The original set of DJ tech tools were the record, mixer, and turntable. After over 15 years of music sales moving to CDs and digital music files, reports from 2013 are showing that vinyl sales are actually rising – up 31%. Are DJs a driving force in this resurgence? In today’s article, we reached out to DJ-centric record stores around the US to find out if vinyl is really making a comeback.
2013 MUSIC SALES NUMBERS
Nielsen Soundscan is the music industry’s sales tracking system that links point-of-sale systems in over 14,000 retailers (digital and brick and mortar) all over the US and Canada to a centralized database. Soundscan has been tracking sales data since 1991, and complete information on digital sales since the advent of the iTunes Music Store in 2003. They released their 2013 end-of-year numbers in January and four major revelations came to light out of the data:
- Digital sales stagnated: Track sales dropped 5.7% and album sales dropped .1%
- Overall album sales dropped: Down 8.4% (with CDs being a big part of that)
- Streaming rose 32%: Services like Spotify and YouTube accounted for over 118 billion songs streamed
- Vinyl album sales rose 31%: Vinyl only comprises 2% of the market but is still the largest rise out of any data point, selling 6 million albums in 2013
In fact, vinyl has actually been on an upswing in the United States since 2005 and these rising sales have been the trend in other countries as well – with vinyl record sales doubling in Australia and the United Kingdom,
A lot of the commentary surrounding last year’s sales notes that unlike the vinyl sales in previous years that focused on re-releases, this year’s top 10 vinyl albums sold, listed below, are new albums of popular music.
- Daft Punk — Random Access Memories
- Vampire Weekend — Modern Vampires of the City
- Arcade Fire — Reflektor
- Mumford & Sons — Babel
- Mumford & Sons — Sigh No More
- Queens of the Stone Age — …Like Clockwork
- Bon Iver — For Emma Forever Ago
- Lumineers — Lumineers
- The National — Trouble Will Find Me
- Justin Timberlake — The 20/20 Experience
MARKET HEADWIND: RECORD PRESSES CAN’T KEEP UP
A second big indicator that vinyl records are in high demand was made apparent in a recent article on Vice’s Motherboard. Demand for new pressings is very high at the extremely limited number of record pressing plants in the United States (only 16 major presses exist). United Record Pressing, a major pressing plant, has three shifts of production employees in order to keep up with demand – allowing the machines to run nearly 24 hours a day.
In an interview last year, Chad Kassem, owner of Quality Record Pressings, told the New York Times, “We’ve always had more work than we could do. When we had one press, we had enough orders for two. When we had two, we had enough orders for four. We never spent a dollar on advertising, but we’ve been busy from the day we opened.”
The same New York Times article goes on to discuss how Soundscan’s numbers mentioned above actually might miss a large number of albums that are pressed and sold direct to fans by artists – estimating the number of records pressed in 2012 is closer to 25 million.
RECORD STORES FOR DJS
But have DJs been contributing to this increasing demand in vinyl records? We reached out to a number of record stores in the US and Canada to find out.
In New York, there’s an upswing of new record stores that have opened in recent years – including Rough Trade, a massive 15,000 square-foot store in Brooklyn, which opened in November and is actually an international expansion of two London shops by the same name.
Across the East River at Good Records in Manhattan, owner Jonathan Sklute told us that his vinyl sales have been growing every single year since opening 9 years ago. We asked him if DJs were key customers:
“Yes[…] DJs used to make up a lot more of the business but with the advent of DJ software it’s a smaller percentage than it used to be. The biggest change has been amongst young people who wouldn’t be classified as DJs but are young enthusiasts.”
Not far away at the well-established (opened in 1975) Rock and Soul record and DJ equipment store, owner Sharon Bechor has seen a similar upward trend over the past couple of years – with DJs buying more 45s and casual listeners buying 180 gram vinyl LPs.
“[In NYC DJ culture] there’s a “back to 45″ movement. Non-DJs are buying full LPs, not singles.”
In Toronto at the 24-year-old Play De Record DJ shop, co-owner Jason Palma has also seen sales trending upwards for vinyl records – not only for his core DJ customer, but also for the average music listener. We asked him if a “back to vinyl” concept had caught on among Toronto DJs:
“Definitely. There are a good amount of DJs that are tired of the digital format. They just don’t have the energy for that anymore. A lot of people are having more fun actually getting to play records than just the files off a computer.”
On the West Coast, we’ve started to see small independent music stores with a focus on attracting DJs start to open in the last few years. In Los Angeles’s Highland Park, Mount Analog has been open for about a year and a half, selling techno, house, and dance music. Co-owner Zane Landreth knows of at least 6 different records stores just in Highland Park that have opened in the last 3-4 years:
“A lot of labels are making vinyl-only exclusives, which makes it a necessary component of music sales. There are the kids that are just getting into vinyl and the people that have never stopped. [Among DJs] I can’t tell if it’s people that have tried Serato and Traktor and said “fuck that” and went back to vinyl, or if it’s a new up-and-coming thing with younger kids.”
Across town, one of the oldest record stores (1977) in LA is Bagatella Records in Long Beach. Owner Steve Mintz is a bit more trepidatious about the a resurgence in DJs playing wax. He’s seen younger people getting into the market,
“It’s a glimpse of the old school way of listening to things. I see an upsurge of younger people buying records but I can’t determine if it’s a fad or not. Knowing if this is a trend or a fad is like knowing if the stocks are going up or not.”
WOULD YOU MOVE BACK TO VINYL?
Really think about it – would you consider leaving digital tools and moving back to a more simple record bag of your selections? In putting this article together and reaching out on Twitter, we’ve heard three different types of responses:
- No, vinyl is outdated / inconvenient for gigs
- Yes, I made the move or would consider it
- I never left vinyl / Still play records on a regular basis
Let us know your own thoughts in the comments – is vinyl a realistic future for some DJs, or is this just upsurge in sales temporary fad?
DJTT’s Katie Kester also contributed to this piece.
[…] has made a significant mark in sales figures. Even as physical CD sales decline, people are buying more vinyl than they have in decades. Nearly 6 million units sold in just in 2013. It’s not a single-year phenomenon either. Since […]
Honestly, the prices are so high nowadays, that i would not go back to vinyl in a club environment. So much garbage gets puked out everyday, that you can’t just spend 3 dollars on every single record. I am 16, i buy vinyls now and then. When i play on my own, i love using vinyls, ( i own about about 100) but i would never use them in clubs and stuff. Too much “noise” going on around me. And people don’t even care anyways!!!I culd be standing there with my hands up doing mdma for all they care.
So i do it in my own free time. love my Plx’s and i love spinning, beat matching, and dropping beats by ear. WAY MORE FUN. So there’s my answer. Anyone agree?
[…] MP3s, and the eventual demise of physical media, explaining to them that there also was a big comeback in vinyl would be a bit like explaining how Taco Bell became the only restaurant in Demolition […]
[…] MP3s, and the eventual demise of physical media, explaining to them that there also was a big comeback in vinyl would be a bit like explaining how Taco Bell became the only restaurant in Demolition […]
[…] MP3s, and the eventual demise of physical media, explaining to them that there also was a big comeback in vinyl would be a bit like explaining how Taco Bell became the only restaurant in Demolition […]
Bit late to the party, but this article points out some fascinating bottlenecks in the vinyl manufacturing industry that may well kill interest in the medium in the long run.
http://www.factmag.com/2015/05/07/pressed-to-the-edge-vinyl/
[…] El renacimiento del LP no es algo simplemente anecdótico, la venta de viniles es actualmente la más alta en décadas. En 2013, las ventas se incrementaron 31%, esto es, cerca de 6 millones de unidades, cuando en 2007 sólo se vendían 1 millón en los Estados Unidos. […]
reallly? i mean is this a serious question or a joke,,
having played and payed for every single vinyl somehow or thru means of record pools or labels still never free. what do you think is cheaper going back to dj including the 8-9000 i own plus the 50,000 or so mp3 that i will have to repay at the rate above??? lets just let logic solve this one alone.
Will DJ embrace making a comeback to Vinyls , a technology light years behind digital/controlorism.
Thanks for the joke of the day! mister
[…] of the medium are more willing than ever to spend money to get vinyl. Don’t buy it? Read my article from almost a year ago about how vinyl sales have seen a recent upswing – perhaps as a result of […]
I’ve just taken delivery of DDJ sr.. My 1210s ( 20 yrs old) have never missed a beat. Cdjs are neither of these bgreat tools and have never appealed to me. Vinyl can be a pain to deal with so I’m starting the digitize task which will probably take me forever but I’ll enjoy it for sure but I will never ditch my vinyl and 1210s
Hello friend out there my name is Andrew Mark am a vampire i was bone in califonia am 50years old i love beeing a vampire becaose i alwayse get what i want i have initiate allote of friends family member young and old ,if you have interest you want to be a vampire you are free i can initiate you and you will be one of us fame money any thing you want will definatly be yours contact vampirestemple@yahoo.com to day and be initiated thanks
vinyl or nothing serato dj is not the same or traktor anyone can be a dj and try to mix but vinyl dj is still the best
[…] isn’t just an anecdotal trend. Even as physical record sales decline, people are buying more vinyl than they have in decades. In 2013, sales increased 31-percent to about 6 million units year-over-year. It’s not a […]
Hello
What a great and wonderful testimony.
I
am joy morrison from northern ireland, i want to use this golden
medium to appreciate Dr. Abidu a great spell caster for helping me
retrieving back my relationship with my ex lover when he ended and
turned back on me for quite a long time now (5 months ago). He performed
a spell for me and for 48 hours after the spell had been casted i
recieve a text from my ex saying that he is sorry for the pains and
tears that he had caused me and that he will not do such thing to me
again in his life again. I was surprised but later accepted him back
again. Anyone that is in the same line of problem or different one and
want to contact him should happily contact him now on this email
address. (drabiduspiritualtemple@gmail.com).
He is very powerful and can help you
I never moved from vinyl. I’ve been DJ’n for 22+ years and so long as there in vinyl still being pressed and I have my hearing, i’ll continue to purchase all my music on vinyl!!! It might be a little more elusive to find these daze but where there’s a will there’s a way. You just have to do a little old fashioned hunting sometimes….you do remember what that’s like don’t ya?
P.S. It’s not the record companies, presses or local shops fault that the cost of vinyl has risen to the prices you see today, it’s because it costs so much more to ship it these daze plain and simple so lets place the hate for the decline of the record stores in the past years where it belongs – on the postal services worldwide for the amounts they charge to ship your wax to you.
Did you know that it now costs around $12.50 for a single record to be shipped from the U.S. to Canada and roughly $2.50 for each additional record? How about from the U.S. to Mexico? $16.00 for the 1st and $2.50 for each additional record in your order. Then coming or going to Brazil or anywhere else in South America or South Africa to/from the U.S. costs $17.00 for the 1st record and $3.00 for each 1 after that & for the rest of the world it’s gonna run you about $18.00 for the 1st track and $3.00 for each 1 after that. & within the U.S. will run you approximately $5.00 for the 1st piece of vinyl and $.50 for each 1 after that.
