there is a trade off.
Me too! I love that era of devices. I have a few of them around that I enjoy.
I remember those Brian Kelley. I think they were called AV receivers.
Preamp, amp, radio, EQ, surround sound, reverb, effects, etc., all in a single large component with a gazillion inputs and outputs and a remote that was as big as a smartphone.
not planned obsolescence, just innovation
I’m stoked vinyl is back. I bought a record player and vinyls for my mom, who is 80. She can’t do streaming and tech well. And her memory isn’t amazing. So I bought a bunch of her favorite 1940s, 50s, 60s bands and I a machine she remembers well. She enjoyed teaching me how to use it. I’m glad for that. We did Xmas music like that this year. She had to give all ears away years ago because of my dad. So she was very tickled by it.
What a good kid. ♥️
I’ve always been into old formats, and I just started getting into vinyl. I tend to reserve vinyl for those albums that I love to listen to cover to cover, and I find it to be a really nice experience.
Yeah, it's definitely rare to find albums that really speak to you start to finish but those are the ones that would be worth having physically for sure!
@@FutureProofTV damn man you gotta find some better music than if that’s rare to you :((
I’m personally not a huge fan of vinyl, but I do love see the large print of the album covers and love how cool some records look (color discs, splatter discs, etc.) having a physical copy of your favorite media is always preferred as well. Digital just happens to works better for me.
I had records until CDs appeared my last year in high school. That was a godsend: no more skips, pops, warping, 20-minute sides, high-maintenance cleaning, avoiding fingerprints, etc. I tried going back to records once but it was short-lived. I can't imagine how the younger generation can put up with records, but they didn't experience the decades of frustration with them I did, and I can understand how something from your parents' or grandparents' era can be attractive because I do that with 1920s and 1950s stuff. Still, I've switched to online music, and I buy a few CDs to support my favorite bands, but I won't go back to records.
Right? Sure, Spotify doesn't have every song I want. Neither did my local record stores.
When I got Spotify it changed my ability to listen to music for the better. I love music, I’ve got something playing most of the time that I’m alone or commuting. I use it both ways- as an addition to the moment, as well as to sit down and listen.
What I have been loving lately is that Spotify rolled out a feature where they have scrolling lyrics, live with the music. I have auditory processing issues that make making out the words to a song really difficult, so one of my new favorite things to do is sit down and really listen to some of the songs and albums I’ve been loving while reading the lyrics. It’s definitely a more full experience for me, something I’ve missed from the days of having lyric booklets that come with your CDs.
Now if only they paid their artists a living wage 😅😅 No but seriously, the age of streaming has brought tremendous value to so many lives, and the accessibility perspective here is huge! Surely most people love the lyrics feature on these streaming platforms (just because they've probably been singing it wrong this whole time) but it definitely brings a whole new experience to those with auditory issues such as yourself. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, we're so stoked on the conversation happening in the comments today.
@@FutureProofTV hahaha right!!! That’s a big issue for sure. But yeah without the lyrics I just listen to the sounds without knowing much of what they’re saying 😅
Anything that improves accessibility is hugely wonderful.
was in barnes and Noble and noticed 15 to 18 year olds hanging around the the vinyl section and making purchases, As a Gen X'r it brought a smile to my face.
There's something inherently comforting in the knowledge that vinyl can be enjoyed with zero connections outside of a turntable and speakers. No algorithms listening in to my preferences. No wifi connectivity issues. Just pure, simple music. And I like the idea of owning something, not just "renting" it from a streaming platform.
If your buying records, Don't try and have lots. It's better to have albums and singles you know inside out and love. Rather than a lot of things you never listen. Once you get past 100 or so a record collection gets to be a lot of hassle (I have over 700 12s, and over 300 7 inch, I am 43 and have been collecting since my teens, House moving is awful)
Another banger of a video. My husband has a vinyl collection so every couple years I'll pick something up from the local record store, and then we typically listen to the record player while cooking during various holidays. For my personal listening, though, I get that balance between good music and no distractions with a digital audio player AKA fancy modern mp3 player. It's basically just an android device that is meant just for music and podcasts, so I listen to all my high quality FLAC files with that so I can buy albums from artists I like without having to keep a CD and record collection of my own. I know that it's Just Another Gadget, but I use it every day and highly recommend it if you tend to get distracted by your phone.
