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Lydia's Definitional Argument Vinyl vs Digital

Page history last edited by PBworks 15 years, 1 month ago


Lyd B's Productions

Cover Sheet

 

1. What is the purpose of your argument?

The purpose of my argument is to compare and contrast vinyl record recordings, and digital recordings.

 

2. Who is your target audience?

The target audience is anyone who is caught between the two formats, and don't have a personal preference. This is also an argument for someone who loves vinyl over digital, and vice versa.

 

3. What is your thesis statement?

There is much argument about what sounds better… pure, new digital recordings, or vinyl with its unique recording arrangement. The two music formats have influenced the music business greatly. Records took the industry by storm in the early 1900’s, records where the original form of personal music. Vinyl evokes feelings of nostalgia and youthfulness. Digital has changed the music industry because it has provided an opportunity for otherwise unknown musicians to be discovered. Digital made the idea of personal, portable music media a reality. Essentially, vinyl recordings are not digital recordings, and the differences between the two make either format desirable, and less desirable.

 

4. Did you learn/try anything new while growing this composition?

I learned that the process of pressing a record is much more extensive than just a mold and wax or vinyl. I also learned that I have admiration for both sides of the argument.

 

5. What do you like best about your composition? About your composition process? Here's where you talk about your best experiments (Did you mix genres? Where you able to integrate ideas from different sources with your own? etc)

I like that my composition is a fusion of my ideas about both formats of recording, as well as input from outer sources and a lot of news articles (I love Journalism). I did a lot of trial and error searches on Google to find the articles I needed to support the argument, plus, I learned a lot about vinyl recording that I didn't know before.

 

6. Of the feedback you garnered in our workshop, what piece of information was most valuable/helpful?

It's nice to hear that people enjoy what I have to say, and that they can appreciate a good work in progress. The comments helped me improve my piece, as well as supported some of the claims that I made. The comments also helped with my spelling errors.

 

7. Where would you like to see the most feedback/advice on your final draft?

Well, I'd like to know if I am in fact arguing a point. Are there places throughout the draft where I can make my argument more solid? Am I too biased? Do each sides of the argument get equal treatment?

 

Vinyl or Records is a form of music that has a unique sound unlike digital recordings such as CD’s or Mp3’s….

Therefore Vinyl recordings are not digital recordings.

 

There is much argument about what sounds better… pure, new digital recordings, or vinyl with its unique recording arrangement. This writer prefers both. This preference makes me unbiased, I think.

There is something about vinyl that is attractive. You have to play it in stereo. AC/DC’s album “Who Made Who” doesn’t work if you’re listening to it with one speaker. Records need two speakers so you can hear the whole of the music; all parts of the songs are recorded, and laid into the tracks individually. Without a second speaker, the bass line of “You Shook Me All Night Long” is nonexistent. How do I know this? On one particular hurricane weekend, I was stuck in the house, and found out that my left channel speaker had broke this prevented me from listening to my vinyl.

But now as I sit here listening to “You Shook Me All Night Long” out of my iTunes, the music is coming out of the speakers holistically, as if remixed to be in mono format. This theory is not surprising, considering that most music is now available on digital format. Record companies need to make money, so they have begun converting their older collections of music to digital forms. Many companies have re-released old albums in CD format, as well as Mp3. In fact, many contemporary artists have forgone CD format, and are releasing music exclusively in Mp3 format on the web, through iTunes, or other music download software. Coldplay has done this, so has Beyonce, if I’m correct. At Best Buy, you can buy digital copies of albums to go home and download without ever buying the CD itself.

However, the crisp sounds of Digital recording are nice, and definitely way better than cassette tape, CD’s have revolutionized the music industry. But, they still don’t compare to the sound of a record, printed back in 1973 spinning on your player, coming out through all of your speakers. A better format to listen to records is through a surround sound system, then you can hear all the instruments through their own channels.

(Insert information of how vinyl is recorded).

The White Stripes recorded “Elephant,” the album that has “Seven Nation Army,” in London at Toe Rag Studios. According to Wikipedia, “Jack White produced the album with antiquated equipment, including an eight-track tape machine and pre-1960s recording gear.” The album was recorded for vinyl distribution and converted to digital formats to be released on CD, and iTunes. I have personally never listened to this on vinyl, nor have I been able to track down a copy, this is just an example.

