Wired:
It’s odd when you think about it. Records are archaic technology, a format that is not at all portable and subject to all manner of degradation, from scratches and skips to pops and clicks, if it isn’t properly and lovingly cared for. But audiophiles insist vinyl offers superior sound. We’ll stay out of that debate, but you have to admit it is pretty cool how vinyl works.
There’s a process to it that borders on artistry, something Wiper—who loves records—discovered during a visit to Record Industry, a pressing plant in the in the Dutch city of Haarlem. The British photographer followed every step in the process, from making the master to pressing the wax to shrink-wrapping the finished product. “Seeing how it’s done really makes you realize how amazingly clever this old-fashioned technology is,” he says.
The process of creating the actual vinyl record is fascinating. The slide show included with the story makes me wish for a video of the incredibly detailed process. Almost makes me want to buy vinyl again. Almost.
Yesterday I received my copy of the red, white and blue 35th anniversary “Devo – Freedom of Choice” record. Delicious vinyl indeed!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/czsjxbl9qwsskcn/devo.jpg?dl=0
I never understood the fascination and love for vinyl. Not when I was a child, and certainly not now.
Apart from the package itself as a vehicle for great illustration and photography, my vinyl records might as well have been made of cheese for all the care they required and wear they sustained.
I’ll be very happy on the day I’ve recorded, digitized, and sleeve-photoed my last out-of-print LPs, and I hope a handful of other folks might be happy to see some of those LPs up for sale someplace like vvinyl.com. Bless their hearts.
Might get more out of them at discogs.com, depending on what you’ve got.
Thanks. I tried to figure out their vendor/shipping requirements in a new account, and immediately recalled Terry Gillian’s “Brazil.”
“Brazil” may be appropriate for vinyl — or wax cylinders, actually.
‘Ere I am, J.H.
Shawn, I’m with you, man. I have a lot of nostalgia love for record players and especially 45’s, and if I were rich I’d love a jukebox full of great old 45s. But while I miss album covers, I do not miss the clicks, pops, skips, and scratches. I don’t even miss CD’s. I like being all file-based. But I do think the streaming services (including Apple Music which I use) have crap sound quality. We deserve better fidelity, but most people don’t care. A music stream is worse than a cassette tape. I think. Hard to remember what they sounded like…
I grew up with vinyl. I had an extensive collection (3500 LPs+). The only thing I miss is the album covers, works of art and totally immersive and interactive.
But I don’t miss the sound quality. Sorry.