To be honest, I do own records, but to Levi's point, when an album drops from an artist i adore, I make it an event. That night I sit on the floor with the lights off, and no other sounds or smells to distract me and listen to the entire thing front to back. It's my favorite part of new releases. It doesn't need to be vinyl for me to appreciate music in an isolated fashion
Right, i'm just in my 50's. So a veteran of multiple format wars. Vinyl, the hunt to find something specific and its delicate nature made it somehow feel more worthwhile to get hold of. I remember rummaging various record stores (Like Croydon's legendary Beano's or the store in the Kensington indoor Market) trying to find some half forgotten rarity that only ever had one print run, but an artist I liked had been in that band/commented a liking for it. Also the format made you listen to an LP organised as the artist intended.
Now the downside everyone forgets... Unless you are spending like a moths wages on a record deck/hi-fi system, the sound quality was often absolute rubbish. Towards the end, those discs were almost translucent see through and poor quality. A cheap CD player would blow the average house holds record deck out of the water sound quality wise, that is why CD took off.
Hey, Jon-Paul, this is really interesting! Soo many people switching over to vinyl for the "sound quality" when in reality maybe what a lot of people are looking for isn't the quality necessarily, but the character that it adds to music. That tinny or crackly tone that vinyl records add might bring a lot of value to somebody looking for nostalgia more than anything... Love opening up this conversation on here, thanks for sharing!!
@@FutureProofTV No problem, I agree with you re the Crossley and other cheap decks people are using today. They are as bad in many ways as the "affordable" decks back in the 80's that would set me back a weeks wages (before any deductions for living costs etc). And would chew your records up as well. I suppose being brought up a music nerd was worth something as I had a good quality 2nd hand machine.
CD is the best format. Vinyl is just for hipster to feel different.
@@olafsigursons And you still have the hunt for them. I have always felt the hunt for a physical copy has a value all of its own, its like getting an "achievement unlocked" but in real life.
@@FutureProofTV like instagram filters, when every camera is capable of taking a perfectly clear and crisp photograph
I recently just got my first record player, I inherited a large sum of my fathers records when he passed and I am at a point life now where I can properly appreciate them. It's magical to be able to listen to records that he felt connected to enough to keep for decades before his passing in the 2000's. So many of them are over 30 years old and it is beautiful to think they were that precious enough to be carefully cared for and appreciated in a way that now they are/can transcend generations.
I agree completely! A major reason why I love listening to vintage records is because it makes me feel so much more connected to the music and to the people who have loved that music. I started listening to vinyl records when a great aunt gave me her collection as a gift. Soon after that she passed away, and it feels so special listening to those records now, knowing that 50 years ago, she physically held this record and heard exactly what I am hearing right now.
I didn't think of these things, but my record collection began with my father's, who passed two years ago. It's interesting to think that I'm putting on the some of the same exact physical records that he bought, collected, and listened to some 40 or 50 years ago. I even have one of his old players, though its not my primary one anymore as its speed control is unreliable.
great video!! Now after watching so many of your videos I'm amazing how easy you make it look to read a script and make it sound natural. I would honestly love to see how to you and the team produce these videos. keep up the great work!
Personally for me records are also a physical tangible way to remember and most importantly to not forget the huge multitude of all the music I listen to. Like for example, I lost all my digital archive (2 times with spotify and 1 with tidal) and it really is an impossible quest to remember all of it.
I built my first turntable/stereo system from scraps given to me by family friends and found at goodwill when I was 14. I was so freaking proud of myself. At 26 I still love my vinyls.
Building a system that way is really fun. My first record player I got out of a trash pile. It was trash, but it worked.
65 years old today…managed a record store in the early eighties, started my vinyl obsession in the early seventies. I still have most of what I purchased for fifty years. No matter what life threw at me my records went with, and they still sound awesome today. When they were introduced in the eighties cds were supposed to be the next big thing, I wasn’t impressed by the sound quality and bought cds because vinyl wasn’t being made. Then we started downloading stuff from sharing services which I only did in conjunction with the music I already owned, because at that time turntables to play my records had become unavailable……long story shorter, I am happy now because I can play my fifty year vinyl history every day.