That’s why you see the sticker prices you do these days, because that’s how much it’s costing them in addition to the prices they’re having to pay for the records themselves just to be able to get the records to the shops or from the shops to you, but ya know what, i’m a record collector/DJ & i’m still willing to pay that for trax that I really want. – DJ_Jon_Doe / Dallas Tx.
Testimony of my life!!
I am Gabriel Anderson from UK, after 4 years in marriage with my husband,he divorced me and brought in another lady, i did all i could to get him back but all proved abortive, until a old friend of mine told me about a spell caster Dr.ODUDUA on the internet who helped her in a similar issue, at first i doubted it but I decided to give it a try, when I contacted him (dr.oduduwasamuelhightemple@gmail.com) he helped me cast a re-unite spell and within 48 hours me and my husband come together again. Contact this great spell caster on your relationship or marriage problems and counseling at dr.oduduwasamuelhightemple@gmail.com
Best Regards,
Gabriel Anderson.
[…] isn’t just an anecdotal trend. Even as physical record sales decline, people are buying more vinyl than they have in decades. In 2013, sales increased 31 per cent to about 6 million units year-over-year. It’s not a […]
I’d be open to collecting Vinyls to find those ‘hidden gems’, but mostly to educate myself. Playing in many of the nightclubs I do, it seems that the music and dj sets everyone plays are the same over and over again and very commercially satisfying.
I can see vinyl gaining a resurgence in some circles as a reaction to electronic dance music becoming increasingly mainstream, however, I don’t think that it would take hold as the industry standard. I think that as the DJ equipment manufacturers start to give us more and more options in gear, the standard will be that there is no standard. DJs will be expected to bring their controllers of whatever variety with them.
Further to this, the digital DJing age has introduced gear that promotes a new style of performance and certainly can require great skill depending on what the person is doing (watch any of Ean Golden’s videos – he’s got crazy skill)! If DJs choose vinyl as their instrument of choice in order to display their skill and talent, that’s fantastic! If people choose DJTT Midi-fighters and/or a controller to exhibit what it is that they have, then that’s awesome too!
In the end, I think it’s important that as DJs, we constantly work towards improving our skill in whatever genre/equipment category we’re in, and support each other.
Thanks to DJTT for playing such a huge part in skill development and education!
Hi everyone!
I am A DJ
First with vinyl is : its SOUND QUALITY, its tactile, visually pleasing, tangible, and artistic! Who cares about some peice o crap mp3 when you could own a real piece of rare art! I am a vinylist. Digital sounds can never compare to the analog wave format of sound reproduction. Picture the wave form peeps… a wave.
Think about it, digital can only produce square bits- not waves . It tries to emulate it but it cannot replicate its perfect natural curve. The ear receives signals- frequency-vibration. We really do “feel” more resonance from the analog sources, its more then then going to 30hz of human hearing-……….. its feeling it ! You think we hear thoughs sounds? We really feeel them in our bodies right?
Thats why its better and will always be better then digital. Sorry folks. No hard feeelins’ but its true. I went to school for sound recording. I have met enthusiasts and artists and vinylists who all say the same. It feeeels better on your sound system. Sure digital is convienient but vinyl still RULES!
Also: Some music is exclusive to vinyl and collectable as well!
I know people just getting into vinyl as well,it just gives you more.
Because you cant find that quality or track any other way. Vinyl will always have its upsides- especially on dubplates. If you want hi fi acetates, that reproduce far better sound then even vinyl. I know of artists in london that have their digital files pressed and mastered on vinyl dubplates. And exclusives tracks that can only be heard via dubplate!
And some that wont let the music be heard unless its vinyl. Artists have approached me with tunes and have asked me to please play it only on vinyl. As a DJ. So it would be heard properly!
About bits : thats digital talk… No comparison. Analog wave form rules! As far as recording and mastering if done right you can expect a the tones to be more true on the record then a 16 bit recorded cd. Recording digitally is done at 24 bit for hi fi . But CD ‘s only reproduce sounds at 16 bit. Analog can reproduce more. Always more. We still use electricity to make the sounds but analog sounds are still better to our ears.( I must be an audiophile.) LOL> love you! all u sound heads! We are all such GEEKS!
I’m open to use everything but the creative flow is coming from the midi controllers. Makes you think of things that can NEVER be done on 2tt’s. DJ’s are s’posed to flip the songs in a way the audience can’t imagine using controllers, just like 2tt’s. You can map them with the feel of the tables & even play the tables in conjunction. Traktor in my experience was the only program doing this (program on a/ b/ & 2 cdj’s on c/d or 1 cdm & 1 tt) with the sound card, not possible with Serato when I was using it 8yrs ago but hopefully that issue has been resolved. I like to have creative possibilities & challenge myself to make it happen live. Vci-100se w F1. Next up is that Vci-400se. My vinyl collection was very thick (sacrificed my bedroom for it) & not fun when moving so……As far as the vinyl surge: The plants are going to raise the prices soon due to their losses in the past years, so we’ll see how long this ‘surge’ last. BTW this is coming from someone who did business with distributors as a buyer in one of those record shops in NY
Go back to vinyl for the love of God man… The guys at the top will fight it cus they are too lazy to carry records around anymore…but the positive is that not EVERYONE will have the same stupid tracks and acquiring said record will be fun again. Ban cd/ mp3 djing equipment in major clubs please thank you.
dj booths are not consistently built well enough to switch back to vinyl.
Vinyl is fun to play at gigs and sou ds better, but lets not forget how crazy it was flying from city to city with three crates of vinyl getting checked in at every airport. There were also the horror stories of airlines that had lost dj’s entire music collections on vinyl during flights. For a local dj it’s fine, but touring with vinyl was very difficult and that was back when they didn’t charge you extra for additional luggage. The style of mixing has changed over the years as well. Djs change tracks much more quickly now than back in the day. Much easier to quick mix with Serato than dig through a crate. And try playing two vinyl gigs the same day. Better keep that crate super organized or you won’t be able to find shit during that second set
I MISS THE DAYS OF PLAYING VINLY AND THE DJ MARKET WAS A-LOT BETTER THEN BUT GOING BACK TO IT WOULD BE HARD. I DONT MISS CARYYING 4/5 CRATES OF PRE SELECTED MUSIC CRATES TO DJ WITH AT ONE GIG… THE WEIGHT OF CARRYING THE DDJ SX VS TWO TECHS AND MIXER IS JUST ENOUGH TO KEEP ME ON THE DIGITAL SIDE… THAT SAID I STILL OWN VINLY AND PLAY WITH IT AT HOME JUST NOT ON THE ROAD UNLESS THEY REQUEST THAT AND I DON’T DO IT FOR THE SAME PRICE IT GOES UP TO PAY SOMEONE TO HELP ME LUG ALL OF IT AROUND.. VINLY SHOULD BE THE FIRST STEP FOR EVERY DJ IF THEY CAN TRAIN THERE EARS TO LISTEN THEY CAN EASILY MASTER ANY OTHER FORM OF DJING.
Thanks Hipsters!
As a hobbyist I’m neutral. I love finding, having and holding vinyl, I love using two turntables and a mixer, as a sensory experience for both the DJ and the audience there’s still nothing that can match it.
I also love using DVS, and a couple of toys to bring more controller-era elements into my setup (presented Kontrol Z2 and a pair of dicers) which offer convenience, flexibility and creative options that 20 years ago would have been completely unimaginable. Add to that the added security (imagine losing over 20,000 records, including many irreplaceable or rare pressings, in a house fire as Q-Tip famously suffered, reportedly because of a single cigarette- a digital collection of that size can be very easily backed up to multiple locations not much larger than a mobile phone- in a matter of hours)
I don’t know why the topic is so much more polarising than it has to be. I low my future likely lays in a similar direction as my past- using all of the tools available to me, to take the benefits of all technologies (old and new) and applying them in a manner that fits me, as an individual as perfectly as possible.
Vinyl will not die anytime soon, but it won’t be “coming back” as a mainstream method of music distribution. There are too many alternatives now that address the shortcomings of vinyl and offer so much more.
I would guess about 30% of my collection is vinyl, 30% purchased on CD (many of them in storage, having been ripped to hard disk- unlike vinyl there’s no detriment to my aural enjoyment of them but it’s more convenient) and 40% has been purchased digitally. I’m young, though (27) and have only been purchasing music for around 15 years. I can see a smaller proportion of my music being on vinyl as time goes on, but I won’t stop buying it as long as I’m able to get my hands on it!
i used vinyl back in the 1990s and switched to a traktor s4 a couple of years ago?
i would think of switching back to vinyl if it was as cheap as mp3 what does everyone else think
I use traktor scratch with control vinyl, buy all my own .wav and .flac files and also switch between digital and real vinyl using multicore cables. My mixer is analog and i route effects and samples through ableton on another computer using auxiliary channels.
For me, digital DJing simply does not compare to DJing with vinyl. The sense of feel and direct connection to the track that you are playing with real vinyl is simply not replicated at all when using timecode. The result of timecode is inaccurate, can contain artifacts and feels kind of cheap, and its actually a lot harder to beatmatch (minus all of traktor visual cues). The overcomplexity of midi mapping controller functions and also the destructive potential of effects and audio manipulation turns me away from DJing completely within software.
Keeping everything in the digital realm however also has its advantages. Tools such as sync, hot cues, looping, effects and MIDI clock all allow the DJ to focus less on mixing and beatmatching and more on the bigger picture and going above and beyond what typical DJing is known to be today.
Another way of looking at it is that some styles of music call for more DJ inputs such as effects, looping, etc which have evolved most likely from the tendency of modern DJ’s to want to be self gratifying, and are produced for this purpose (think techno, house, trap and dubstep), hence the vinyl feel is sacrificed for more technical advantage.
Other genres of music call for minimal amounts of mixing, effects and DJ inputs and prefer rather just to be played, sounding better the way they are (for example drum and bass, downtempo and other more acoustic styles). In domains such as these vinyl is king and there is simply no need for extra digital bells and whistles.
If you ask me vinyl is still one of the most satisfying ways to DJ, but the future lies in integration between the digital and analog worlds and also depends greatly on what you require from your equipment as a DJ.
The ones that say vinyl is outdated, should take a proper look in a mirror, maybe its you that are outdated.
Have the thought ever occurred that people have gotten tired of this digital mumbojumbo bullshit.
A computer, can or will never be accepted among the ranks of respectful djs.
Those who dont bow to the power of the records, are either stupid, naive or just plain producers who only concern is MONEY!
kind of funny how DMC championships are now won by dj’s using Traktor scratch. by definition, using the newest technologies means that you are current, not outdated.
you may want to get a dictionary and look up the word “outdated” just to make sure.
