VINO ...vinyl in name only

[aKnyght]

to be clear i am not making any judgements here with respect to AAA versus DDA LPs; just relaying something i found interesting along with my experience...

i have been listening to the digital version of this release from charley crockett, a relatively unknown artist in a niche sub-genre. with its fabulous retro sounds, i really like this title. given the studio where it was recorded i thought it likely to be recorded to tape and, therefore, decided to give the LP version a try.

when i received the LP and looked over all the info on the jacket i saw that it was pressed at hand drawn records. a look at their web-site reveals that they are essentially a site for artists to self-publish LPs ...sort of the vinyl equivalent of what sites like blurb are for self-publishing books. they will even establish a crowd-funding campaign for the artist to use in paying for the pressing.

i also noticed that there are a number of formats that artists can submit their music for pressing:

We accept audio CD-R, analog tape, and digital WAV or AIFF files. For best results, please submit the highest resolution audio master files possible—as high as 24 bit/192 kHz, but AT LEAST 16 bit/44.1 kHz.

For details on analog tape submission, please contact us. Please upload WAV or AIFF files only (no MP3 files).
​

i would assume most small artists upload digital files which are then put on vinyl. the option to submit a tape master is possible but looks like a more involved, expensive and custom type situation.

very interesting ...this looks to provide smaller, independent artists a relatively easy and low-cost way to create vinyl LPs for their fans and, in doing so, generate and keep much greater economics from their music. i notice lately that almost every new release from this type artist is available on vinyl (and increasingly cassette tape) which is most likely manufactured in a similar fashion. it just makes economic sense for this type artist.

so, depending upon what one wants from their LP experience (ie: the level of analog dogma embraced) -- this is great and looks to be a win-win for all involved.

unfortunately, the gap between theory and practice can be quite wide ...dating back to the 1960s, the LP i received has to be one of the worst quality pressings i have ever had by a huge margin: a generous heaping of pressing defects -- no-fills, divots, small scratches and just filthy -- completely unlistenable even after cleaning. it is possible that this is a one-off, idiosyncratic situation but i am skeptical of that.

so while a great and disruptive business model, the execution is horrendous. probably the last time i every buy an LP like this. artists using this model to self-publish should take note and demand a quality product for their fans.

in retrospect the charley crockett title is probably not recorded to tape. why would anyone go to the all the trouble to record to tape, mix and create a tape master, and then send it off to be pressed like this? does not make sense.

anyway, i enjoy learning about the technology, manufacturing and business side of things and thought others might as well.

 

[nicoff]

I attended a live performance a few years ago. After the concert, the group was selling CDs and LPs of their music.
I bought a LP (it was more expensive than the CD as I recall).
Before I listened to the album I made sure I cleaned it properly. Yet, regardless of how many times I cleaned it, the surface noise was terrible. No idea how the LP was made, but Buyer beware.

And yes, I agree that most of those artist are not recording to tape. They record at their own home and use inexpensive Analog to Digital converters to transfer the analog music to their home computers where using software (some of it free) they can adjust/manipulate the recording to their liking. The era of recording engineers recording masters using analog tapes are long gone.

 

[astrotoy]

It may be that the poor quality of some vinyl pressings is related to the overwhelming demand for vinyl pressings and the inability to easily expand the top tier pressing facilities, like QP from Chad. If you want to get your independent record pressed in a timely way, you probably have to go to a lesser quality facility. Nothing to do with the mastering issue. Clearly artists can do home recording and editing easily and cheaply these days. Having a good recording engineer is another story.

Larry

 

[Mcsnare]

I’ve had similar experiences. I call those souvenir records.
I’m sure the folks at Hand Drawn Records are doing the best they can, but it’s hard to press very high quality vinyl.
As far as tape, that has been gone from music production for a very long time, close to 20 years. I know become I am a professional audio engineer. I’ve done all facets but specifically mastering for the last 25 years.
Indie bands mostly use vinyl to make a few bucks because it can’t be “file traded”. A very tiny percent have decent systems and enjoy the sound of well done vinyl but the majority don’t - and treat it as cool merch. In that situation the cost and turnaround most often precludes using the few operations that produce high quality vinyl. No judgments here.

 

[astrotoy]

I've had the benefit of the move from tape to digital these past two decades. I was able to buy both of my Ampex ATR-102 R2R machines for very reasonable prices. They both came out of recording studios (one in Chicago and one in San Francisco) where they had been sitting in the corner, not used for many years. Having great techs to check them out (Soren Wittrup in Chicago and Krieg Wunderlich in SF) gave me the confidence to buy them. One even came with two headblocks (both 1/2" and 1/4") and that machine had been restored by the famed Mike Spitz of ATR Services.

Larry

 

[Mcsnare]

I also have a refurbed 102 with 1/2 and 1/4” They are great! Enjoy.

 

[spinblackcircle]

:tup: on Charley Crockett