Happy birthday! 🥳
@@absinthealice thank you😃album of the day, the RINGO album I bought 49 yrs ago at a local record store my sweetie and I used to frequent as high schoolers
Funny you said that, I am also 65, and have been collecting albums since the 70s. I love all music but my collection was mostly of the so called now 'classic rock' with some jazz, new wave, funk, latin and soul. When cd's came out I almost replaced my entire collection with CD's, but kept my LP's. We have recently moved since we sold our home, we downsize because we are now both retired (my wife was retired already). Painfully, I had to get rid of a lot of my records, they were just too many! I sold about half of my collection but I kept a lot (about 500 albums), the ones that I could not part with them. I owned more than a thousand LP's, all in excellent condition since I hardly ever played them and I was the only one that touched them. Now that I am retired and have more time, I get to listen to them, I got me a new turntable, and loved to listen to my old records again again.
I just really love the analog nature of vinyl.
I was raised on 60s/70s music. Not the mainstream music like Guns N Roses, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, more like Grand Funk, Vanilla Fudge, Deep Purple (not just their famous songs), Rainbow, The Firm, etc. over 100s of artists I could list. Listening to music where it was originally produced for is a whole entire experience. I have a collection from the 60s-80s and it’s such an amazing experience to sit down and just listen to a record in the order the artist intended. I’m 19 now
As someone who, not only collects vinyl records, but also collects typewriters (and uses them to write my projects), this hits close to home 👀🔥🤭
I always buy physical video games. Not only can you sell it after you’re done, but it’s incredibly nostalgic just holding a game in your hand when looking through your collection.
Same. I always try to get a physical copy
I might have a few digital copies, but I live for my physical games
I mean for me the reason I like vinyl is just because I think it's neat. A lot of analog formats are pretty interesting in the way they work, and while they might not give the most high fidelity experience, they also feel like you're using a real marvel of engineering. Like the fact that it is in over 100-year-old technology that we are still using and it is still of a pretty good quality in itself is amazing
It’s an experience, I got back into it because having my favorite artist on vinyl is a way of getting closer to the Master Tape. Especially a pristine early pressing or first press, its like a Time Capsule. I often wonder the stories my 50,60,70,and 90 year old records could tell, how many families they’ve had.
I just have a certain nostalgic respect for the format. And hunting them down in thrift stores, swap meets, yard sales, and record stores I love a good deal!
For me, vinyl is like a ritual. It’s an intentional listening experience. Plus the sound quality is better. I love the little sounds, scratches etc that you get from a well loved album
Found the braindead consumer
Pulling the record, cleaning it and being super careful
I started listening to music via vinyl. When LPs went out of fashion and people off loaded them to replace their music collections with CDs, I bought armfuls of cheap vinyl. Then vinyl became collectible, and I started replacing some of my CDs with 180g vinyl records. I love it, the sound is warm, analogue and very musical. I still like looking at the artwork, and buying a new LP still feels very much the event it always used to be. I have a good turntable amp and speakers, and will always prefer listening to this over a phone or iPad.
I started collecting vinyl roughly around the time of the pandemic. I had a number of concert tickets for shows that were ultimately canceled due to covid, and I wanted to support the artists I care about. There's something really enjoyable about the ritual of putting on a vinyl and just listening to it, as well as the experience of going to a local record shop and finally getting a hard-to-find record from one of your favorite artists.
Having growing up with Vinyl, the ONLY thing I miss about them is shopping for them. I loved the smell of the record stores, and even the sound of flipping through album after album, or admiring the album art or reading the back of the cover. But I definitely don't miss the hiss, the snaps, the crackles, or the pops, or the stuck needle.
One of things that were great about Vinyl was that you were forced to listen to the songs exactly the way the artist wanted you to hear them, rather than picking and choosing songs A la Carte. That gave a coherence to the music that streaming just can't match.
I don't think I've ever heard anyone argue that vinyl has better sound quality, rather that vinyl "sounds better". Some people prefer to hear the ticks and imperfections that vinyl provides. In regards to sound quality, vinyl can't even be compared to digital. Apples and oranges.
Lately, I've been listening to music mostly here on CZcams because I'm alway at my desk, but I do have a massive CD collection that I cherish.
They are practical, easy to use and physical.
