As some of you may know, surface noise on vinyl drives me nuts, but I got to thinking yesterday while riding my mountain bike how different things bother people. I was using some Klispch S5i's and I once notices a bunch of cable noise when I was going at it pretty hard. Didn't bother me in the least, but in the reviews some people just couldn't get past that.
After listening to vinyl for almost a year now I can't really sit down and listen to a CD anymore as all I keep thinking is how processed it sounds (I do still listen to them while doing other things, I am talking about when I am totally focused on music). And what really pushes my buttons is remastered, ug. I want to hear the music the way the musicians and engineers intended, not a 40 year afterthought. I couldn't believe some of the stuff I heard on vinyl that had been removed when they remastered the CD. I read a good analogy once, its like taking the Mona Lisa and redoing her with a little different shading under the eyes, changing her hair color just a bit, warming that skin tone....you get the idea.
So, lets hear what drives you nuts and why (lets keep it on music and not the crazy people you pass on your commute).
Originally Posted By Coops Just Coops: Record covers in poor condition ...and the amount of waste because some twat put a saw cut/cut a corner/drilled a hole in a record cover!
Funny you should post that. I am a photographer by trade so you would think that preserving the artwork would be importaint to me, but as long as it takes care of the vinyl I don't really care.
Originally Posted By Ken Dunn: After listening to vinyl for almost a year now I can't really sit down and listen to a CD anymore as all I keep thinking is how processed it sounds (I do still listen to them while doing other things, I am talking about when I am totally focused on music). And what really pushes my buttons is remastered, ug. I want to hear the music the way the musicians and engineers intended, not a 40 year afterthought. I couldn't believe some of the stuff I heard on vinyl that had been removed when they remastered the CD. I read a good analogy once, its like taking the Mona Lisa and redoing her with a little different shading under the eyes, changing her hair color just a bit, warming that skin tone....you get the idea.
Nothing drives me more nuts than people who don't know a damn thing about CD mastering/remastering. Not only does it bother me when a CD is mastered like a piece of crap, but it also bothers me when I see/hear someone say something that is just straight-up wrong.
Your analogy isn't that great; it's comparable to a remix because you're talking about changing the actual content. A good CD remaster will sound like the original master with a different-yet-well-balanced EQ and volume applied to the whole thing at once, instead of just individual tweaks being applied to individual tracks and instruments. Yeah, there are plenty of CD remasters that sound over-processed and over-compressed because that's what the engineers' bosses told them to do (such as the new Pink Floyd remasters), but many CD remasters exist because the original CD release of those albums sound thin and tinny (such as the mid-'90s Pink Floyd remasters, the mid-'90s Led Zeppelin remasters, *most* of the mid-'90s Jethro Tull remasters) as a result of people being dumb enough to think vinyl masters can be slapped on a CD without any sound issues (and/or because old CD mastering equipment had really low thresholds for low-end frequencies). Of course, it should be noted that any album that was mastered to be released on CD any time after 1992 will NOT need to be remastered. There are some exceptions to that rule (the mid-90s remaster of Jethro Tull - Aqualung sounds like it was transferred from a cassette, because it seems that someone at EMI didn't know a damn thing about CD mastering), but one bands discography that proves my point: The Beatles. 'Nough said.
A better analogy: A good CD master would be like adding a pane of glass to the picture frame so the viewers will be a little less likely to see the cracks in the paint. A good remaster would be like replacing that pane of glass with glass that is less reflective and cleaner/less scuffed.
Yeah, digitally recorded, mixed and mastered music is more precessed than analog. But the only way I can believe you when you say that a good CD master sounds like crap is if you have ears so sensitive that you can tell the difference between 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz. If all CDs sound bad, it's because you're buying bad CDs.
Sorry for all the parenthetical statements. I had to cover all my bases somehow.
Originally Posted By Coops Just Coops: Record covers in poor condition ...and the amount of waste because some twat put a saw cut/cut a corner/drilled a hole in a record cover!
i believe those are bargin bin sales?
i have a lot of US lps with holes and cuts on the corner that ive picked up in charity shops
What Drives me Nuts is (CDS) Records are my thing. Some how i can not see in 50 years any CDS being worth anything . Let the fight back of Records start.... there here again and even more artists are going back the old way (Back to Vinyl) Good news I feel. And The other thing that drives me NUTS is Downloading music why its crazy...What comes around goes around lets go back into history and start again.Well there my Views anyway. May I add i just love Vinyl Records how they look sound ...AND FEEL ...