About 4 years years ago I started the move from vinyl to Traktor Scratch, using vinyl timecode. I still use vinyl timecode where I can. Unfortunately a lot places do not have turntables, only CDJ’s, more so the smaller venues. I don’t mind using CDJ’s, but having started on vinyl, I prefer the interaction and response of vinyl, even timecode. I do like what Traktor has brought to the table, the ease of looping, the fx and on the fly remixing. The most awkward part of using timecode in your setup, is the setting up. You can not always set up before the gig, sometimes you have to set up mid way through, and if the venue only has one mixer, short of bringing your own, this is not preferred so there are times when I’ll revert to USB’s. Which brings to to another point, why are we not seeing sounds cards installed in booths? They are becoming as common use as USB drives.
But I digress. So in answer to your initial question, I never really left vinyl. I still collect vinyl, and play it on a regular basis, although more at home these days. Would I move back to playing purely vinyl at gigs? Quite possibly, yes. The one thing that is holding me back from doing so though is the price of vinyl. I live in Australia, where a piece of vinyl can cost anywhere from $17-25. It’s not a cheap hobby. But that said, you are more selective in what you choose…
Also people born in recent years has no say in this, If you were introduced to Master Tempo or Sync buttons as your initial way to DJ you have no idea what your on about. 🙂
I play vinyl but started out on CD back in 1994ish.
I love vinyl because its organic and it requires constant attention.
FX for me is never a way to DJ, reverb & delay is a production need and if the production of the track is good enough there is no reason for a DJ to add more of that to it.
To make a tracklist of 20-40 tracks thats seamlessly blend together in both beat and feel is for me to DJ.
Regarding sales I think that the tracks worth spending your money on is the ones pressed on vinyl. Many fantastic tracks are released as only digital and thats a shame.
Take “Danny Daze & Matches – If this (Original Mix)” for instance, should definitely been released on vinyl.
But on the other hand you’ve got all these bad masters, bad productions, “minimal techno” releases etc that shouldn’t have reached us as costumers.
I love vinyl and I love people who “walk up that mountain instead of taking the car” 😉
only a few things i truly miss about vinyl:
1. being able to have “while label” tracks or hiding your titles so EVERYONE isn’t just out playing the same shit every night at every club. Record pools such as DJ city and Crooklyn clan really make it difficult to stand out as a dj these days unless you can produce your own stuff.
2. Digging. The convenience of the internet is awesome and all but there’s always something to be said about coming across that sample or that cut of some song that you know will go great with your set / sound.
3. people actually respecting you and your music selection. These days its so easy to find that remix or pull up that track on your phone people (in my opinion) just simply look at the Dj as a human Jukebox who is simply there to play what they want to hear OR have heard 30 times already that day.
Oh no, no, no would I move back to vinyl. Convenience is the factor. Using control vinyl for a digital format; absolutely! I use it now, but purchasing vinyl singles, oh hell no!
The weight is too much and the artistic capabilities and possibilities of using a control vinyl set up are absolutely greater than playing a vinyl pressing.
And for my two euro cents on the Berlin (B) thread: I haven’t heard laughing, but I have heard/seen booing. Do not bring a midi controller to a hip-hop club in B. TTs are the preferred medium, cdjs accepted, but a midi controller…not accepted (TOY!!). The B EDM crowd has been hanging out with too many db hipsters.
And to tie it all up into one pretty package… Hipsters are a huge drive in the resurgence of the vinyl pressing market.
i just recently got into DVS .. always used vinyl b4, i see little difference, although with DVS an artist can grow more,… If it comes back it will be for recognition of what it was/is… BUT i say keep making digital improove to the point that it will be like just using vinyl but with that extra creativity,…. regular vinyl is cool for battling,.. DVS Largest advantage is no sound degrading on the actual vinyl. Dont really wanna comment but i did. I like both But could never afford Dubs……. if Dubs were cheaper i would consider it, Im 35 and still able to battle like a 18 year old hahahha
“When chef cook great steak, customer not complain about plate it’s served on.” -shon tzu 😉
…Folks VINYL is dead – R.I.P.- It had a great run, but it’s time to leave it in the past like that awesome ex-girlfriend you had that one Summer of 69’… I personally have not seen any resurgence of DJ’s using vinyl… I bought my first piece of vinyl around 1990 and trust i’ve paid my dues carrying around not crates, but giant plastic tubs of records (twice the size/weight)… In 2014, unless you’ve built a fan base by playing vinyl and your audience expects it, you have to be some kind of “vinyl fan boy” to still travel/gig with it… I mean come on!!! Dj Forced Hand did a great job with all the cons on using vinyl below… It makes no sense, but hey my grandfather still like his 8mm tapes over DVD’s. The quality and sound of his 8mm tapes are so much better than that digital crap 😉
“When chef cook great steak, customer not complain about plate it’s served on.” -shon tzu 😉
…Folks VINYL is dead – R.I.P.- It had a great run, but it’s time to leave it in the past like that awesome ex-girlfriend you had that one Summer of 69’… I personally have not seen any resurgence of DJ’s using vinyl… I bought my first piece of vinyl around 1990 and trust i’ve paid my dues carrying around not crates, but giant plastic tubs of records (twice the size/weight)… In 2014, unless you’ve built a fan base by playing vinyl and your audience expects it, you have to be some kind of “vinyl fan boy” to still travel/gig with it… I mean come on!!! Dj Forced Hand did a great job with all the cons on using vinyl below… It makes no sense, but hey my grandfather still like his 8mm tapes over DVD’s. The quality and sound of his 8mm tapes are so much better than all that digital crap 😉
“When chef cooks great steak, customer not complain about plate it’s served on.” -shon tzu 😉
…Folks VINYL is dead – R.I.P.- It had a great run, but it’s time to leave it in the past like that awesome ex-girlfriend you had that one Summer of 69’… I personally have not seen any resurgence of DJ’s using vinyl… I bought my first piece of vinyl around 1990 and trust i’ve paid my dues carrying around not crates, but giant plastic tubs of records (twice the size/weight)… In 2014, unless you’ve built a fan base by playing vinyl and your audience expects it, you have to be some kind of “vinyl fan boy” to still travel/gig with it… I mean come on!!! Dj Forced Hand did a great job with all the cons on using vinyl below… It makes no sense, but hey my grandfather still like his 8mm tapes over DVD’s. The quality and sound of his 8mm tapes are so much better than all that digital crap 😉
If vinyls are half of its price now, I’d go pure vinyl. Why not right? Play without laptop. That is something new these days. ;P
That’s funny. The other day I was thinking that it would be cool if they made modern records in vinyl… I looked it up and was surprised to find out that they did.
Personally, the reasons I’m thinking of buying some of my favorite albums in vinyl are the appeal of actually owning a physical album as well as the fact that they’re a higher fidelity recording.
As far as Vinyl for live performance, I don’t see that becoming too widespread. I’m sure people will do it, but the advantages of digital considerably outweigh the “coolness” of vinyl.
Also, being realistic, even when it comes to just listening to music, my MP3 player isn’t being abandoned anytime soon. Vinyl would simply be a supplement, for when I really want to sit back and listen to some hi-fi.
Vinyl never went out. Just too many budget conscious DJs that started a trend. If you were a good DJ you could afford Vinyl and didn’t have to lug your studio around with you. Rock up with your collection and play on the system in the club that would always have 1200/1210s. Though I agree that Vinyl is not that portable as Digital formats, when you play Vinyl you are forced to get emotional, hear and feel the music.
Always played vinyl since 93′, now moved into the digital era with NI’s X1s, F1s, Traktor and Ableton however I still have my turntables set up with my 4 channel mixer and still buy vinyl as recent as the summer I was in Barcelona on holiday and found about 4 record shops selling vinyl… was in heaven! Bought some tunes and brought them back.
There’s just something about the feel of it on the turntable … feels like your in total control.
I’ll play with controllers but I’ll never ever sell my vinyl or technics… too many memories.
dj-ing is so 2013…
I began 10 years ago playing with turntables and Traktor Final Scratch DVS. I got Traktor Pro and an S4 controller back in 2010, which has since been the backbone of most shows I play, but I often bring one turntable to plug into the S4. For scratching, it is great having that one turntable input, which allows me to incorporate vinyl records from different eras with their unique sound qualities. The turntable is not only great as a secondary interface with a much more tactile interaction with the sound, but it allows this other voice to enter the mix- the intrinsic sound qualities of vinyl.
I guess it’s a decision between pros and cons on both sides mostly depending on personal skills and the based training:
Traditional Vinyl means more skills in beatmatching and scratching but less in deconstruct a song to redesign it.
I do not believe in the possibilities of 10,000 + Tracks on a Hard/ Solid Disc. At least you need a great set whenever you select. (200 Vinyls in my bag makes working easier than looking for that ‘damn whats its name’ one-in-a-million-mp3)
I play timecode, vinyl or even both – depending on the situation.
No one is talking about the sound, I prefer the sound of vinyl personally.
It is a hard one. Having access to good record shops near you that stock a great selection of sounds on vinyl makes you live the life of a vinyl junkie.
On one hand, you feel lucky to have a chance to pick from what is really going on versus…the online download sources that push-out everything that is released through them during that time. Charts and featured pics aren’t the same as your “source” handing you 1 of 5 copies received telling you “act quick, 3 sold on mail-order” and I’m about to lock mine in now.”
Not everything released on vinyl is great either. There are some no-bonus things and real gems. The “white label” still holds-court…be it hand-stamped, hand-painted, only with info card in a clear PVC sleeve….,’ (unknown) – “untitled” [not-on-label] ‘ you can sometimes tell what is interesting or upfront amidst well-packaged, no-bonus, tracky or too ______ nothingness. On the other hand, your chance to build relationships with people that enjoy music and know you enjoy music is kind of like a crack-house – you shouldn’t do it all the time or you’ll never play, listen, and enjoy the music you bought. You’ll just keep getting high and forget what you bought but you can never do that (make friends that make you want to comeback again and again) in an online download store.
Vinyl is a great way to buy timeless music (to your ears) but not practical for every DJ and every gig location. However, no one wants to risk breaking their back (carrying 150+ 12″s) or losing their investments to airport thieves. You may have to compromise…what works for me is having Traktor DVS on 2 channels at home and CDJ-2000NXS on HID on the other.…..I do play without a laptop and have to use Rekordbuddy to make sure my Rekordbox (preferred track preparation software) files/whole digital collection is also on USBs…have to ready for basically any situation….but I hate burning vinyl…in fact it is the last thing I like to do because it makes me constantly reassess my picks (while newer ones keep arriving and get pushed back into the collection other arrivals)… it just sucks! I take more chances when I’m looking at the whole collection but if you put it all on a hard rive….I’d be lost in names instead of “sleeve/label memory”….wish I could take my whole collection.