I just got a record player and a few albums from my favorite artists. For me, it’s about handling something physical and appreciating the nuances in the album art and packaging, plus hearing the music “the way it is supposed to be heard”
Vinlys definately helped me in re-discovering the joy I had from listening to music. It's like you said in the video - listening to music, not having it somewhere in the background or changing a song after 1 minute because I don't have the patience or can't make up my mind beacause I have millions of songs on Spotify. People do miss doing things that have some value, are delicate and require some patience/commitment. Digital music has its purpose and it's good that technology allows us to listen to it in a very convienient way, but in this crazy, rapidly changing world it's nice to have someting to remind us about slowing down for a moment. To me vinyls are a bit like postcards, they remind me about certain moments in my life and I like the idea that someday I will be able to pass them to my kids as a reminder of who I was and what I enjoyed.
I think it’s the same reason why a lot of old school things are making a comeback. Nostalgia. And it truly is a different experience than just hitting play on your phone.
fascism exploits nostalgia too.. so it can be dangerous to.. "retvrn to tradition/good ol days"
@@PinoyAbnoy oh girl, I’m gonna enjoy some things before the world burns down. Thanks 😘
Recently got into CDs again and it’s been a great call so far. Smaller and easier to store, lossless audio sounds amazing. But the best part is that most of my friends and their parents have old CD collections that haven’t seen the light of day in over a decade, so they let me pick at them and give their CDs a second life.
With regards to physical music players, I think it goes beyond audiophile nerdiness or aspirational kitsch. Music can feel quite disposable nowadays, but music is art, and art is often enjoyed with some form of reverence. Museums, theatres, galleries. Having a physical player at home is like having an altar to music where you can really dive in to the joy of listening 😍
CDs are the vinyl of ten to fifteen years ago. Currently, you can easily find themfor dirt cheap and sometimes even free. But a lot of people are getting back into CDS so probably in a few years, used CDs will also become expensive like used vinyl is today.
If you live in a country where expensive electronics are common like the USA, Japan, South Korea, the UK, Germany, etc. The used market for old high-end CD players is dirt cheap right now. Old Pioneer CDJ-800MK2 CD players are selling for $100 and old Pioneer CDJ-1000MK2 CD players are selling for $200 here in the USA. Fifteen to twenty years ago the Pioneer CDJ-800MK2 sold for over $800 new and the Pioneer CDJ1000MK2 sold for over $1,100 new.
Man for real... I was talking to this girl 4 months ago... When was the last time you sat down and listened to music... As main activity, not background noise... Vinyls are incredible... Im born in 87, got hooked on vinyl 4 years ago... Its an experience
1.- It's calming to listen to an album from start to finish.
2.- The format forces them to be properly mastered.
3.- They look good.
Vinyl is where it’s at! Holding and feeling the music is something different. I have not forgotten the first vinyl I ever bought “ Ramones Rocket to Russia” but I can’t tell you the first album I streamed.
I love album art, that's one of the main reasons why I collect records, that and the fact that my dad collects them too so it's sort of a family pastime. It's not a nostalgia thing for me because I'm way too young to remember when vinyl records were the main way of listening to music, and I wish I could "get" the differences in sound but I just sorta don't hear it.
I think also there’s so many artists we can listen to on streaming that having these certain artists we get on vinyls are ones who we say define us we like or fan of as specific to who we are it’s great to know the albums you’ve been through
This video made me realize why im not crazy about physical media apart from the nostalgia that comes with it. I like to listen to music, not while doing anything, just listening. When he asked "when was the last time you really listened to music?" I thought: "yesterday".
My (now 20 years old) daughter actually bought a few vinyls at a thrift store because she thought the album covers were "cute"!
🤦♂️ just buy prints at that point hahaha
@@FutureProofTV LOL....For real!
This is great. The vinyl revival is obviously a sentimental thing for hipsters. That said, I do appreciate owning my media rather than renting from Spotify, and this includes 24-bit 192kHz high-res files properly streamed to a nice sound system. Just like with choosing 4K Blu-Ray discs over Netflix, it makes a difference. But it requires an attention span that’s longer than 5 seconds as well as a true appreciation for the art.
Finding myself really looking forward to yalls videos. Great stuff
Another very good video. There's one thing you touched on that I think could be expanded: album artwork, gatefold sleeves, and posters. Not every album cover is great but many are. "Sgt. Pepper" is a masterpiece. Then there's "Dark Side of the Moon" and many Blue Note albums to only mention a few. Sometimes I buy an lp for its artwork more than the music.
Elton John’s ’Captain Fantastic’ was by far the coolest album cover/ gatefold ever. You got the cover art, the gatefold art, illustrated lyrics sheet, a little EJ comic book, a poster of the album art, and a little biographical blurb about EJ and his band. Even if I couldn’t play the album itself, I’d still be pleased as punch to own that record.