Vinyl brings a feeling to the music that you don’t get from digital. With vinyl, you feel as if you are apart of the recording process, perhaps in the studio with the band. Janis Joplin’s Greatest Hits rings on vinyl, the CD does not do her voice justice. Vinyl recordings allow the user to be surrounded by the sounds of the music, making the listener apart of the song, the listener feels the feelings the artist is trying to evoke. I feel digital plays at you, and all though the music is clearer, and at times less scratchy than vinyl, digital recordings don’t include the listener in their music, the listener can’t share the feelings because digital recordings exclude the listener from the musical process. Digital doesn’t allow the listener to be apart of the music.

So maybe I am a little biased.

Vinyl recordings also imply nostalgia on the part of the listener. When you feel as if you are apart of the recording, as if you are in the studio with the musicians as they record, it triggers memories of what made you fall in love with band, the first time you saw them play, or the regret you have for missing their show because of a prior commitment.

Vinyl has it’s own particular smell that also evokes nostalgia. The groves on a record indicate the tracks of music and which where loved the most. The most loved vinyl’s are covered with scratches from over-playing.

 

 

…This is a work in progress….

 

 

 

 

Some handwritten drafts.... I hope they are legible

 

 

 

Feedback

 

  • Focus more on facts, look up the source that proves the statement. Cite it. =)

 

  • Try to keep font size the same throughout the paper
  • a part
  • No one sentence paragraphs
  • You can say somewhere in your article that vinyls are timeless and classics.
  • Good work in progress, more detail and organization. Make sure each paragraph has a topic sentence or a transition
  • Good paper in the works.

 

Reflection

 

After receiving peer review, I feel that my argument makes sense, now it just needs to be fully developed. I also have better understanding on how to spell the words a part. The feedback is also causing me to review my paper without a journalistic approach, but with the approach of a well rounded writer.

Thanks for the comments, I really appreciate them. Sometimes, I feel some of the stuff I write goes unnoticed, it's hard to know if what you have to say reaches someone if no one ever tells you what they think about your work.

 

Link Pile for this paper!

iPod History

Low End Mac

Reuters- Radiohead prepares for physical release of CD

Black Crowes Prime March 4th Release with Internet Blitz

Metallica to Release Internet Only Album

Ben Lee Sings Against Me!

Nine Inch Nails releases free album in high definition audio

Defining a Gramaphone

About Vinyl Records

 

 

Final Definitional Argument by Lydia

Vinyl vs. Digital

 

There is much argument about what sounds better… pure, new digital recordings, or vinyl with its unique recording arrangement. The two music formats have influenced the music business greatly. Records took the industry by storm in the early 1900’s, records where the original form of personal music. Vinyl evokes feelings of nostalgia and youthfulness. Digital has changed the music industry because it has provided an opportunity for otherwise unknown musicians to be discovered. Digital made the idea of personal, portable music media a reality. Essentially, vinyl recordings are not digital recordings, and the differences between the two make either format desirable, and less desirable.

For the sake of the argument I will admit to being a user of both, but a lover of records. Digital media, in this piece mostly refers to mp3 formats, whereas vinyl is dealing exclusively with records.

Digital, of course, is the wave of the future. Most of the people I know have an mp3 player, and most of those players are iPods. Apple introduced the device in October 2001; this device changed the music industry, as well as the practice of listening to music. According to iPodhistory.com, the first iPods were priced at $400 a piece, but over the years, the price, size, shape, color, and storage capacity of the device has changed. There are a few different types of iPods, including iPod Nano, and iPod Touch. iPods are great because they are compact, and small, they can fit almost anywhere. They have great accessories including in home speakers and armbands for jogging, you can also plug them into just about any stereo-system. iPods also come with their own software; iTunes is an mp3 library and a shopping center.

It certainly is convenient to have an iPod, my husband and I have four between us. He listens to his while he works, in his truck, while he plays his drums, and on bike rides. Mine usually stays in the car, but if I go on a run, it comes out to play. They don’t sound too bad either when you consider the storage capacity of an item that weighs less than a pound. Most of our music is burned into the computer from the massive amounts of CD’s we’ve collected over the years, and recently we got rid of our last portable CD player.

Yes, iPod’s essentially eliminated the needs for a personal Walkman or CD player, or those Sony radio-headphones. We no longer need cassette players, laser discs, or eight-track since we’ve got the mp3 player now. Eight-tracks seemed to appear and disappear almost immediately, occasionally you can find an old Fleetwood Mac eight-track at a thrift store, but the players never work. Cassettes where eliminated when CD’s came into popularity. CD’s have staying power, and will probably still be a big part of the music business for several more years. Lately artists and movie producers are including digital copies when they release a CD or DVD that you can download through your iTunes or other mp3 program. Or you can buy digital copies of albums at Best Buy, then all you have to do is go home and download the music without ever buying the CD itself.

