"The Digital Age" on LP?

[cscottrun4it]

So I'm struggling to push the "buy now" button when I know for sure the source material was recorded in the digital age, especially in the period between the mid 1990s and early 2010s.

I have no real reason for this fear. I haven't done an academic study or anything. Maybe I'm selling short, the mix to vinyl from this period, but I have picked a few of my favorites from between 1995 and 2010, and I too frequently feel like the clarity, harmonics, or mixing haven't been that great.

A great example of my problem is The Verve's Urban Hymns. I find the entire album "flat." I don't mean flat tonally, but flat in terms of aural topography. When I listen to my CD copy, it doesn't sound flat, but it does sound like a CD. Bjork's album Post is another example of my issue.

Of course, many of my classical LPs that were "digitally recorded" seem fine but these are on labels with great reputations from the 1980s. So is it the pressings that are a problem for the recordings made in the mid 1990s until relatively recently?

Anyone else struggling with this issue? Am I being too shy about buying LPs from this period?

 

[Condorsat]

Just my perspective .. not trying to convince anybody of anything .. you like what you like.

I get people who like the "house" sound of legacy era Vinyl recordings (prior to Rebook CD era). That sound is unique to it's time.
But IMHO & experience .. a well recorded album is well recorded album. Different is not necessarily bad.

On my rig .. both (old & new Vinyl) sound good (I'm referring to well recorded albums here) but not the same. I just kept fiddling with my rig configuration till I got the "sound" the way I wanted.

 

[Djcoolray]

Yes I does take personal time to research to find the best recording and many recordings are crap without the addition of digital processing. Like with The Stones, only buy “London Record Company” recordings. I would not buy anything online unless all the engineer, record company information and copyright info was present. Just go to google and enter... “best record pressings (and the name of the group).

 

[MannyE]

Yes you are being too shy.
Pressings are always crap shoot no matter what era. Yes... great 1960's or 70's pressings are probably more numerous as a percentage of industry output but there are plenty of great 80's and 90's pressings.

 

[cscottrun4it]

Oh, I have plenty of wonderful 80s recordings, even some great 90s and 00s recordings. But what I seem to hear you guys saying is, great recording are great recordings and many are not great recordings.

I always struggle with Physical Graffiti in this way, I suppose. No matter what I seem to do, it sounds bad. I've played it flat. I've used the tone controls, even an EQ. I've played it on Marantz, Denon (the PMA line), old Onkyo, even a great old Toshiba that gets discounted by everyone. I've used Shure, Ortofon, Audio Technica, and Stantons, all with a wide variety of styli. B&W, Pioneer, Polk, and Infinity speakers. TTs from Pioneer, Techniques, Luxman, Kenwood and my Gradma's old consol. I've even bought the damn thing on CD, cassette, and 8-Track. I've never seen a half-speed master, but I'd be suspicious of it anyway.

I guess you can't blame a girl for trying, but I'll blame the sound engineer, accoutics, even source equipment and pot. (How high were the guys in the booth on this one?) Probably even the pressing plant.

My naivete must be showing. I just don't want to believe there are so may bad recordings of good artists.

 

[Balifly]

Those who enjoys jazz would have come listen to ECM records with digital masters at one time or another.

I have not come across any bad recording and or pressing so far as I could tell.

 

[MannyE]

Oh, I have plenty of wonderful 80s recordings, even some great 90s and 00s recordings. But what I seem to hear you guys saying is, great recording are great recordings and many are not great recordings.

I always struggle with Physical Graffiti in this way, I suppose. No matter what I seem to do, it sounds bad. I've played it flat. I've used the tone controls, even an EQ. I've played it on Marantz, Denon (the PMA line), old Onkyo, even a great old Toshiba that gets discounted by everyone. I've used Shure, Ortofon, Audio Technica, and Stantons, all with a wide variety of styli. B&W, Pioneer, Polk, and Infinity speakers. TTs from Pioneer, Techniques, Luxman, Kenwood and my Gradma's old consol. I've even bought the damn thing on CD, cassette, and 8-Track. I've never seen a half-speed master, but I'd be suspicious of it anyway.

I guess you can't blame a girl for trying, but I'll blame the sound engineer, accoutics, even source equipment and pot. (How high were the guys in the booth on this one?) Probably even the pressing plant.

My naivete must be showing. I just don't want to believe there are so may bad recordings of good artists.

There is a market for things called "hot stampers" which are supposedly examples of records that came out of the press with exceptional quality. A lot of people pay A LOT of money for these albums. Personally I wouldn't.

I have a similar issue with Santana Abraxas... I still haven't found a copy, new or old, that doesn't sound like garbage.

 

[Djcoolray]

Oh, I have plenty of wonderful 80s recordings, even some great 90s and 00s recordings. But what I seem to hear you guys saying is, great recording are great recordings and many are not great recordings.

I always struggle with Physical Graffiti in this way, I suppose. No matter what I seem to do, it sounds bad. I've played it flat. I've used the tone controls, even an EQ. I've played it on Marantz, Denon (the PMA line), old Onkyo, even a great old Toshiba that gets discounted by everyone. I've used Shure, Ortofon, Audio Technica, and Stantons, all with a wide variety of styli. B&W, Pioneer, Polk, and Infinity speakers. TTs from Pioneer, Techniques, Luxman, Kenwood and my Gradma's old consol. I've even bought the damn thing on CD, cassette, and 8-Track. I've never seen a half-speed master, but I'd be suspicious of it anyway.