I like the saville joy division and new order covers.
I love my records. My biggest collection is my Beatles collection. I have about 80% of their catalog in vinyl. A couple original presses, including an original let it be pressing from 1970. It’s pretty beat up so I don’t play it but I cherish it deeply. I have an Audio Technica and it’s great. It’s a great quality turntable!
White album remaster sounds amazing on Vinyl. It has 4 LP's. But so worth it if a Beatles fan. One of the best sounding records I have.
What's not to love about physically holding a beautiful gatefold album cover, the tactile feel of putting the disc on the platter in anticipation of listening to your favourite artist? In a world of unstoppable unlimited streaming, vinyl brings focus and a much more committing experience with a clear start and end. Regarding sound quality, of course digital has a seemingly infinite dynamic range and no noise, but vinyl has a much more relatable floor and a ceiling and feels much more like a cozy living room, whereas digital feels like outer space with no livable planet in sight.
My teacher told me that we weren't allowed to have our phones out in class but I wanted to listen to music so I brought a walkman the next day and he just let me because he was so impressed with the creativity
When something becomes an interest or hobby, we are more than willing to sacrifice a bit of convenience.
Vinyl, cast iron pan, stick shift. You name it
Levi, you nailed it! I’m a boomer who had a huge symphonic/operatic vinyl collection that I started collecting in the 1960s. I started replacing records with CDs in the 1980s. Finally, I ditch the rest of the records and turntable in the late 1990s. Unfortunately, the vinyl community on CZcams made me nostalgic. I went on discogs and rebought some of my favorite legacy vinyl. Of course, then I had to buy a new turntable to play them on.
The “warm” sound of vinyl can be attributed to the slight consistent noise picked up when the stylus moves through the grooves. And, the pops and clicks constantly draws on attention back to the music being played.
Every guy who walks in my basement says wow when he sees my vinyl wall. Women rarely have such a reaction. I express and open invitation for new boomer friends to bring their favorite albums over for a spin, so there you have it-some boomer Dads, vinyl, a couple of beers, and plenty of cuss words…heaven on earth ! PS Love your videos!
The "warm" vinyl sound you're referring to again comes back to the nature of an analog signal. Digital signals are made up of samples, 1's and 0's. Analog signal is one continuous line that doesn't stop, it's also not compressed like digital signals are which makes a bigger difference to the sound quality than most people realise haha.
I love CDs and love to buy them from my favorite artists. But I have to say the experience is not the same anymore. Artists used to be careful of the order of songs and tried to make it as pleasant as possible. Nowadays they dont seem to care anymore which can be annoying when I want to listen from start to finish the whole CD
Yes! The transitions were so important and would be jarring played out of order.
@@HederKlowdexactly! there were also always a nice and fitting intro and outro
Artists don't make albums anymore, they make tracks that get thrown on an album.
My love for vinyl comes from a deep-rooted fascination with the technology. Like, etching out and pressing sound waves on a thin piece of plastic? That's amazing! My uncle had a huge collection of old vinyl, and I remember being just mesmerized watching that record spin around the platter while the needle drags along the grooves. It was almost hypnotizing to me! And of course, the music was positively sublime, crackle and all. Like you said, a very "warm quality." That first experience inspired me to start my own vinyl collection which is still growing to this day. I'll never forget the way my uncle invited me to his garage to listen to his collection. He and his other nephew sent me down a path of one of the noblest, most enriching collections to ever get into.
My son's gifted me a record player this Christmas. I guess they heard me talk about the memories that centered around family, laughs, and even broken hearts and vinyl. It has already been a well-used gift and a good trip out to forge records. I am totally enjoying the personal rustic feel and sound of the music.
It'd be nice if artists offered the option to buy empty sleeves with a download code inside, that way people who just want the art don't have to invest in an inferior and planet destroying format. I do get the appeal of actually listening to records, but there should be a better option for people who simply want something to hang on the wall while they listen to the album on a streaming service.
You could say there's wall posters for that, but record sleeves are nice because you can pick them up and read the info on the back. I just wish more artists put the lyrics on the outer sleeve, instead of the inner one or simply not at all. That's another reason I tend to prefer CDs, they often have way more information in the little booklet than the record release.