I live in London and I only came back because of my closeness to my drug of choice (vinyl)….my favorite recordshop is Phonica and I used to go every day. I’ve doing self-rehab now…enjoying my music I picked and coming out only when I need to but being in the shop is one thing….while you see 12″s on the walls of any shop, there’s always the new arrivals…and I usually am one that will ask to pick through things not out there yet. 9/10 times, that 1 available out of a total of 5 copies that came in – it’s there! I do shop online and look at about 16 different physical music media retail sites…but going into a shop is a better experience. Finding and pulling a 12” from a sleeve and placing it on the record is quicker and easier than checking your collection folders, finding the track, loading it and setting it up for playback.
I made the move 2 years ago, have not regretted since
Personally, i think there is a ‘Cool’ factor with vinyl…it makes the DJ look cool, like ‘oh he must be a proper music head’. Thats why some DJ’s use it.
Truth of the matter is, its a pain in the ass to carry record boxes around the world. Every DJ from back in the day says it.
I will say i’ve noticed a lot of people stop using CDJ’s to go back to Traktor Scratch Pro/DVS so they can still carry thousands of tracks with them on a laptop AND still use vinyl, without carrying boxes of heavy records.
That seems to be the trend and the best solution for todays vinyl loving DJ.
They are primarily focusing on LPs (full albums) in this discussion, which have been on a decline for many years. But as all of us know, 12″ vinyl singles were the only way to get good dance oriented music from 1993 (the earliest on this chart), to about 2003/4 when vinyl was surpassed. That being said, total vinyl sales today (singles and LPs) are lower than say, 1999 when everything was on vinyl and the dance scene was going along like gangbusters. The store I used to buy vinyl from would push over 100k singles a year back in the late 90’s – and that is just one store, not counting all the stores in the world.
The store closed in 2006, but vinyl was on a death spiral from 2003 onward – once Beatport and others came into the scene and DJ software matured enough, no one was hankering for new music on vinyl. If I had the room, I would have all my vinyl in my condo – problem is that 6,000 singles won’t fit, so they are in climate controlled storage for now.
If you didn’t have records 8 years ago you weren’t even in the game.
I’m opening up a dance club (in the middle of buildout and permitting) and, for my part, I’m putting 3 turntables and no CDJ’s in the booth. I figure people will either be using controllers or vinyl (mostly DVS), or they can easily adapt to one or the other. (I’m looking for “regular people” DJs to train for the space, not as much people who would consider themselves DJs already and who have headphones with their names in tribal graphics on them, or whatever.)
My thinking is that turntables and vinyl are going to an abiding thing not only with the public at large but within the DJ world. I see turntables as kind of the “Fender Stratocaster” of DJing: 30 years from now they will still be relevant and in style.
We’ll see though…
rs
“Very differing opinions on vinyls amongst DJs”
Maybe because not everyone is, or feel to support, or live by the creed of a dj
Tell us something we did not already knew, of course vinyl is comming back, between digital crappy formats and hardware that dont demand training or skill, there are those who crave it.
Thats why vinyl will never die, the sound and the skill it need to be executed properly
Conusmers that value quality and a real listening session buys vinyl, djs who just are in for the money and booty, download torrents and dont give a rats about quality or how it sounds or on what media its played as long as its for free!
Audiophiles and qulityminded djs will continue to support formats that are tru to the listners
lamers and fakes play mp3s, simple as that.
You can take that to the bank!
We need more pressing plants…and they all gots to be green =D
There is something special about having a physical copy of the music you buy. Even though turntables and vinyl have been around for a long time now, the technology may seem old but if you actually study how it works it is almost magical. I’m not privy to one or the other in terms of mediums for music playback. I love having the choice of them all!
Though I still own a pair of 1200s and scratch and play music on them once in a while, I think the convenience of digital music will prevent it from being overshadowed by this resurgence in vinyl. The portability, sheer amount of live effects one can add to mp3s using DJ programs like Traktor and the ‘shareability’ of digitized music will ensure digital djing will stay. Personally, I’m happy using both genres- the more options for djs out there, the merrier!
I need to hop to it and archive my vinyl collection to digital.
Yes…I’m going to part with my collection. I don’t want to store it, and I think it’ll be cool for younger/hungrier DJs to be able to pick up the classics they might be seeking.
1. When i’m a mobile DJ doing weddings/corporate/private parties and I have to bring my own PA, it is nuts to carry decks and crates, especially when i’m DJing 6+ hours…that’s a LOT of records, and say goodbye to request (even though i hate taking them, these events pay ridiculously good)
2. At home, I have my vinyls, and a 2 channel mixer, and I play what i want. way more fun. spend an hour at the record store, sometimes buying records that i have no idea what’s on it, but it’s $4, why not. no preview, just pure luck. a few shows a year I will play vinyl, but i’ll bring my laptop/timecode, just incase
it’s whatever works best for your style of DJing. i use the S4 for mobile, i can run 4 decks at once, samples, etc works bloody awesome. tracks at my disposal.you can be as creative as you want, blend and mix effortlessly. i can’t imagine bring 4 decks to a gig haha that’d be nuts, let alone trying to mix 4 records, well beyond my skill set. but i love mixing with my 2 channel mixer with vinyls. do what makes you happy, and what works for what gig you’re doing. i have the best of both worlds, and for any situation. versatility is a wonderful thing.
To put it short
1. More trending towards consumers then DJs buying vinyl for authentic reasons
2. Djs won’t go back to vinyl, its too much money to buy tracks. Timecode will always win over it.
I know more mates/people iv talked to who buy records, because they like the look of their favourite LP record up on the wall. Not to necessarily play it on a turntable lol
I have noticed 3 trends that would suggest a Vinyl shift, but certainly do not prove anything and these are the observations that sparked this article:
1) Dj focused vinyl stores are opening up again world-wide after years of decline.
2) Large numbers of electronic labels are publishing records again.
3) Many younger djs are consciously choosing to play records.
There is no doubt that this will probably not become the norm for most djs. However it is interesting when a lovely medium that was written off seems to make a comeback (no matter how large)
There’s no way to know for sure, but my opinion (as a DJ who DID use vinyl and will never go back) is No. Vinyl is a pain-in-the-butt to deal with. If a DJ wants that “genuine vinyl feel”, they can still use a Technics turntable and control vinyl. From my observation, most people do not care *AT ALL* that what a DJ uses to entertain them and often don’t even care that a DJ is present. Carrying vinyl is something I had to do, when I first started out… I would not wish that on anyone.
Remember all the down-sides to vinyl:
* They wear out.
* Needles need to be cleaned (often during mid-set).
* You need an external light source (often a flashlight or lighter) to view the jacket.
* They skip (often when the bass hits).
* Scratching RUINS the grooves.
* Vinyl often breaks when dropped.
* Crates of vinyl are awkward to walk with and heavy (approximately 70 pounds).
* If you’re not careful, someone can walk off with your record and/or crate (which you’ll probably find at the record store the next day… and no, they won’t just give them back to you). I’ve lost at least $10,000 worth of music this way over 20 years.
* You can’t do an instant look-up to see if you brought a tune to a club.
* Mis-filing vinyl in the wrong jacket (when you put it away) leads to hours of stress, with you wondering “WHERE IS / WHO STOLE MY DAMN ALBUM!”
* Unless you have two copies of the same song, you can’t “instant double” songs.
* Pitch-lock is not a function of Vinyl.
* Needle-dropping and Scrubbing through through the tracks are the only ways to cue up a song (no hot cues).
… anyone else want to add to this list, did I leave anything out?
-Space to store them properly and in a temperature controller room or house. To be fair you can fit a hell of a lot of records on a plain old bookshelf. To also be fair, I could buy a 4TB hard drive for the cost of a bookshelf and it will hold far more songs for far less space.
-Needles can also break, and they aren’t cheap.
-Digital can survive in more “hostile” environments. I went to a kandi rave on a boat, it was awesome. Do you want to try to keep two records locked while the boat sways back and forth? You don’t want to. Similarly, outdoor parties have a higher risk of dust/dirt getting on a record.
-Much harder to quickly do requests with vinyl if you’re at that kind of party. “What do you have by artist X” well, luckily I can just search that with digital.
-Also, not really related to vinyl itself; but a lot of smaller artists on soundcloud aren’t going to be paying for a record house to press their tracks. You can find a ton of wicked up and coming producers on soundcloud (or wherever), many of which are giving their stuff away for free, and it’s ONLY digital.
they cant survive a catastrophic hard drive crash!
lol… “the roller coaster platter” from being in the trunk on a hot day while driving to a gig with a car load of friends.
Now you only have to battle, bad handled or serviced computers, Harddrive failures and burned up usb sticks.
So yeah the future looks bright “NOT”
music is the reason why i became a network engineer. if a guitarist doesn’t trust a tech. to string his guitar, why would i trust my desktop (that i built from scratch that runs OSX) or my laptop to some guy that doesn’t care about what i do. it’s a learning curve. stop being old and start learning new skills… this coming from a guy that is almost 40.
i had my first record player when i was 2 and a half and needed 45 inserts to play my read-along books. at the same time the amp. in the house for music was a marantz quad. 4400. honestly, seeing what you have to say about “quality” makes me shake my head…
get your head out of your a$$ and start listening to music. you may find that you have time for it, if you stop bitching about what everybody else is doing.
WTF are you on about, obviously you don’t know how to use a set of decks if your records are that much of a pain in the ass, if a tune jumps or skips WORK around it. Thats part of the art and skill!
you’ve obviously never had this happen at a gig mid set then! it’s not always possible to just “WORK” around it, too many contributing factors that could cause in the first place and it IS a set destroyer. I love vinyl, i still have my 1210 mk2’s and my vinyl, but we are moving forward regardless, and there will always be room for vinyl in the heart of any oldskool DJ, it will be a legendary platform with no contest for all it has provided in history, but it can not compete with evolution, nothing can stop evolution, it can just coexist, like we all do. There will be no come back, it never went away, it just became extremely popular to mass market a medium that is far cheaper to distribute and easier to sell on mass, over shadowing the traditional. You don’t look at an ipad or laptop and scoff at those people not using a desktop for instance..
I used to put a pillow under the decks to absorb vibration, but that resulted in poor deck control (things got wobbly), in sub-standard DJ booths, which meant increased frustration.
Todays djs are limey whiny asses, that complain about weight, workhours, money, distance, or gear that is not made by Pioneer.
They play shitty and inferior soundformats and look upon themselves as gods to music and women
Before djs were strong, could spin music for hours at an end, could play music at a norman level without a meter that say WARNING, they could beatmatch without a automaticcounter or syncfeature and they could read a crowd.
What you younger guys dream and jerk off to today, WE OLDER GUYS DID!
But i guess you lot havent a fucking clue what im getting at, now have you?
