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Mk38 t1_iuoxklh wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in Audio-Technica resurrects its Sound Burger portable turntable from the '80s by thebelsnickle1991

And Kodak can't make film fast enough to meet demand. Everything old is new again. Pretty wacky.

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impossible2throwaway t1_iuq8vgq wrote

I just saw a kodak display in Target the other day and was like WTF - is this a time warp?

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Lucky-Carrot t1_iup0g1x wrote

The difference is that analog doesn’t perfectly recreate a digital media so there’s valid reasons to use film or records. There’s no reason to use a digital medium other than the most portable or durable format assuming equal quality of output

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brickmaster32000 t1_iuq0p59 wrote

You've got a faulty inference there. Digital media being unable to perfectly replicate analog media, which whithin a limited bandwidth it actually can do perfectly, does not imply that it is worse than analog media because analog media has its own set of limitations and distortions that digital media doesn't suffer from.

If your goal is to recreate the actual sound you would hear if you were in the room you are going to be better off with a good digital file. If however your goal is to replicate the sound as it would be distorted by a record and record player then yes, using a record would be the better option.

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shofmon88 t1_iuqr99q wrote

I wish more "audiophiles" understood this.

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synthsucht t1_iur1o27 wrote

They understand. Why else do you think tube amps are a thing? Hint: it’s the saturation.

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shofmon88 t1_iur37aa wrote

Those people do. It's the people that make lossless recordings of vinyl "because vinyl has the highest fidelity" that I'm referencing.

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TSMKFail t1_iuruk2e wrote

It's silly because in some cases the album is mixed differently for vinyl because you can't go as hard on the bass iirc.

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jnemesh t1_ius7kcm wrote

And sometimes, the label insists on overly compressing the CD and digital formats, while allowing the artist to have uncompressed audio on vinyl. Red Hot Chile Peppers is a perfect example. Go listen to just about any of their albums on CD, then listen on vinyl. In the end, it's all about how well the album is mixed and if compression is (over) used.

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LurkerPatrol t1_ius3y6h wrote

Making physical grooves in a platter is considered highest fidelity?

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shofmon88 t1_iusoywc wrote

Yes, there are people that unironically believe this.

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Lucky-Carrot t1_iuqsf6e wrote

Yes. But my point is that most audio is mixed digitally these days so analog is actually a deviation from the “intended” sound

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InfernalCombustion t1_iurdpjv wrote

Audio mastered for analog formats also has a lot of limitations.

Examine the vinyl record for example. Audio is encoded through grooves on a physical surface which is then read by a needle travelling at a constant speed.

Firstly, the physical size of the needle limits what you can decode. You can't have peaks or valleys that are too close to each other, otherwise the needle will just skip over them. You also can't have transitions that are too steep.

Digital actually makes everything closer to "intended" sounds, because you can eliminate so many physical and mechanical factors.

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Lucky-Carrot t1_iuro534 wrote

that’s incredibly interesting and i never thought about that. this is the kind of comment that makes me love reddit

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Shillforbigusername t1_iupoefw wrote

I wonder how much longer this is going to matter. For audio, sample rates and bit depths are so high that the only real constraints left are storage space and streaming capacity. I honestly wouldn’t even believe someone if they said they could tell the difference between an analog recording and it’s 192k / 32b transfer.

But I suppose analog will always have a place, though, because analog mediums - whether it’s 2-inch tape or vinyl - color the sound in a way that most people find pleasant, even if they aren’t consciously aware of it.

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chaiteataichi_ t1_iuqbpni wrote

I think many young people buy records less for the sound quality and more for the physical persistence and meaning an object can provide when so many other experiences are digital and ephemeral.

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erix84 t1_iuqcyqh wrote

I bought cassette tapes as a kid and then CDs in the 90s / early 2000s... Was born too late to really have experience with records aside from seeing them on my mom's stereo setup and looking at the art on the front.

I think the last CD i bought was at least 10 years ago, don't even have a CD player any more.... Bought a record player and a pair of bookshelf speakers and I'm up to about 10 records with a couple more on the way. Streaming is great on the go and in the car, but at home it's nice to throw on a record i own, you get the album art way bigger than cassette tapes or CDs, they sound unique, and it's just a cool experience i missed out on but am glad they're making a comeback.

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strikt9 t1_iur75fc wrote

For me it brings back listening to music as a thing you are doing instead of a thing thats on in the background

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chaiteataichi_ t1_iuqd2xh wrote

It’s also a way to show others your music tastes. People don’t really look through digital libraries (though I do remember scrolling through friends iPods) but records are a great way to share interests in taste

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fullmetaljackass t1_iuumpp2 wrote

Yeah, that's most of the reason I buy records. I've got a few album frames on my walls and I'll switch up which covers I'm displaying when I want to mix up my decoration a bit.

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Lucky-Carrot t1_iupugcs wrote

At some point someone will make a digital filter that sounds just like a record

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TundieRice t1_iuqedzd wrote

These have existed for awhile now, in both tape and vinyl!

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Sir_Donkey_Punch t1_iupvpya wrote

Was about to suggest the sound “coloring” you get with analog audio devices. Hard to beat the warmth of vinyl, especially if you’re into tube rolling and have a nice set of speakers.

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