A response to an article Spin Me Round, which argues listening to music on vinyl format is inherently better than any digital format.
The response explains the production process of music, arguing that the original article's distinction between digital and analogue is flaws not just in reality but in its own logic.
The writer concludes that a significant part of the value comes from the tactile feel of owning physical media rather than an advantage in audio fidelity.
What I found most interesting with this piece is how it highlights the subjective prejudice in the original article it critiques. Enjoyment is a subjective, not objective act . The perception of the media is more important than the actual content.
Maybe a similar idea to 'The medium is the message'?
Recording does not capture an objective reality any more than a photograph would.
Similarly, recording engineers and producers make choices at each stage of recording—from selecting and positioning microphones, coaching a certain performance, editing and mixing the recording, and finally mastering the recording onto a consumable format (vinyl, CD, MP3, etc.).
<aside> 💡 Even our most faithful reproductions of sound are interpretations of sound. Reproduction is interpretation (copying is creative) (originality)
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The sound of the original musical performance undergoes many transformations and alterations as it passes through various pieces of equipment and stages of processing. Each step involves tradeoffs and choices, which can be aesthetically or technically motivated.
The home playback environment—your speakers, headphones, and other playback equipment—is not in my control as an audio professional. This means that I have to create a recording which will “translate” across a variety of playback environments, and to accept that some tradeoffs will always exist.
As the listener, you’re the final link in this chain
Digitally recording anything (whether it be a sound wave in the air, the daily temperature, or a photograph) involves measurement, i.e., assigning a value on a numerical scale of some kind (decibels, degrees, or pixel color values). Analog recording methods do not.