You can just print it out and put it on the wall.
cardboard comes from paper, paper comes from trees--you know what I mean. Better stick with your digital thing
Just go to the thrift store and find an old beat up record and use that
I don't consider myself an "Audiophile" but someone who appreciates music in many forms and in high-er fidelity. I wouldn't say vinyl today is a "Quiet trend", It's just music streaming became THE new trend and no doubt about it is it convenient. There's still a lot of people (me including) all over the world who buys physical copy's of music. I've been collecting CD's since I was like 7 and vinyl's about 5-6 years ago. For ME, if I buy vinyl it HAS to be an album that I absolutely love, play on repeat and preferably if it's only 1 disk because it does get annoying flipping back and forth between discs and sides. CD's are awesome to this day because CD quality is better than most streaming platforms that don't offer quality past mp3 and normally an album only has 1 CD disk. I bring CD's up because CD's are cheaper than vinyl, you can play a CD just about anywhere you can find a disk drive and if it's sound quality your after; going down that rabbit hole of comparing vinyl to CD can get expensive very fast if you want to do it right. I am the kind of person who does sit down and just listens to albums front to back at my desk with nice headphones and a amp/dac. For anyone considering vinyl my recommendation would be that you buy albums you TRULY love, think about the price tag of the album, where you'll be storing your albums and check out the brand Fluance with their options if you want a nice quality built record player.
Your videos are so articulate and well written, it's almost poetry.
im gen z and bought a record player a couple months ago and started collecting and playing vinyls ever since. its a super nice feeling to listen to an album from the beginning to the end, no shuffle the way an artist or band intended. It also is great to pick out vinyls that just catch my eye instead of some artist being shoved down my throat because the label they are signed too is pushing millions of dollars in ads to make sure their music is pushed into every playlist
A PR company gifted me a pretty swanky turntable and speakers. This thing is heavy and solid and makes for a nice centerpiece in my living room. Of course, I had to start buying vinyl records to get the most out of it, which is an expensive investment. I just think it sounds better and warmer than Spotify. It feels like the music is with you in the room. It also gives me a moment of downtime to really listen to music instead of having it on in the background. I like the tangibility of records too. You get deeper into the music when you sit and read the liner notes.
Why do i play vinyl and CDs? Because i OWN them. Do not ask me to pay subscriptions or download another app ill use once a year 🙄
Great info as always. I got a CD player for Christmas a few years back which our family uses a lot with our phones. It may not be the top of the line but it plays all of our CDs from the 1990s and early 2000s and with our phones linked to it we can play any music we want from any time period. We have ended up using it a lot more than we ever thought we would. Records would be nice, we just don't have that kind of space but we do have space for CDs.
Even though a single record is bigger than a single cd, in abundance, vinyl is actually more space saving than CDs because they are thin and many can be kept in a single crate.
A Crosley, Victrola, or similar portable record player isn't going to damage your vinyl, although it may damage your ears with its poor sound quality. That is, if you bother to actually use it -- half of the people buying new records never play them, even if they do own a turntable.
Something that I think was not touched on and I think is related to all retro-hobbies is that-- these things were expensive when we were kids and now we have that adult money, we want to buy them because our parents can't tell us, "No!". It's my money, Mommy! I don't care if you disapprove! You don't pay my rent!
Shout out to all those ethnic households who still can't buy those things because Mom + Dad still love you too much to let you leave the nest. Respect!
Gawd, it’s INSANE! I was happy to go digital. I’m very happy with my speakers and my small players. Vinyl is so heavy, they scratch, have skips, and are a general PIA!
Eh, something about the extra work pays off when you hear some glorious analog warmth
@@bendingriver7101 This is so stupid if you want warmer audio you know you can just use software to get the same sound right?
Stop trying to act like you didn’t buy vinyl to seem like you’re cultured 💀
@@saechiru6750 lol. I'm sorry, but simulating vinyl is not the same as listening to vinyl. I also would say 85% of my vinyl collection are from small DIY emo/punk bands. I bought records to support artists and enjoy the often times extended art of the vinyl record
This was a good one. Thanks for the knowledge. I hate it when people tell me to get it onlin it takes away the joy when I find that one unique hard to find record after hitting up 10 different shops in a day.