I guess you can't blame a girl for trying, but I'll blame the sound engineer, accoutics, even source equipment and pot. (How high were the guys in the booth on this one?) Probably even the pressing plant.

My naivete must be showing. I just don't want to believe there are so may bad recordings of good artists.

A recording studio can contract out to many pressings houses, they don’t have all the same engineers or equipment. Kind of like how playing the same record on two different systems yields a different sound...

Google.....best record pressings (name of group) !!!

 

[spicer]

Oh, I have plenty of wonderful 80s recordings, even some great 90s and 00s recordings. But what I seem to hear you guys saying is, great recording are great recordings and many are not great recordings.

I always struggle with Physical Graffiti in this way, I suppose. No matter what I seem to do, it sounds bad. I've played it flat. I've used the tone controls, even an EQ. I've played it on Marantz, Denon (the PMA line), old Onkyo, even a great old Toshiba that gets discounted by everyone. I've used Shure, Ortofon, Audio Technica, and Stantons, all with a wide variety of styli. B&W, Pioneer, Polk, and Infinity speakers. TTs from Pioneer, Techniques, Luxman, Kenwood and my Gradma's old consol. I've even bought the damn thing on CD, cassette, and 8-Track. I've never seen a half-speed master, but I'd be suspicious of it anyway.

I guess you can't blame a girl for trying, but I'll blame the sound engineer, accoutics, even source equipment and pot. (How high were the guys in the booth on this one?) Probably even the pressing plant.

My naivete must be showing. I just don't want to believe there are so may bad recordings of good artists.

I've heard third generation tapes... twice removed from the master... of a few Columbia recordings quite a number of years ago... late seventies... and can say with certainty there is a world of difference between those and any other recordings I've heard. Makes me wonder about the magic of good digital copies... something in the chain... something with production beyond those tapes.. something about the digital process itself compared to high resolution analogue.. maybe my memory is playing tricks... what ever, I know those were the best sources I've ever heard. Playback was on decent high end... JBL L300, Infinity monitor II, Tandberg three head machine, Phase linear amplifier... that sort of stuff, all new at the time. Actually... I've heard a few commercial 7 1/2 ips tapes that were better than most anything I've heard, just excellent, sparkling with realism, incredibly open and uncluttered sound stage... approaching the third generation tapes.... I said a few, most were comparable to the record minus cartridge/tone arm issues with a bit of background hiss. Comparing an example of a good record to a good pre recorded reel to reel tape, the tape wins every time.. in my experience. I haven't made that direct comparison with CDs, haven't had the opportunity with fair examples of each on good equipment, just from memory with those third generation tapes... and memory informs me the tape was considerably better, enough to comment on it.

 

[Condorsat]

Oh, I have plenty of wonderful 80s recordings, even some great 90s and 00s recordings. But what I seem to hear you guys saying is, great recording are great recordings and many are not great recordings.

I guess you can't blame a girl for trying, but I'll blame the sound engineer, accoutics, even source equipment and pot. (How high were the guys in the booth on this one?) Probably even the pressing plant.

My naivete must be showing. I just don't want to believe there are so may bad recordings of good artists.

I've read that about 2% of the music consumer customer base considers sound quality (full dynamic range) of high importance. To most it's all about convenience. IMHO .. the sound engineers are responding to 98% of the customer base .. who are primarily not consuming music on 2 ch home stereos. The two video's below brought it into perspective for me. YMMV.

 

[4-2-7]

So I'm struggling to push the "buy now" button when I know for sure the source material was recorded in the digital age, especially in the period between the mid 1990s and early 2010s.

Well actualy you don't know how it was recorded or mastered unless you study a specific album. Digital age is generalizing and and will leave a lot of music for me when you pass it up.

I have no real reason for this fear. I haven't done an academic study or anything. Maybe I'm selling short, the mix to vinyl from this period, but I have picked a few of my favorites from between 1995 and 2010, and I too frequently feel like the clarity, harmonics, or mixing haven't been that great.

Yes your missing out, as far as your specific titles there can be many reasons you don't like them.

Of course, many of my classical LPs that were "digitally recorded" seem fine but these are on labels with great reputations from the 1980s.

For sure...

So is it the pressings that are a problem for the recordings made in the mid 1990s until relatively recently?

No record is the same and needs to be looked at individually. There is so many variables that can harm the sound in your opinion throughout the production of a record.

Anyone else struggling with this issue? Am I being too shy about buying LPs from this period?

No struggle on my end as I buy the best cope of a title I can find. In other words I don't shop title and the cheapest price I can find of it.

 

[4-2-7]

I guess you can't blame a girl for trying, but I'll blame the sound engineer, accoutics, even source equipment and pot. (How high were the guys in the booth on this one?) Probably even the pressing plant.

My naivete must be showing. I just don't want to believe there are so may bad recordings of good artists.

That has a lot to do with it and really they where producing music in their way back then. It is what it is and most the time sounded just fine on a FM radio in your car.

 

[4-2-7]

So I'm struggling to push the "buy now" button when I know for sure the source material was recorded in the digital age

Maybe look at my thread here, I started it because of internet myth of this topic.
Digital Has Helped Records Sound Better
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/digital-has-helped-records-sound-better.810701/