Todays djs are limey whiny asses, that complain about weight, workhours, money, distance, or gear that is not made by Pioneer.
They play shitty and inferior soundformats and look upon themselves as gods to music and women
Before djs were strong, could spin music for hours at an end, could play music at a norman level without a meter that say WARNING, they could beatmatch without a automaticcounter or syncfeature and they could read a crowd.
What you younger guys dream and jerk off to today, WE OLDER GUYS DID!
But i guess you lot havent a fucking clue what im getting at, now have you?
Todays djs are limey whiny asses, that complain about weight, workhours, money, distance, or gear that is not made by Pioneer.
They play shitty and inferior soundformats and look upon themselves as gods to music and women
Before djs were strong, could spin music for hours at an end, could play music at a norman level without a meter that say WARNING, they could beatmatch without a automaticcounter or syncfeature and they could read a crowd.
What you younger guys dream and jerk off to today, WE OLDER GUYS DID!
But i guess you lot havent a fucking clue what im getting at, now have you?
Todays djs are limey whiny asses, that complain about weight, workhours, money, distance, or gear that is not made by Pioneer.
They play shitty and inferior soundformats and look upon themselves as gods to music and women
Before djs were strong, could spin music for hours at an end, could play music at a norman level without a meter that say WARNING, they could beatmatch without a automaticcounter or syncfeature and they could read a crowd.
What you younger guys dream and jerk off to today, WE OLDER GUYS DID!
But i guess you lot havent a fucking clue what im getting at, now have you?
Todays djs are limey whiny asses, that complain about weight, workhours, money, distance, or gear that is not made by Pioneer.
They play shitty and inferior soundformats and look upon themselves as gods to music and women
Before djs were strong, could spin music for hours at an end, could play music at a norman level without a meter that say WARNING, they could beatmatch without a automaticcounter or syncfeature and they could read a crowd.
What you younger guys dream and jerk off to today, WE OLDER GUYS DID!
But i guess you lot havent a fucking clue what im getting at, now have you?
Todays djs are limey whiny asses, that complain about weight, workhours, money, distance, or gear that is not made by Pioneer.
They play shitty and inferior soundformats and look upon themselves as gods to music and women
Before djs were strong, could spin music for hours at an end, could play music at a norman level without a meter that say WARNING, they could beatmatch without a automaticcounter or syncfeature and they could read a crowd.
What you younger guys dream and jerk off to today, WE OLDER GUYS DID!
But i guess you lot havent a fucking clue what im getting at, now have you?
Todays djs are limey whiny asses, that complain about weight, workhours, money, distance, or gear that is not made by Pioneer.
They play shitty and inferior soundformats and look upon themselves as gods to music and women
Before djs were strong, could spin music for hours at an end, could play music at a norman level without a meter that say WARNING, they could beatmatch without a automaticcounter or syncfeature and they could read a crowd.
What you younger guys dream and jerk off to today, WE OLDER GUYS DID!
But i guess you lot havent a fucking clue what im getting at, now have you?
amen. and no they do not. i’ve been spinnin for 22+ years. i’m 43 and i still carry 2 travel cases to my gigs and on occasion (depending on how long my set is) an additional shoulder bag. the controller kids these daze are a bunch of perpetrating ass chumps who wouldnt know how to put on a show if we showed’em how. oh and if youre playing music on a digital format of any kind you’re not a dj. a dj is someone who jocks the discs. you dont have that with digital so youre not a dj, youre something else. some kinda music enthusiast merged with a portable jukebox who more than likely does nothing more than plays requests.
Todays djs are limey whiny asses, that complain about weight, workhours, money, distance, or gear that is not made by Pioneer.
They play shitty and inferior soundformats and look upon themselves as gods to music and women
Before djs were strong, could spin music for hours at an end, could play music at a norman level without a meter that say WARNING, they could beatmatch without a automaticcounter or syncfeature and they could read a crowd.
What you younger guys dream and jerk off to today, WE OLDER GUYS DID!
But i guess you lot havent a fucking clue what im getting at, now have you?
– Heat is an issue. Vinyl warps and melts.
harddrives crash…alllllll the time
I Have 2 Dis Agree In The Sense Of When I Play I Get Multiple Props On Still Using My TurnTables Vs CDJS VS Controller BS…….
Now the ppl at huge festivals prolly wouldn’t give a flying fuck but were not talking bout that right now
This is the best summary of why vinyl won’t overtake digital again, for DJing purposes. For audiophiles and collectors it could be a different story. I started out on vinyl and like the sound, but I’ll never go back for DJing because it’s too expensive, hard to find every track, takes up too much space, and is difficult to transport. CDJ 1000s were decent, but having to worry about which combination of tracks to burn on a given disc (and needing two copies of each) was a huge hassle. I’m happy with Traktor and an S4 now, and I don’t even have a Macbook, however…
Do people not realize there are a lot better digital formats than MP3? MP3 is OK for filler tracks and background music, but I always buy my main tracks in AIFF format and then convert them to FLAC. Good DJ audio interfaces have the potential to go well above CD (16 bit/44k) quality sound – it’s just a matter of the quality of your source files and what your DJ software supports. I have no problem mixing FLAC with a basic Core i5 laptop with a 500 GB HDD.
What system is going to let you provide the best sounding mix of the best music you possibly can? Definitely lossless digital for me, with a good quality audio interface.
I meant MP3 as a generic reference to Digital Audio File, usage of it was an oversight.
Sorry, I wasn’t clear. By “people” I was referring the comments previous to yours which implied all digital was inferior because shadily sourced MP3s don’t have the sound quality of vinyl. Legit 320 MP3s are not bad, but for real keeper tracks I think lossless is worth it.
Even that sucks. Its not the same quality. Try pressing it on acetate. Its different medium, holds the sound better.
Why down-convert your AIFF file to FLAC?
To save space but keep full sound quality. I find FLAC takes up only about 60% of the space of uncompressed files. All tags are preserved and it’s literally a one click operation with something like DBPoweramp or Foobar. MP3s are good to save money but if you need better sound quality digital can deliver it.
Yeah, but with a 4TB harddrive down to nearly $100, is the space savings worth it?
Everyone has to decide that based on their own situation. For me, yes, it is because: 1) the benefit is permanent and it only takes 2 seconds (insignificant compared to the rest of the time it takes to search for, preview, purchase, tag and import music), 2) I don’t think there’s a 4TB or even 2TB HDD that would fit in my laptop, and even if there was, I’d rather not swap out the drive if I don’t need to, and 3) I’d need to buy two of those drives since I need an equal amount of space for backup. Also, if the files are compressed to begin with, backup runs faster with no further compression used. ALAC is another option if you prefer iTunes.
Not many people will know, but viyl definitely has a much lower dynamic range than digital audio. Don’t confuse it with the loss of dynamics caused by poorly remastered vinyl sources, ultra cheap CD players or the dreaded “loudness wars” – the reasons are strictly mechanical and well documented: Vinyl works by cutting or pressing a profile into the records groove which will, when replayed, induce vibration into the TTs pickup system and after some amplification to the speakers. The spectrum (digital: bandwidth) that can be transmitted is physically limited by the width of the groove and the “needle’s” obesity. This means there is a very tight limit in the upper and lower end of the frequency spectrum that can be reproduced simultaneously as well as in the range of louder and quieter sounds (aka dynamics). Compared to the bandwith of a decent CD player the dynamics of a phono system are really shallow. You can see this quite well if you take a look at “official” vinyl mastering EQ profiles (try Wikipedia or Google) – they all contain quite strict cutoff filters at the upper and lower ends of the spectrum.
Recent 24 bit audio systems with higher quality ADCs (customer grade equipment is indeed mostly crap, DJ equipment of the middle price range is a lot better, studio gear is perfect but insanely expensive) are by far better than vinyl can be even with the most excentric gear. Combine that with halfway good recordings in 24 bit quality (doesn’t really matter if 44.1kHz, 48kHz or more) and you have much better audio reproduction than anything vinyl.
In other words: If you intend to play music newer than 1979 stay with digital. The vinyl hype is mostly a fashion thing.
Thanks for this technical info. I’m going to do more research. I’ll compare for myself too. The human ear can only hear a limited frequency range (8Hz – 20Mhz or something), so if the limited vinyl range you mention above is greater than our perception range, then it wont matter anyway.
It doesn’t. These mechanical resonance probs mostly appear in the low bass range and when low and high frequencies are recorded at the same time. That’s not the same effect as the simple linearity problems you describe. These, however, also appear with vinyl. That’s why there are well-known EQ mastering curves for vinyl recording.
Also to animae: tape saturation effects have absolutely nothing to do with vinyl recordings. Also specs for acetats have nothing to do with mechanical resonance of the *stylus* – because it’s not the vinyl disc that is vibrating but the mechanical components of the record player.
Try looking at the specs for acetates…. it has a much wider range. And there is a reason that people are willing to pay over 100,000 dollars for a proper vinyl audiophile player. It sounds better. People that are real heads go for studio tape as well because of the warmth that is produced.
Hmm, very good points… I guess I’ll keep my vinyl collection (when I create one) home and safe then.
*sure needles wear out but they dont crash!
*once a needle is balanced unless your living in an earthquake zone and you havent tried to modify your gyroscope they should remain pretty spot on and balanced
*if your dripping water on your wax then you deserve fuct up needles. take care of your vinyl and it will take care of you, that means you shouldn’t be needing to clean your wax more than every once in a while because you take care to store it and use it properly.
*yeah but you can see the whole jacket at a glance and dont have to wait for it to scroll across a little 1″ x 3″ LCD screen to see if it’s the right mix that you wanna play
*if your needles are skipping lemme suggest you take them off the bass cabinet your probably using for a tabletop.
*see 3 above this 1 and take care not to scratch your shit. damn, if you’re needing to be told this then you deserve fuct up vinyl.
*again see the 1 above this and reference 3 above it. how often are you dropping your pieces of vinyl? then you deserve fuct up vinyl!
*you get what ever loss of wax you deserve if you’re not going to take the precaution to take care of and guard your vinyl/travel cases when ever you play out. if you let it out of your eye sight or dont personally secure it where you know absolutely that it will be safe (like the trunk of your car for instance) then you can expect to have some or all of your shit missing and gone for good because there are people who’ll always want what you have and if youre not careful you get what you deserve.
*if your not strong enuf to carry 2 travel cases (or approximately 2 crates) of vinyl then you have no business calling your self a dj. This job requires some heavy lifting and if your not man enuf to be able to then step aside cause i’m gonna be (if required to make a connecting flight – jogging at a leisurely pace & if not) simply strolling with mine thru the airport, club, parking lot or anywhere else you dont need to be struggling to carry your records because you’re just gonna be in my way.
*neither can you (you have to scroll thru thumbdrive or hard drive inventories which takes time) and besides what kinda DJ is gonna show up to a gig and not know what they packed.