I love my record player! I wanted it for years and was gifted several sentimental records from family and friends after I received it as a gift. It sits in the most high-traffic area of the house. Most pf the time I do stream. But back in the day when an artist created an album it was more like a story to be listened to from start to finish. It transports you to a different world. As Dillan from Nobel Records says “if you are a vinyl person, you just get it.” It really can’t be explained.
Easy way to buy personality.
🤷♀️ of the opinion that's something you can't buy but oh well
My dad always said things come back around.
I was listening to his records in the early to mid 90s, so I would go buy my own when I had money.
Now my kids are listening to my records (and my dads).
That’s how that goes.
thank you for this video, you truly spoke my mind there!
I've used Spotify for years now and never been fond of the premade playlists of those services. but I did spend months upon months mustering my own playlists for every moment and mood.
I'd be very proud of them and keep them all relevant and updat-to-date to my liking. but as you said, it primarily served the convenience of shuffling through something and forgetting that it's playing.
retrospectively I understand that I liked my playlists, not the music they contained. so in the past 2 years or so, I experienced a shift in my preference that wasn't necessarily deliberate. I started wanting to hear particular albums as a whole, listening to them in their intended order.
for the first time I got to know the music I collected in my library and at the same time, I realised the absurd amount of (digital assets) music I'd collected, having almost no respect to it.
now I've got my first turntable and for once, I've been slowly but surely forming a genuine collection of my favourite albums. there will ever be fewer assets in my physical collection than the digital one. but these physical albums caddy a connection, some kind of relationship. it's music that I know by name and truly love. it cannot be taken for granted and if it ever does, it'll be traded in something else due to the physical limitation of the space of my collection that doesn't exist in my Spotify library.
funnily I feel like by going analogue is a rather minimalist choice, compared to the one of having the world's music library in my pocket...
So, I bought a single on Amazon Music. Listened to it a few times. My wife downloaded it to her phone and also listened to it. Then one day, it was gone. I go to the Music app and it even shows "purchased". But I cannot download it again. I have to purchase it a second time because the license agreement is now to purchase the entire album and not just the single. Now, couple this with what's going on with HBO Max, where Warner Bros has decided not only to cancel shows, but remove them entirely from streaming? I bought a show on Amazon Prime, but since WB decided to dump it, I cannot watch what I've "purchased". The digital age of media has made it possible for the corporations to charge us multiple times for the same product. I'm surprised this didn't come up. I recently bought a record player (granted, I did zero research) but my intent was to go vinyl because I trust it lasting longer than a CD or cassette tape. And once I buy the record, it's mine. Licensing agreements be damned.
6:56 as an audio engineer, I love how you yadda yadda’ed your way through the more technical bits, but your conclusion is more or less accurate. Good job
I love records, I'm 19 years old and my grandpa got me into all these amazing songs from years like the 1960, 1970s, and even 1999s, and I love all of them, my favorite song of all time is proud Mary by the legendary Tina turner 😊
This is not for everyone but for those who want that slow, more mindful music discovery experience, you can still rent out CDs at the public library
It's less glamorous but it's free and way more eco-friendly!
Older millennial here. I have quite the collection of records, mostly inherited from my dad, aunts, and uncles and definitely love playing them. I also love playing cassettes again too. I grew up on tapes and can remember my dad playing his albums too so yep, there’s the big nostalgia connection, but I also love the tactile satisfaction of having to handle my music sources and the sounds that go with them. The sound of a needle dropping on a record, a tape going into the tape deck, even slamming an eight track cartridge into its player.
Vinyl records are the best overall media platform for somebody who is a collector. Many things that have made a comeback these days are because younger people never experienced these things and some actually have an interest. Everyone probably once they leave the house listen to whatever on their phones through streaming services, but once you’re at home, turning on a nice hifi system and seeing a physical music platform played is kind of fun, at least for me. I look at my record collection the same way a person may look at their art of book collection.
Another angle I've seen in my life is reconnecting with older generations like parents/grandparents. There's something fun about getting a record player for someone who thought the medium was dead and then seeing them light up when they see a record spinning again.
There's a certain ritual quality to vinyl. You pull it out of the sleeve, you put it on the player, you carefully line up the needle, and it plays. Somehow you feel more connected to it. You experience the Allman Brothers the same way people did in 1970.
Listening to digital music is like driving an automatic car. Everything is easy and done for you.