However, music artists are starting to release their albums exclusively online. In October 2007, Radiohead released their new album, “In Rainbows,” through their website, allowing users set their own price, says an article on the Reuters website by Lars Brandle. The actual CD was released on New Years Eve, 2007. Rock band Metallica, was considering doing an internet release after they were released from their record contract with Warner Music Group, they were inspired by Radiohead.

Artists are releasing free albums online as well. Ben Lee, indie rocker from Australia, recently covered Against Me’s “New Wave,” Lee released it online for free. Nine Inch Nails did it too; Trent Reznor released the album, “The Slip,” online for free. These are some of the benefits of digital recording, because music has been reduced to small music files, that can be carried around on an iPod or thumb drive in your pocket, they are now extremely versatile and can be used for multiple purposes. Band’s will give a preview of their new music on their MySpace page or personal website.

An example of the effects of digital media; a band has recorded their new album through a program called ProTools. The band has mixed each song into one single file, these files can be mono or stereo. The files are then organized into a line-up and are ready to be burned to CD. These files are also uploaded to the band’s MySpace page, sent to the promoter through email, or sent as a music file over text message. While they’re at it, they might back up everything in a few external sources, as well as taking individual copies of the music for themselves. And hey, why not make the song downloads free to the fans in the process. Don’t forget to upload the music to the bands official website as well.

Job for a Cowboy is a band who was discovered on MySpace, digital media definitely has its benefits. Artists can release music onto their website and personal “spaces” to be reviewed by their fans. Musicians can get a start just by having some basic computer recording software, a web page, even on a social networking site and some free time. MySpace now allows its users to download music for free or for a small price.

Because of iPods, mp3 files, recording software and programs like iTunes, digital media has spread throughout the world, and is now the mainstream standard for most music. However, there are still fans out there who will shop for the CD’s when they come out just to have the object in hand, there are also those who buy the vinyl version too, just for nostalgia.

Vinyl recording has been around for several decades. According to the Record Collectors Guild website, the gramophone was first developed in Washington D.C., by a German named Emil Berliner, in 1884, he had it patented in 1887. The gramophone records were made out of various materials until the 1920’s when it became standard to make them out of shellac. Around 1910, the standard speed became 78 or 80 rotations per minute (rpm). Shellac records remained the standard until after World War II (WWII) when shellac supplies had diminished. This was the beginning of the vinyl record.

After WWII, two new record formats came out, 33 1/3 rpm Long Play (LP) format from Columbia, and the 45 rpm Extended Play (EP) format from RCA Victor. These along with 78’s where massed produced through out the 1950’s, the 78-format died out by the end of the 50’s. Also during this time period, records began to be made out of polyvinyl chloride plastic, giving records the nickname vinyl. At first, the two formats where rivals, RCA developed the 7-inch EP in response to Columbia’s LP. The rivalry lasted for about two years, 1948 to 1950, when they realized that the LP was the preferred format for albums, and the EP was the preferred format for the single. LP’s run about 30 minutes on each side, where EP’s only hold one song on each side, running an average of three to five minutes.

During the early years of record recording, the sound was recorded directly to the master disc, the original recording from which copies where made. After the 1950’s the music began to be recorded onto audiotape, then dubbed to the master record. A record cutter engraves the grooves into the master disc, a metal shell is made of the master, called a negative master. The negative master makes more shells for mass production.

These vinyl discs are fragile, they scratch easily and attract dust. But the way they sound makes it worth the worry. Vinyl has a unique sound. There is something about vinyl that is attractive. You have to play it in stereo. AC/DC’s album “Who Made Who” doesn’t work if you’re listening to it with one speaker. Records need two speakers so you can hear the whole of the music. Without a second speaker, the bass line of “You Shook Me All Night Long” is nonexistent. How do I know this? On one particular hurricane weekend, I was stuck in the house, and found out that my left channel speaker had broke this prevented me from listening to my vinyl.

Vinyl records have a unique sound that, I feel, improves with age, there are crackles and pops. Vinyl has a way of showing the love its owner has for a particular album. The sounds vibrate through your speakers, making you feel like you are actually at a concert. The power of the vinyl record played in stereo makes you a part of the music. The sounds draw the listener in.