*ok so if I have to mention this again …if you dont take care of your shit then you deserve to have your shit wind up fuct up. and if you cant put your shit back where you pulled it from then yeah your collection is gonna be worse off then it already is sounding like it is currently – all broken, scratched up and dirty
*real dj’s not only buy 2 copies of trax, we buy 4-5 copies 2 to werk out 1 as a back up for that just in case moment when an accident might occur and 1 or 23 extra to werk for trades later.
*pitch lock?!? really if your using this then your just 1/2 a step from being mixmaster pc. you might as well plug in the tracks you wanna hear and let your computer put it together for you…it’d probably do a better job at it than you.
*ok so i suppose i’m gonna have to say it 1 more time for you. if you dont take care of your records…ya know what forget it. if your dropping your needles on your broke ass, dirty, scratched up vinyl then it’s no wonder you moved to digital, you’re not a dj!
anyone else disagree with this?
you are an idiot GO fuck your mum dickhead American rednecks suck my dick
Funny, I don’t recall John Wayne acting like someone who just learned cuss words when someone else took away his crayons, in the movies. Anyway, that outburst is a classic example of a “last gasp” of a dying breed of people who think the old ways are the only ways.
Why is a moderator allowing that comment to stand?
I guess lots of house/techno/drum’n’bass/hip hop Djs that play more underground stuff still love their vinyl and play it at gigs. And a new generation is discovering vinyl right now ! Im 24 and I know lots of young Djs with vinyl collections, buying new vinyl regulary (Im living in Jena, Eastern Germany).
I live in Canada, go to DnB and Hardcore parties; it’s pretty much been mainly CDJs for the last 5 years. In the last 2 – 3 I’m not even sure I’ve seen a turntable at a party. And we’re talking small gigs, like 100 – 200 people.
Will vinyl come back? Probably not in the numbers of say 30 years ago, when a house single would easily sell 10.000 copies. Mind you, most dj centric music only sells in limited volumes and represses are a rare thing. Then again, my local record shop now has stocked about the same amount of record bins as cd bins, where there used to be one tiny bin of second hand vinyl. What’s in the new bins? Represses of beatles records, nirvana albums, etc. So I think it’s more collectors-thing, midlife-guys who have the funds to buy expensive compilations. As for myself, i started out on a traktor scratch setup and have since moved over to include vinyl as wel. No real preference, just a taste for music that just happens to be released on vinyl mostly. Also, I find that digging for older records is very satifying. There’s just so much great music waiting to be snapped up. If you ever visit The Netherland, make sure you do a record shopping trip to one of the following stores: (the mighty) Rush Hour and Red Light Records in Amsterdam. Distortion stocks some crazy techno from back in the day as well as rare groove and punk. if he comes to Amsterdam, Theo Parrish stocks up on rare groove, soul, etc at Record Mania (although he probably has the coin to match their inflated prices). Clone Records in Rotterdam is a unique store with a unique sound. Proper heroes those guys.
I just always had more fun DJ-ing with vinyl records than with digital files. Nothing beats the physical connection of a real record, not even a Traktor Scratch system.
Not to mention there’s also a plus towards the physical limitations of performing with vinyl records. The limits of your record bags means you have a much better overview of the collection you’re going to be playing from. You really know the material you’re going to be performing with, which tends to improve my set. You can artificial limit yourself with digital files as well of course but for me, that just never happens to the extend it does with vinyl.
Also, physical ordering works a lot better for me than digital tagging. One look at a vinyl label and I can immediately make a mental connection with the music it represents. Not so much with mp3 files though. Having too big of a digital collection means struggling to get everything tagged and archived. Also,a lot of my digital music doesn’t have any artwork with it and the tiny thumbnail size of it doesn’t help much either.
Actually, techno DJs never really switched to digital since most EP are released on vinyl only. Some might have sampled their records to use solutions like Final Scratch or Serato but you still need to buy the record.
I’ve ripped a lot of Vinyl to MP3. It’s not that it can’t be done, it’s that most DJs choose not to do this… but then again, there are a lot of DJs who choose to “Whitelabel” their records.
To each his own, but for me it’s all about Vinyl. As an old schooler I have tried to move along and adapt to the digital age, but I just don’t enjoy working in the digital medium as a DJ. I love the sound, look and feel of vinyl. I love buying records. I love when they arrive in the mail or when I dig through bins at the shops, it’s a ritual which gives me great pleasure, something buying, downloading and playing mp3’s has not. I finally just decided to go fully back to my sweet, sexy mistress Vinyl. I also love seeing others DJ with vinyl, the set up of turntables, mixer a crate of records…Go for it ! I never got that visceral joy watching controllerist. But again to each there own.
what a lame story
SORRY
FOR MY BAD ENGLISH!!! DO YOU EVER THINK ABOUT IT.. THAT SOME LAPTOP
DJ´S PLAYING IN THE CLUB GETTING MONEY BUT NEVER PAY 1 CENT FOR MUSIC!!!
THATS THE REASON WHY SO MANY PRODUCERS STARTIN TO ACT LIKE A DJ CAUSE
THEY DONT MAKE ANYMORE MONEY WITH THE MP3 SHIT.. and i dont mean commercial artist.. i mean underground producers!!! AND WHY I CAN PLAY AND
USE EVERY EQUIPMENT… TURNTABLES, ON CDJ´S, ON LAPTOPS, IPODS.. BUT IF
I ASK SOME NEWSCHOOL DJ THAT PLAYS ON A CONTROLLER AND ASK HIM HEY MIX
2-3 VINYL RECORDS 95% CANT DO THIS! VINYL DJing IS CULTURE!!! AND MANY
DJ´S DONT RESPECT THE CULTURE..300 YEARS AGO IN AN CONCERT HALL MUSICANS
PLAYIN VIOLIN AND THE FANS WATCHING AND EVERYBODY THINK I WOULD LIKE
TO PLAY VIOLIN BUT I GOT NO TALENT.. NOW A DAYS IF YOU GO TO THE CONCERT
THE HARDWARE STILL THE SAME AND THE FANS WATCHIN AND STILL SAYIN I
WOULD LIKE TO PLAY VIOLIN BUT I GOT NO TALENT! WHY THE INDUSTRY CHANGE
THE GAME??? ONLY FOR SELLING WACK EQUIPMENT! PEOPLE GO BACK TO VINYL…
10 YEARS AGO EVERYBODY LAUGHING ABOUT A COMPUTER AND NOW EVERYBODY
PLAYIN ON THE COMPUTER…IN 2025 NOBODY WILL PLAY ANYMORE AS AN DJ MUSIC
CAUSE WE WILL GET IN THE CLUB A LONLY COMPUTER SYSTEM.. NOBODY WILL
PRODUCE UNDERGROUND MUSIC ANYMORE… CAUSE THEY CANT LIVE ONLY SELLING
MUSIC MP3 SHIT!!!! TAKE YOUR CHOICE.. IM GOING AFTER 5 YEARS
SERATO AND TRAKTOR BACK TO THE ROOTS.. CAUSE I DONT WANT THAT GET
COMPARED WITH AN IPOD DJ!!! AND I HOPE ONE DAY THE CLUB OWNERS WILL THEY ONLY VINYL DJ´S AND NOT MORE LAPJAYS…. IN THE 90TIES ONLY FEW DJ´S AND NOW EVERY FREAK RUNNING THROUGH THE CITY IM A DJ…! AND WHY SOME NEWSCHOOL DJ´S PLAYIN ON VINYL AND A LOT NEWSCHOOL DJ´S ON A LAPTOP CAUSE ITS EASIER… PLEASE GOD DELETE THESE WANNA BEES.. I CANT HEAR AND SEE THEM NO MORE! AND I CANT HEAR THEY EXCUSES ALWAYS:: I CAN MIX $ TRACKS TOGEHTER WITH SYNC IN TRAKTOR I CAN DO THIS DO THAT… PRODUCER MAKING TRACKS ONLY WITH 4-5 LOOPS AND MUST MIX IT AND GO TO THE MASTERING STUDIO THAT THE TRACK SOUNDS RIGHT IN THE CLUB:: BUT ALL YOU TRAKTOR DJ`s ARE SUPER HEROS:: YOU ARE IN REALTIME CONNECT WITH MASTERING ENGINEER BOB KATZ! AND WHY PUT ALOT OF BULLSHIT EFFECTS IN SONGS ON A GIG… DONT YOU LIKE THE TRACK THAT YOU BUY ON BEATPORT??? WHY WE NOT PRODUCE ONLY LOOPS IN THE FUTURE AND SELL IT ON BEATPORT??? CAUSE YOU SUPERHEROS CAN PRODUCE THE WHOLE NIGHT NEW TRACKS WITH YOUR 7-8 TRACK SYNC MIXING SHIT!!! YOU ARE NOT DJ´S YOU ARE ONLY LAPJAYS:: END OF THE STORIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just a tip, if you press “capslock” again it turns off. It’s not an irreversible action.
Anyone who is buying vinyl probably didn’t start on vinyl or they are blinded by nostalgia 😛
Look, I love my tech 12’s and I will never part with them, but vinyl has to be the most inconvenient medium to transport.
The shit is heavy as hell, it breaks/distorts/scratches very easily.
I can have a USB key with 5,000 songs on it and it fits in my pocket. A large record bag probably holds like 150 tracks maximum, and you probably can’t carry more than one. The skinny ones hold like 30.
If you really want the vinyl feeling, think about a DVS system or check out the Denon SC3900s. The money you’ll save buying digital tracks will quickly add up!
A professional record bag with wheels holds around 70 records. A house EP has on average 3 tracks on it. That’s 200 odd tracks. If you can’t select 70 records before a gig that fit in a set you need to work on your selection.
My main point was not that you won’t have enough tracks. Though, have you honestly NEVER been in that “Damn, I wish I brought that track!” scenario?
The crux of my argument is vinyl is simply more inconvenient and temperamental in all facets. Living in Canada, I have to be very careful of extreme weather conditions when transporting and storing vinyl. It can range from -40C in the winter to 35C in the summer.
I don’t need a special room with a dehumidifier to keep my MP3s. MP3s don’t have a needle that skips if the bass is too heavy. Likewise, I can’t break a needle on my CDJs. Your music collection, even if lost or stolen, is easily replaced (assuming you have backups or your digital store lets you download them again). Making playlists is way easier, digital is more environmentally friendly, etc.
I don’t hate vinyl, I don’t hate people who play it; In fact I’d wager the opposite is true. I just feel the benefits of digital music are so numerous I really don’t think vinyl is going to ever be a mainstay again.
more like +50C with humidity and UV index and -50C with wind chill… i feel your pain from k-dub. t-dot is only a hop-skip and a jump.
