I am a big fan of the English band "Mumford and Sons".
They take traditional instruments like Mandolin, Banjo, Dobro and Upright Bass to produce an alternative rock/folk style of music that is proving popular. In fact, The single, "Little Lion man" from their 2009 album "Sigh No More" was voted Number one in the 2009 Triple J Hottest 100. Mumford and Sons also won an ARIA Award in November 2010 for Most Popular International Artist.
Needless to say, I was exited when I learned this week that their new album "Babel" will be available on Vinyl. Yes, those large black plastic, double sided discs one plays on a phonograph.
Only Three months ago, I discovered that "Foo Fighters" album "Wasted Light" had been released on Vinyl.
I can remember when CDs, or Compact Disc as they are officially known as, were released unto the masses in 1982. CDs have proved immensely popular. They were significantly more compact than Vinyl LPs and less scratch prone. It was generally considered that CDs also sounded better, though many serious music listeners, or Audiophiles as they are often referred to as, would argue that point. More on that later.
CDs were going to replace all other formats. Vinyl records and cassettes were a thing of the past we were told. According to Wikipedia, by 2007, over 200 Billion discs had been sold worldwide but sales have dropped nearly 50% from their peak in the year 2000. This slow down is attributed to newer ways of storing and distributing Digital files such as Downloads, Flash Drives and MP3 Players.
Unfortunately, advances in Digital Audio technology revolves around convenience more than quality of sound. MP3 is a file format that is now popular due to its smaller file size. Therefore more songs can be crammed onto a given player. Unfortunately It does this by sacrificing Bits of information in the music that are deemed less necessary for your enjoyment. This is not a new concept. Over 30 years ago when developers turned their attention to the Compact Disc, it was decided that sound frequencies above 20,000 Hz and those below 20Hz would be sacrificed so that an entire Album would fit onto a CD. These frequencies are considered beyond the scope of human hearing or at least insignificant enough for humans to not notice their absence.
Unfortunately, this is not entirely true. The way our hearing interprets those sounds is incredibly complex. Included in the frequencies above and below this assumed limit in our hearing are sounds and harmonics of frequencies that add fullness and nuances to the music. A good example is Deep bass. Not just the Doof Doof you hear emanating from the brightly painted Skyline sitting next to you at a set of lights but the deep bass that is produced by a Kettle Drum in an Orchestra, or the large, stand up Base played by Mumford and Sons. When you hear these instruments live, you feel them as much as hear them. This is because they produce frequencies well bellow the 20Hz cutoff of Digital music. Played back on CD or your Ipod these frequencies are lost.
Not so on Vinyl. Vinyl is analog, therefore when originally recorded and pressed, all is retained. every note and sound that entered the microphone is kept for prosperity and your listening enjoyment. There is no compression or interpretation.
I mentioned earlier that many people found that CDs sounded better than vinyl. Unfortunately many of these people had been listening to old scratched and dirty records on cheap, poorly maintained players with worn needles, or styluses as they are correctly known as.
When a new (clean) LP is played on a quality player with a serviceable Stylus, there is none of the pops and crackle you will remember when Dad played Frank or Dean all those years ago.
I have recently rediscovered Vinyl. I bought a reasonable quality Turn Table from Ebay and The above mentioned "Foo Fighters" Album along with some old Records in good nick that I found in Opp shops.
When played through my home built Valve Amplifier the sound is amazing. There is not only the broader harmonic range but a larger dynamic range.
Go on, dust off the old Phonograph, buy a new stylus and start actually listening to music again.
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