Vinyl recordings also imply nostalgia on the part of the listener. It reminds you of times past. When you feel as if you are a part of the recording, as if you are in the studio with the musicians as they record, it triggers memories of what made you fall in love with band, the first time you saw them play, or the regret you have for missing their show because of a prior commitment. Thrift store records are the best to buy and listen to because they are cheap, the smell of the aged paper wrapped around the record is intoxicating, and the crisp sound your speakers make after your needle hits the vinyl for the first time. It calls to question, who owned this record before me? Why did they love it? And why did they let it go?

Some music is enjoyed with a nostalgic feeling, a feeling like the one you get when you listen to records. Vinyl evokes feelings of youthfulness. Often times digital versions of old records don’t do the singer, or the style of music justice. For example, Janis Joplin’s Greatest Hits rings on vinyl, the CD version does not do her voice justice. You can hear each crack in her voice, and the soul in her heart. Vinyl recordings allow the user to be surrounded by the sounds of the music, making the listener apart of the song, the listener feels the feelings the artist is trying to evoke. Through over playing, the needle wear’s on the grooves of the vinyl. The deeper grooves signify which tracks are loved the most. When looking down at a record all you see are the rings of grooves that circle the vinyl. These rings are tracks, the songs on the record. In the center is a circular label that lists the track songs. Most albums are one disc, and two sided, a-side and b-side. Extended length albums, such as greatest hits or anthologies, have two or more records in their jacket.

The White Stripes recorded “Elephant,” the album that has “Seven Nation Army,” in London at Toe Rag Studios. According to Wikipedia, “Jack White produced the album with antiquated equipment, including an eight-track tape machine and pre-1960s recording gear.” The album was recorded for vinyl distribution and converted to digital formats to be released on CD, and iTunes.

So the argument is this; which is better? Vinyl? Or digital? The two are hard to put in a race, they are hard to compare because what they offer the listener varies widely. The crisp sounds of Digital recording are nice, and definitely way better than cassette tape, CD’s have revolutionized the music industry. The capabilities of digital media are multifaceted. But, they still don’t compare to the sound of a record, printed back in 1973 spinning on your player, coming out through all of your speakers. A better format to listen to records is through a surround sound system then you can hear all the instruments through their own channels.

You can definitely hear a difference between vinyl and digital media. Listening to “You Shook Me All Night Long” out of my iTunes, the music is coming out of the speakers holistically, as if remixed to be in mono format, unlike vinyl format, which needs two speakers to survive. This theory is not surprising, considering that most music is now available in digital format. Record companies need to make money, so they have begun converting their older collections of music to digital forms. Record players are now produced with digital options. The record player I have is a deejay’s turntable with USB capabilities. The record player also came with it’s own computer software, making home conversion a possibility.

Punk Rock and jazz are some genres of music that still prefer to print vinyl copies of their albums. Band’s like Against Me! and NOFX release vinyl copies of most of their music. The words “jazz records” simply imply nostalgia because a lot of jazz musicians took advantage of the style of recording; records imply soul.

If I had to pick between vinyl and digital music, I would probably go with vinyl. I love the smell of vinyl, I love the feeling of the records in my hands, and I love the smell of the paper and the jacket that encases the records. I love the way the sounds rock my whole house when played in stereo format. I love the sense of being a part of something, of being a part of the artists intended message for their music, I love feeling as if I were at the band’s concert.

Although digital music is convenient, portable, and user friendly; I feel digital plays at you, and all though the music is clearer, and at times less scratchy than vinyl, digital recordings don’t include the listener in their music, the listener can’t share the feelings because digital recordings exclude the listener from the musical process. Digital doesn’t allow the listener to be a part of the music. Digital music sounds mono, even if it’s been put in the stereo format. The final mixing process of music recording software condenses the final audio file, this process can remove elements in the music unintended by the artist.

Vinyl recordings are nostalgic, owning them evokes feelings of youthfulness, invites memories, and includes the listener in the music. Digital recordings are convenient, multi-faceted, and an improvement to the music business. Vinyl records disappeared for about a decade, when CD’s where in their hey day. It was almost impossible to find a record player, new, in a store, let alone the needles. But now, record players are easily available if you go to the right place, you can buy them at independent record stores such as Daddy Kools in St. Petersburg. At independent stores such as this, you can buy new and used records in multiple genres, and also in LP or EP format. Vinyl has proved its staying power, the technology is over a hundred years old, and there are still artists out there who prefer the crisp sounds of vinyl records.

Eventually, digital music will take over, and mass production of anything else will end. Hopefully, those days are far from now. For right now, this vinyl lover is going to continue to collect, and love her records, while enjoying my iPod on the side.

 

 

Peer Reviews

 

Michele's review

 

Nathan's Reviews

 

 

 

 

Dylan K - Review

 

 


 

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