Remember how it really was back then. A DJ brought their whole selection for the night with little room to wiggle in one bag… and if the crowd wasn’t feeling it, the DJ was out of luck… which meant they tended to play more generic tracks that were safe or they’d get bumped from the decks. Now, you don’t have to choose which songs you bring, you have access to them all, and while you’re reading your crowd, you’ve got plenty of tracks to choose from to play. I pity a DJ who does things the old way, they’re asking for problems.
Going further back, it used to be you’d bring your favourite 50-70 records, to supplement what the club already had because the club was a member of a record pool. So all the more popular, mainstreamish tracks were already there, and you didn’t even have to buy them (unless you wanted to play around with doubles).
Oh, and last gig I played, one of the DJs playing off a USB key on CDJs had one of them go on the fritz, and he had to play a loop on the other one for 5 min. while the bad one rebooted (he had to power on/off 4 times). I’ve also seen people’s computers suddenly hang in the middle of a set. Every medium has its problems, but frankly, rare is the problem with vinyl that suddenly completely shuts the music down.
Yeah, “A.B.B.A.”… Always Bring Back-up Accessories. *Knowing me, knowing you, there is nothing we can do* when something breaks and you have no back-up plan). For me, that’s an iPod and iPhone to carry me through a tough spot. I could limp through a set with iTraktor, but it’s nothing like smelling the burnt metal odor of a turn-table motor dying or burnt-rubber of a belt burning out and knowing unless another turn table was available, the rest of the night would be plagued by several-seconds of silence while the song changed.
Well I think that vinyl is making a comeback but more on the spectrum of actual consumers that are buying vinyls. In this modern age of DJ’ing, it is inconvenient for a club DJ to carry heavy cases of equipment to gigs. It is pretty sad that most modern day DJ’s well never get the chance to feel a turntable and how amazing it is when DJ’ing. I have 10,000 songs on my computer that I use throughout the year, I can’t imagine myself carrying my fav songs through vinyl, it would be too much for gig’ing.
I don’t see how it financially makes sense for DJ’s to switch back to vinyl, just for the feel and love of it.
A digital single is $1.99 or $2.49, the same track on vinyl is around $12.
At a $10 increase in price, per track… I personally buy around 40-50 new tracks a month.
Am I willing to spend $400-500 more for the same music? PER MONTH?
Umm, no.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my vinyl collection, and if there’s something special on vinyl, I’ll grab a copy. But for my primary format, it just makes zero sense. If I want to use my turntables, I’ll use timecode!
The thing is I have Records I have bought second hand for $5 that are worth $100 now. They have value mp3’s don’t.
That’s true, but a $100 record is a rarity. I have seen more than one DJ decide to get rid of their vinyl collection, and they’ve had difficulty giving it away. I bought a guys entire 1000 record collection for $150. Sure, it’s better than what you’d get for MP3’s (nothing), but not by a lot…
I also started my DJ career by buying an old DJ’s collection he was getting rid of. I don’t even remember how much I paid, but got it for dirt cheap and he even shipped it for free. It was probably $1 or less per record to the best of my recollection.
Yes there are rare things. I have some limited print picture discs that I’m sure would fetch a pretty penny from the right buyer; but the irony is I’ve never actually played them because I’m too scared of devaluing them 😛
Why spend money on 1000 digital tracks that are kinda good when you can get a 100 vinyls that are just spot on?
From all the DJ’s I know 99% has a digital collection of unmastered or Ozone mastered crap thats not worth a cent IRL. 😉
memories of buying a $50+ vinyl import for just 1 track… glad those days are over. $2.49 + $0.75 for .WAV or .AIFF is a pretty good deal then.
hello,please send me a link to where i can get reasonably priced custom vinyl records.send to freeagentonly@gmail.com
If I have money to buy I will use that damn thing.
But here in Brazil is a pain in the ass to buy, and f**king expensive.
International pricing can be a pain. In Canada it was actually cheaper for me to bulk order tracks from the UK even with shipping than to go to a record store here and buy them. Also, my local stores had poor selection.
I perform with Ableton, and sometimes Traktor on smaller shows/events. I’ve never had much to do with vinyl (the vinyl age pretty much ended before I was even born); but I would LOVE a set of turntables, some classy records to play, and an old mixer just to get back to the roots of what I am passionate about/what I love doing.
I could even integrate vinyl into my productions by sampling from records like all my heroes. You could argue that vinyl has been made redundant by the coming of the digital age but it’s all about what inspires you to make good music and put on a good performance.
Sam
Edit: IMO 😉
Presumably the stats for vinyl sales exclude timecode vinyls?!
I’ll use digital for well structured tracks (dance/old skool/d&b) and vinyl for funk & hip-hop…just suits my style better.
I started with MixMeister, earned enough with that to buy speakers, then Technics, then a Serato interface, and am gradually building the record collection to go all-vinyl. I carry a stack of 45s to every gig in case of problems with digital, and I find the audience loves it when I break out the vinyl (both mobile and club gigs). One of the most frequent problems with digital constantly discussed on this site is solved by vinyl: over-large collections of tracks you don’t know well. Saving up and buying vinyl means you care about the record and will spend time with it, and the skill required to mix with vinyl means more practice time for each mix, which means even more time getting to know the record.
Something I would really love long-term is something like the Xone DB4 that enables the sort of looping and effects I’ve gotten used to in digital environments with analog.
DJ’s play vinyl at home but take the mp3’s to gigs.
Vinyl is better marketed these days so you get more of what you want as a collector. This article fails to mention the massive bootlegging of lps not released on vinyl such as Kanye’s Yeezus, J Cole, Kendrick Lamar’s first album, Group Home’s Livin Proof, Dela Soul’s 3 feet High, Rakim’s Paid in Full, Drake’s new album.
if you look at the top selling vinyl albums they’re mostly indie/alternative rock. its become hip to listen to vinyls in that genre but it makes sense it really does sound better.
For me, vinyl is back, at home. As a DJ? Nope. There are two simple reasons: 1) Logistics. Carrying two 1210 turntables, a PC with serato and two bags of vinyl vs. two PC-bags with a controller and a PC. 2) Cost. As I DJ Club most is available fast and easy as a mp3.
I agree that a DJ playing vinyl (even though it is serato) is much cooler and better looking, but in the end, the average college girl doesnt give a sh%t as long as you have “that new avicii-track”.
(Some clubs still have 1210s available, but the knowledge and money to keep them in good condition seems to be lacking. The last time i used serato on the clubs own gear I used half the time trying to fix the earth connection)
Back to home, my 1210 now is a part of my HiFi-system, and last year i bought more new records (most of them soul reissues or second hand imports) on vinyl than CD. As a HiFi-freak with a 10.000 dollar Linn soundsystem this is the sound I prefer. It even gives less tinnitus at the end of the day…!
This ^
I just dont get it as you certainly dont have crap hifi at home, but you dont mind playing crap quality at the club, as long as the money keeps on rolling in, im sure people wont bother, but the awareness of customers tend to grow, and that includes quality.
in 10-20 years time its finnished with the wear and tear mentality and new stuff every year.
If you listen to music and experience it as the musician or technician ment it to be, well mp3 is just trying to get your head over the water keeping you from drowning, but the real lifesupport i lossles.
And people start to wake up
I absolutely agree with you, to a certain degree. In a perfect listening environment with two speakers and sofa placed in perfect geometry and a room made for listening to records, of course you will both hear and be pissed of with even a 320bps mp3, IF you know what it sounds like on vinyl (or CD). But do you?
The average college girl only listens to music on spotify (equals 256bps) or youtube (equals 128 – 256bps), you will not notice the difference. All exposure to crappy quality sound (digital TV, youtube, low quality mp3s, etc) has made us forget how clean and high fidelity it used to sound!
When it comes to playing vinyl in clubs, well it wasn’t always that good either. Most clubs I’ve played you’d have to have 10 gram needle pressure because of vibrations from the bass speakers, and that destroys most records. (even high quality vinyl will be destroyed after a certain time of that kind of club use). So a boxfresh 12″ sounded much better, but after a while the high tones had a certain hissing sound as the record got worn out, and the bass would have pops and crack sounds. And then there’s the additional x-factor of what state the previous DJ left the turntables in.
A mp3 on the other hand will always sound as good (or bad) as the day you downloaded it.
There is an awakening yes, hope it continues. I will continue to play 256bps mp3 until someone really notices…
I would agree that vinyl is not lossless. You are unable to playback high frequencies as the angular velocity decreases and the needle gets closer to the center. This is why they always put the bangers out the outer edge and the acappella or ballad on the inside. As a consequence this does help with mixing the next track.
Other factors like the age of the record, if it is dirty, and the amount of wear on the grooves depending on how many times it’s been played also contribute to crap sound. No way is it lossless.
All of this doesn’t even matter if the club isn’t willing to spring for decent amplifiers, crossovers or speakers.
Vinyl will always be a personal preference for those who like (the feel of) something physical. Vinyl will never be dead; it will wax and wane over the years but it will not make a “come back.”
Very interesting, but wouldn’t angular velocity increase as the needle approached the center? I realize that a point on the record’s surface is traveling faster at the outside vs inside (more distance over same amount of time), but the angles (curvature of the groove) is less the further out. I wonder what the mathematical relationship is between angular velocity vs distance away from center, very interesting point you brought up.
Very interesting, but wouldn’t angular velocity increase as the needle approached the center? I realize that a point on the record’s surface is traveling faster at the outside vs inside (more distance over same amount of time), but the angles (curvature of the groove) is less. I wonder what the mathematical relationship is between angular velocity vs distance away from center, very interesting point you brought up.
The relationship is the equation v = r? where linear velocity (v) equals the radius (r) times the angular velocity (?). The curvature does not play a role in this. The angular velocity remains constant at 33.3rpm or 45rpm, so as r becomes smaller, v will have to become smaller as well.
I like what you had to say past “the perfect listening environment” part of your comment, but this may be your perfect listening environment… I’m just going to say that Stereo isn’t the perfect environment and leave it at that. I do rather like (what I envision as) your “’70s in SoHo with a soda in your hand, headphones on, and the window blowing, ever-so-softly against the drapes on a warm spring afternoon.” I wasn’t there, but I can imagine it…and it does seem comfortable.
For most younger djs its about ONE thing, FREE MUSIC!, and that is impossible with vinyl, if you dont take rips into account.
Most free torrentmusic has shitty quality, but quality has never been a real issue for the “ipod generation”
:- Are you a dj?
:- Yes, yes i am “saying it proudly”
:- Well, what are ya usin then?
:- Uuuh, well i use a computer, harddrives and a controller
:- So are you buying all your music then?
:- nah, fuck that shit, why should i, im a mashup dj, i am see, and
mashups dont buy music, its uncool, that is
:- So you use a computer?
:- Yes i do, i said that allready, are you daft or somthin?