Okay, so for the first time in this particular discussion forum, I am going to actually complain(which I never really do)about what annoys me the most regarding record collecting, and there honestly really isn't much...........
My complaints, like some of you customers in this discussion forum, will always have to do with the sellers, as far as I am concerned. This is mainly due to the fact that if I am able to physically be present when a transaction is made concerning vinyl, then there normally is no issues. However, being that MusicStack is a mail order based website that serves both the sellers/dealers and buyers/customers alike, then this is exactly where I am going to aim my arrows..........
The first thing that bothers me about online mail order, is how every seller these days seems to have a varying definition of what a near mint record is supposed to look like appearance wise. In my book, a near mint graded record could be played, but should not only be in near mint condition from the previous person who owned it, but too, the vinyl surface should be defect free from scratches, hairlines, audible scuffs(factory made imperfections do not count), or any other abrasions for that matter. Some sellers unfortunately, do not get this. They think it is okay to let all of this slide in the grading system, or what their perception of what near mint is supposed to be for that matter WITHOUT informing you of what their perception is, then when you ask them through email, they try to swear upon their mothers grave the record is near mint. In other words, there are a lot of sellers who tend to think it is okay to grade a record near mint, despite the fact of their being scratches, hairlines or scuffs. Sorry, sellers, but uh the last time I checked near mint record has never had any of the above. Then, worst of all, a seller will try to argue their point and tell you as to why they think it is what it is, when you can clearly see that it isn't? Sorry sellers, how can you let that one fly?!?!
Now, for annoyance number 2:
This would be how records are packaged! Sad to say, I don't know if sellers are trying to save money on shipping/packaging materials, but man that extra amount of money is most certainly well spent,when you package a record properly with some cardboard on the inside. These days, what a lot of sellers are doing is just putting records in a box, and if they happen to be LP's, they end up sliding around inside a box from a postal service that never really gives a damn in the first place. So, what is the result of bad packaging? Well, if the record isn't placed on the outside of the cover, along with no inner cardboard padding, the records move around inside from the careless mail carriers as mentioned, and the album cover could be damaged from the record moving inside. What you find inside the package is split seams or spines on the album cover, and other times, well........ how about a cracked vinyl record worth $50.00-$100.00 kids? Not cool sellers! Frankly, a package that is worth that much in my book, should have free confirmation, and it would be nice if the seller would also insure the package for free as well. However, this would only be possible in a dream world! Most sellers are not kind enough to do this at times, although I have experienced rare occasions when they have been kind enough to do so!
So you may understand you are not the only one with issues concerning vinyl Ken, I just thought I would make it known to you on my end as well, that you are not alone.
In the end, everyone in this world is going to have issues from time to time with something. Ken, welcome to the world of vinyl collecting! And like most hobbies, this hobby happens to be flawed too as well.
One final thing..........Downloading sucks, MP3's sound like garbage and CD's are on their way out. Good riddance, and thank God vinyl isn't dead yet! Agreeing with the above poster, the sound of digital will never be any match for the sound of analog in my book. Hell, they have tried, came close, and have mimicked the sound of analog via digital, but it still isn't what it is supposed to be: Analog! If they do come up with the technology to make it to where the CD's can sound exactly like analog, it will probably be long after I am dead. Until they do, I am going to continue to keep spinning that black circle friends..........
What else can drive me nuts is when people make random comments in a discussion forum about others they know nothing about, when perhaps it just might not be true.........
just being honest. you rub shoulders with people enough and, unfortunately they fall into unavoidable stereotypes. some good, some drive you nuts. everybody is entitled to an opinion. that doesn't mean i'm brewing with uncontrollable rage, just venting as per the OP. we can be friends - i has tea and biscuits.
Just because you rub shoulders with enough people doesn't necessarily mean you have them pegged either. Stereotyping, unfortunately, I have found can have the tendency to border on presumptuousness or people just acting on what they think. In the end, opinions are as good as mouths, and unfortunately at times, people can abuse their rights to freedom of speech. And no, not ALL audiophiles are hipster snobs like you might think in terms of how you got us all pegged. Again, it is all in who you know. It is much wiser to know whom you are speaking to before you make brash stereotypical judgments about those you don't really know a thing about.
Enjoy your scones and tea, and have a good day........
Originally Posted By Vinyl Junkie: Okay, so for the first time in this particular discussion forum, I am going to actually complain(which I never really do)about what annoys me the most regarding record collecting, and there honestly really isn't much...........