Listening to vinyl is like driving with a manual car. You have to work with the car/record to make it work. You feel more involved and a connection between the music you dont get with digital.
this would be a very interesting discussing film cameras making a comeback (although reasons may be very similar to vinyl) ! loved this video too!!!
having records and a record player makes me happy in a strange way, almost like comforting.
the best thing about vinyls is that you can change the bpm as you wish, you cant even do that with an audio files unless if you have computer with a dj app, i miss having vinyls in my house.
I myself am from Gen Z, missed being a Millennial by a few years, I got into vinyl because I had a shared love of Elvis with my godmother, after both of us moved, she gave me her original Elvis record and this Crosley CR66 Rochester that my godfather bought, I also got into tapes so I could record messages for the future, and I honestly love the hobby, I never grew up with a record player, (I had a CRT TV), and I honestly find it cool others love vinyl like I do
As a millennial, I think people are collecting retro vinyls, cassettes, etc… because our collective future seems so uncertain, so living in the past brings a certain comfort. But, as we all know, comfort is the opposite of growth.
Thing with vinyl for me is that they feel like the complete collection. I mean massive covers, sleeves with artwork, photos, every song lyric, posters sometimes, etc
I also love that a lot of vinyls are uploaded on CZcams as whole albums, so if I’m out and about, I can pull it up on my phone to listen to, or put on the actual record at home.
Modern players, like the Victorola, have Bluetooth as well, so you can connect it to a Bluetooth speaker, or hook up some modern studio speakers to it.
I just picked up 24 vinyls for $.25 each at a shop, and most of them were in almost perfect shape. Mostly Tony Bennett, Sergio Mendes, Robert Goulet, Chet Atkins, and some even still in plastic.
I’m 50 now & for me Vinyl has never been “out”. I’ve got near 4,000 LP’s now & space is at a premium. I also still listen on my 1980s separates, that have never broke down. Unlike these new fangled ‘suitcase players’ that ruin your records. On a decent set up Vinyl absolutely sounds better, much much better.
I'm 33, I bought a record player in 2021. Even with relatively basic equipment a clean vinyl record sounds better than streaming especially if using Bluetooth with streaming (LDAC is noticeably better in my amateur opinion but the range is garbage, like 2-3 feet before having issues). I will stream music when it is background noise, but prefer to play a record if I want to actually pay attention. For a lot of people it is hard to imagine listening to music without doing something else but it is real easy if you put your phone in a drawer and don't pick it up every 15 seconds.
My method when it comes to buying records is I first listen to the album on my phone and see if it's an album that I connect to. If I find myself going back to that album over and over again, I'll buy the vinyl. I noticed that helped me limit the amount of vinyl records I buy. I only just started getting into vinyl but it took lot of years of contemplating whether I should or shouldn't start collecting and I tend to over spend on materialistic things so this method has helped me not break my wallet; especially with the rising costs of all the items/stuff involved in the vinyl collecting hobby sphere.
Personally vinyl is not only the experience with the sound quality, but also the feeling of having a real physical copy of the album in your hands. The feeling to have the real work from your favorite artists in your hands exceeds the feeling of buying a digital album.
Some niche music communities have been selling vinyl all along (think some metal sub-genres. Its a huge bonus that an lp is big enough to showcase the album art, and include lyrics or whatever which you don't get with streaming.
There's a video on the technical difference between record and CD/digital sound. A record groove is wide for low frequencies, so that makes it more prone to skipping.The manufacturer compresses the low/high extremes together to avoid this. CD/digital manufacturers clip (chop off) the extreme low/high sounds completely to avoid damaging the equipment. That makes a record sound different. Some people think record sound is "warmer" or more familiar, and thus more pleasant. But I'm perfectly happy with CD/digital sound, and I'm glad to avoid the skips and pops that degrade record sound.
Loved the video but along with going to record stores if you are into vinyl I recommend using the discogs app. I’ve been collecting since 2013 and it’s a great to help catalog and for you to not get scammed at swap meets.
Oof didn't even know of this app, thanks for letting us know! ^^^^ discogs people, discogs!!!
2:30 as a millennial myself, that's the best description of the millennial spirit I ever heard.
Our lives changed SO MUCH as we grew up, and we kind of figured out that innovation and technology isn't necessarily the solution to make us happier, and we miss when things were simpler.
It's beautiful, in a way
Millennial here - I can’t say I understand why vinyls specifically have become a thing again, but I have started to collect physical movie media again and like feeling less beholden to streamers for my favorite movies