It’s time to acknowledge and accept vinyl’s dirty secret.

John Higgins from DT in English

Long before the recent revival vinylAudiophiles have long argued that analog vinyl records are superior to digital ones. Arguments often include claims that vinyl sounds “warmer” or that digital audio is built in discrete steps with a ladder waveform that lacks the audio information that preserves the smooth, continuous analog signal (which is a continuous analog signal, by the way). a misconception that has persisted for decades).

Because analog audio reproduction and the analog production chain represent a continuous signal, audiophiles argue that it is a more accurate representation of the original recording or performance. With the exception of 2025 (and for the last 40 years), except in some rare cases, a purely analog production chain does not exist. At one point, even if you listen to a vinyl record, that audio signal was digital.

As you might expect, creating a post involves many steps. Obviously, this includes singing and playing instruments, adding any processing and effects during (or after) recording, the medium on which these master tracks are placed or saved, mixing, mastering and releasing vinyl (and other smaller tracks). steps along the way). Following wider adoption of technology digital audio In the 70s and 80s, it began to infiltrate the manufacturing process, either to experiment to see what it could do, to discover creative possibilities, or to make the process easier, faster, and cheaper.

The dynamic range capabilities of digital recording over analogue have also made it a better way to record orchestral sounds, which require a much wider dynamic range (the difference between the softest and loudest sound) than pop, rock or jazz recordings to get right. record the performance. .

As the 1990s arrived and digital audio workstations (DAWs) like Pro Tools, Cakewalk, Digital Performer, and Cubase began to proliferate, digital technology became virtually impossible to avoid. Analogue techniques, although still taught to new students from a historical perspective, were no longer such an important part of the workflow. (When I was an audio production student in the mid-to-late 90s, it was one of the last classes where I cut and spliced ​​magnetic tape.)

The ability to non-destructively test various publications quickly proved too attractive to ignore. Yeah Working for Mr. Kite If it had been released in 1997 instead of 1967, would we have had the same psychedelic carnival experience consisting of randomly spliced ​​snippets of organ recording? Maybe not. But I digress.

The ability to create an all-analog recording in 2025 is extremely difficult and expensive. Analog recording decks require special maintenance, and the tape used for master recordings is much more expensive than recording to a hard drive (not to mention the inevitable degradation of the tape over time). Unless a modern recording studio specifically eliminates all digital technologies, it will include a DAW—a console that includes digital elements, digital instruments, digital effects modules, and digital controllers.

Mixing is carried out in the digital sphere. Mastering is carried out in the digital sphere. Even reissues and remasters of classic recordings that were originally entirely analog are mixed and mastered from masters that were transferred to digital format, likely many years ago. It’s inevitable. Indeed, given that digital technologies are here, there is no reason to even try to avoid them. Except for those who proclaim the superiority of analog over digital.

Does the number matter on vinyl?

When it comes down to it, any digital addition to the production chain needs to be audibly transparent, and if it isn’t, there’s something wrong with the hardware, not the environment. Just a few years ago, there was a dispute with MoFi (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab) in which it was discovered that DSD (Direct Stream Digital) files were used on their All Analog vinyl records, resulting in the company paying a $25 million settlement. But was anyone able to determine this by ear more than ten years before it became known?

I’m not here to spite anyone, especially since I also enjoy the ritual of listening to my favorite vinyl records. But that’s all. I appreciate this ritual. Holding the record cover, admiring the artistry and design, pulling the record out, carefully turning it over in your hands to select the desired side before placing it on the turntable and dropping the needle, all satisfy the need for appreciation.

Thanks to the recording artists. Thanks to the engineers, mixers and technicians. Thanks for the effort that went into creating a post that I am very aware of.

But the most important thing is an understanding of art.

Most of the time when I make a record, and this goes back to my teenage years, I try to experience the art of the album. Mastery Wallemotional blow black starthe beauty of Brahms’s second piano concerto or the sonic fabric woven by John Coltrane’s quartet. If I sit down to listen to a record, I’m usually there.

But am I (or are you) missing out on some extra magic due to the remastering? Led Zeppelin III Did you have A/D conversion at some point in the chain? I don’t think so. The magic of music is present, regardless of its medium. And the vinyl ritual that many of us enjoy is not affected by 1s and 0s.