My complaints, like some of you customers in this discussion forum, will always have to do with the sellers, as far as I am concerned. This is mainly due to the fact that if I am able to physically be present when a transaction is made concerning vinyl, then there normally is no issues. However, being that MusicStack is a mail order based website that serves both the sellers/dealers and buyers/customers alike, then this is exactly where I am going to aim my arrows..........
The first thing that bothers me about online mail order, is how every seller these days seems to have a varying definition of what a near mint record is supposed to look like appearance wise. In my book, a near mint graded record could be played, but should not only be in near mint condition from the previous person who owned it, but too, the vinyl surface should be defect free from scratches, hairlines, audible scuffs(factory made imperfections do not count), or any other abrasions for that matter. Some sellers unfortunately, do not get this. They think it is okay to let all of this slide in the grading system, or what their perception of what near mint is supposed to be for that matter WITHOUT informing you of what their perception is, then when you ask them through email, they try to swear upon their mothers grave the record is near mint. In other words, there are a lot of sellers who tend to think it is okay to grade a record near mint, despite the fact of their being scratches, hairlines or scuffs. Sorry, sellers, but uh the last time I checked near mint record has never had any of the above. Then, worst of all, a seller will try to argue their point and tell you as to why they think it is what it is, when you can clearly see that it isn't? Sorry sellers, how can you let that one fly?!?!
Now, for annoyance number 2:
This would be how records are packaged! Sad to say, I don't know if sellers are trying to save money on shipping/packaging materials, but man that extra amount of money is most certainly well spent,when you package a record properly with some cardboard on the inside. These days, what a lot of sellers are doing is just putting records in a box, and if they happen to be LP's, they end up sliding around inside a box from a postal service that never really gives a damn in the first place. So, what is the result of bad packaging? Well, if the record isn't placed on the outside of the cover, along with no inner cardboard padding, the records move around inside from the careless mail carriers as mentioned, and the album cover could be damaged from the record moving inside. What you find inside the package is split seams or spines on the album cover, and other times, well........ how about a cracked vinyl record worth $50.00-$100.00 kids? Not cool sellers! Frankly, a package that is worth that much in my book, should have free confirmation, and it would be nice if the seller would also insure the package for free as well. However, this would only be possible in a dream world! Most sellers are not kind enough to do this at times, although I have experienced rare occasions when they have been kind enough to do so!
So you may understand you are not the only one with issues concerning vinyl Ken, I just thought I would make it known to you on my end as well, that you are not alone.
In the end, everyone in this world is going to have issues from time to time with something. Ken, welcome to the world of vinyl collecting! And like most hobbies, this hobby happens to be flawed too as well.
One final thing..........Downloading sucks, MP3's sound like garbage and CD's are on their way out. Good riddance, and thank God vinyl isn't dead yet! Agreeing with the above poster, the sound of digital will never be any match for the sound of analog in my book. Hell, they have tried, came close, and have mimicked the sound of analog via digital, but it still isn't what it is supposed to be: Analog! If they do come up with the technology to make it to where the CD's can sound exactly like analog, it will probably be long after I am dead. Until they do, I am going to continue to keep spinning that black circle friends..........
Nuff said..........
V J
Dang VJ, we are starting to bitc... I mean think alike. I have come to the conclusion buying used is just a toss of the coin, you get what you want about half the time and now I just double the price of what I want and figure that is what I am paying for it.
Yeah I know Ken. I guess the only difference is I just don't really talk about it that much here really. I just basically have learned over the years that this apart of the game, and so I just suck it up and deal with it. Basically, I just do whatever it is I have to do to handle a situation, and try not to worry about it really. Anyway, I thought since everyone was in here bitching, I thought I would jump in on the parading event. LOL
It really drives me nuts when I get a new record and it has a manufacturing defect. This has happened far to often with recent re-issues of records I was buying because the originals were ridiculous amounts. I get the feeling they were being pumped out as a quick cash grab with zero concern for quality because of the vinyl revival.
In response to the complaint of the op: there are times when a remaster is actually better than the original. Admittedly it doesn't happen often, but Two examples are Bleach by Nirvana, and Pretty Hate Machine by Nine Inch Nails. The remastered of both are superior to the original versions, and good examples of how to remaster an album. Not surprising when you consider how little that both of those albums were made for. Bleach for example was made for only 500 dollars.
Speak of the devil and he will appear. My new copy of Faith, by The Cure is fucked up. Track one, four and eight all have a popping sound, and track four has a skip. It's a brand new record! GRRRRRRR
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