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September 27

Vinyl Records.

I collect vinyl records, old (1960s-90s) as well as new pressings of contemporary bands too, but I notice a difference in the sound quality in old and new vinyl, particulary in the vocals. In the older records, the vocals sound more direct, as if the singer is singing directly into my speakers, and everything sounds more vibrant, but in the newer records, the singer sounds more 'distant' and the instruments sound a bit tinny. So my question is:

Is there is a difference in the recording methods at the studio that explain the vocal disparities, and if so, what decade/year did this change take place?

Thank you. --Pofatyuoopol19 (talk) 08:07, 27 September 2015 (UTC)[reply]

There are two possible mechanisms here. The first is the Loudness war, the tendency of studios to release tracks with excessive Dynamic range compression so that they sound louder at the expense of audio quality. This is more an issue with CDs (and other digital formats), but it did exist with vinyl recordings. The second is the introduction of the inferior "Dynaflex" vinyl record (lower density and a high percentage of recycled vinyl) by RCA Victor in the 1970's - see Gramophone record#Vinyl quality. Tevildo (talk) 12:58, 27 September 2015 (UTC)[reply]

As an avid vinyl collector, I can also add that many modern vinyl pressings are not cut directly from the master recordings, but rather created using a digital track. I have found there to be a wide range of quality in modern vinyl. Some artists take great care to ensure a solid product with excellent sound, whereas others just get the record on the market to satisfy demand with little regard for fidelity. I will say, based on my experience, some of the best sounding vinyl records are from the late 1970's to early 1980's, just before the era of the compact disc. 10draftsdeep (talk) 15:58, 28 September 2015 (UTC)[reply]