:- Hahhaha, fuck, your no dj, you a fuckin profesional ipoddriver with a license to drink!, or that’s what you think i imagine.
obviously, you aren’t that resourceful… DIY white label.
http://www.synthgear.com/2010/diy/how-to-pirate-a-vinyl-record
I’m going to echo some previous comments by saying that as long as the underground is healthy vinyl will stay around. I’ve noticed more and more DJ’s jumping back to vinyl or vinyl/digital and this is in a country with barely any house record stores! Myself and 3 mates DJ and order vinyl from across the other side of the world.
I started DJing with DVS and USB all digital but switched to Vinyl when my tastes started moving more towards underground Techno and House styles. I really like how the shop acts as a filter for music, you can jump on a site like Phonica or Redeye and find some amazing stuff easily.
Playing vinyl and beat matching on a set of 1200’s is fun as well..I still use a usb or traktor if I want to play something I don’t have or can’t get on vinyl.
I tried going digital but found it boring.
I play deep & tech-house mainly and you can still get loads of vinyl in those genres – so now I play with records again.
If I played all the ‘edm’ crap then I would have to go digital – but whilst I can still go buy vinyl, I will.
Where I play out I would say djs are 60% CDJ, 30% digital & %10 vinyl.
It’s only boring if you let it be boring… just like driving. I find that engaging my crowd and playing little riffs over the top of my tracks really liven things up. You can’t do that with Vinyl.
ever since i moved to germany and not seeing one local dj using laptop (lots of them rockin vinyl!!) ive stoped using my laptop! (notice, im just a bedroom dj who has played very few house partys, but im still sharing my opinion) to be honest, i dont think i was making a good performance with just an x1 & mixer. using sync i was getting bored honestly and to not get bored, i used lots of fx, loops, cue points etc, but didnt really let the music do the talking. i used to always think about what i could do to better myself, but always denied learning to beatmatch, thinking it would be a waste of time, thinking i could do much more with all those fxs and loops, but turns out switching to cds, was the best thing i ever made! i would have never made that decision, if i havent seen locals play vinyl. for me its just way for fun, wich is what its all about! this is just answering the question ” would you consider leaving digital tools and moving back to a more simple record bag of your selections?”
now as far as vinyl goes, i love vinyl, but as opposed to cds its just way more expensive!!! since i had some old denon cd players at home, thats what i started to practice with! i do have a belt drive TT at home (not the best for djing, i know) and i have been purchasing some records, mostly vinyl only releases (to do rips), but i am slowly building a collection, and i would love to switch to vinyl some time soon, but for someone who is always broke like me, it wont be near any time in the near future, because lets face it, for somebody that has no money, how is he gonna afford two 1200´s and a good vinyl record collection? that takes time…
also i think that producers looking for samples are a big factor of vinyl sales increases!!
and btw DJTT, i think since most of us are hoping that vinyl will make a HUGE comeback, it would only be wise to make a post about relatively good turntables for djing, (except 1200´s) and cartridges and what ever more there is to know about the beauty of playing vinyl
Hey mate. Use digital and keep buying a few special records when you can find them. Eventually you will get to a point where you have enough records to put a set together and in the mean time you play a couple of records out along with your digital stuff. You will probably find because they are more expensive you will be more selective and the collection you build up will be full of gems
Dan thanks for putting this together. I really didnt have time to lay out a full article on this one but you did a MASSIVE good job!!
We did take a slightly different look at this subject a little while ago: http://djworx.com/can-djs-keep-it-real-spin-new-vinyl/
It’s vitally important to put the assorted stats into perspective, and the graph at the bottom of our story does it perfectly. And nemonic’s comment further down – perfect.
A 31% increase in 2% of the market is nothing. The graph in the article makes it look dramatic, but if you redraw it against downloads and CDs, it’s pitiful. At 48 I’m probably older than most of you, and consider myself quite the soppy old romantic where vinyl is concerned. But the realist in me accepted long ago that vinyl is a minority format with a very limited potential. It’ll most probably always be around, but I’m not expecting HMVs to open up in every town, especially when you consider that the trend is mostly acoustic music than DJ driven.
you can get mp3’s online for free. why pay money for something that’s digital, when you can have the real thing that will last forever. cd’s are just mp3’s in the cd format on a disc anyways. ya cd’s are lossless. but you can have the same audio on your computer. you cant have the feel of vinyl records on your computer. its not the same
I have come from the not so distant future to tell you how things are now. Here in the future there is FLAC & there is Vinyl. Nothing else. And no respectable DJ plays anything but Vinyl/Serato. That is all.
Vinyl will always have a groove in my heart (hehe, silly puns). I agree too, that when you look at a record and see that label, it instantly triggers a sensation that the song brings and you feel more in tune with it.
I lose that “feeling” with music files. If you don’t pay attention to your files, you tend to lose the connection and it becomes a simple consumer product, which you forget about very easily. Also, because you can buy more files than records, it can become excessive, once again losing that ability to feel the song and remember the emotions it can trigger.
However… music files do bring some pretty hefty advantages: they are cheaper, much easier to bring to gigs and allows you to bring all of your crates to each gig. It comes down to how you organize your songs and I know in a digital format you can easily lose sight of this. I have to admit I love my Numark NS7 II and the creative possibilities it allows.
Controllers, no that’s another beast that has gone outa control… oh, those puns…
Vinyl is a niche market that’s on a rise, i don’t think realistically it’s going back to mainstream consumption without changes with production and manufacturing of vinyl. The argument about vinyl is a petroleum product is true and is oil based prices are dictated by it’s price. I would think technology can create vinyl with a synthetics as opposed to pure oil base. Additionally the demand for records can dictate on what if a record company will want to spend capitol in vinyl product. Sure real estate is a major issue for retailer, but how about have a vinyl depository for ordering new release from a retailer similar to what Discogs is doing with old vinyl. A central warehouse or several warehouses for all new vinyl recordings. The auto industry reinvented itself with the muscle car resurgence because of the demand for those cars and why not the same can hold true for vinyl..just my opinion.
And as the CD dies off, the vinyl will sell more than the CD.
Don’t forget Backside Records in Burbank California:-) Over 10 Years strong and counting…
Just moved to Burbank and super-psyched about you guys…already found some classics in that $1 pile
The purpose of get some Vinyl is to get some release becouse some you can get only on this medium.
The big issue for Vinyl is if you have not the space to store them at my place.
On DJ Course a was in, they also tell some german clubs start vinyl only police. I think this is to have more qualety control.
Other thing is that get know mastering for vinyl is different allow you less overcompressed stuff.
personally, i <3 vinyl. although i have moved to digital format for 6-7 years now. i love the feel of vinyl and the nostalgia, but my back is much happier with me now and so is my pocket.
first off, let me say i started on vinyl. although the "concept" of loops always appealed to me (pun here for those that remember +8 records). i enjoyed the sound of analog, but this has become moot since mixers and amps these days are digital at 24bit/96k anyway.
next, a track is only as robust as the samples you use and the format you save/transport it as. if you are using software to write and record (we all do these days), your track will of digital quality (studio quality mind you). unless you are recording on an old reel to reel tape with analog instruments…
lastly, convenience vs quality. knowing some factors like this, it's a very easy decision to make the switch to digital considering a lot of controllers these days have studio quality soundcards that are capable of 24bit/96k. due to things like weight, the flexibility that software gives you and not having to rely on other peoples hardware (not every promoter or club thinks of a turntable as a valuable investment to have regular maintenance),
even though i have made the switch to traktor and wouldn't switch back to vinyl, much respect to those that have stuck with the old ways.
p.s. i used to shop at play de record back in the 90's and early 2000's.
I like your point of view!
Another Toronto guy!
It’s funny how information can be twisted to reinforce a specific point. The whole point of that Vice story (linked above and quoted heavily in this article) was that vinyl WOULD NOT make a comeback until there were more record presses. There are now 16 plants in the United States, but there used to be more than 40 in the New York area alone.
And why are the remaining plants so busy? Because while the plants of 30 years ago used to run up to 50 presses per plant, the plants now can only run 3-5 presses.Most of the presses that come up for sale now end up being sold for parts, because the last pressing equipment was made in the mid 80s and replacement parts are nearly impossible to get now. And what is that handful of plants so busy pressing? Primarily re-issues of “classic” (highly collectable) releases. The kind of stuff that the labels KNOW will be bought by niche collectors – like the Beatles, etc. For instance, you can bet your ass that there will be an all vinyl special edition pressing of Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy in 2014 to celebrate the 20 year anniversary. This pressing everyone is getting excited about is targeted specifically at collectors – NOT DJs.
But those aren’t the only reasons vinyl isn’t really coming back. Let’s not forget that vinyl is a petroleum product and thus tied to the price of oil – which makes the medium expensive as well. Then there’s the logistics of getting the releases into the stores (shipping and all the mess of regional distribution). The lack of floor space in most stores to sell vinyl. The lack of easily purchasable playback equipment (and the parts that go with it – like replacement needles).
For vinyl to REALLY make a comeback, it’s not enough for only collectors to buy it. You have to convince the general music buying population to buy it. And I don’t believe for a second that you’re going to be able to convince most of the people who purchased that 1.26 BILLION (with a B) digital songs in 2013 that it’s better for them to buy physical media again.
BTW did you see what I did up there? People writing these vinyl comeback articles always use percentages instead of unit sales to try and hide the reality of the situation. Digital sales in 2013 made up 1.26 billion units, while vinyl sales made up 6 million. But let’s put that into better perspective. The best selling digital release in 2013 was Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines – which sold 6.5 million units. In 2012 it was Goyte’s Somebody that I Used to Know, which sold 6.8 million units. One digitally released song by one artist outsold all vinyl releases.
Vinyl isn’t coming back. It’s being kept on life support by a handful of opportunistic labels that see they can still make a profit. But the second that profit becomes unacceptably low or too complicated to obtain, they’ll disappear. And when that happens, it’s game over.
Too bleak? That’s the reality of it. But there’s a good side. When I look at artists like Macklemore, I see someone ENABLED by the digital age. In case you didn’t know, Macklemore is an independant artist. He’s been able to self promote, distribute, tour, and control his musical destiny without the help of a major label. He’s had 7 Grammy nominations and several Billboard #1s. Now I’m not personally a fan of his music, but I’m a HUGE fan of his career and accomplishments. And there is NO WAY he could have been anything other than some label’s bitch prior to the digital age.
thanks nemonic 🙂 good stats!
X____________________
hmmm, I have to say (after reading all the above) that vinyl will still increase for one reason, most new vinyl’s come with free mp3’s. This goes for majors and smaller label releases. The people buying new Vinyl are just buying something physical to go with there mp3’s making it a supplement. Who doesn’t want something tangible for a few dollars more? Often there is no price difference if you get it at your local record store.
Yeah and mp3 are sooooooo awsome *NOT*
I remember when the bigger labels shipped out Vinyl or cds for free, and we were maybe ten guys in our city that got them!, then it was a nice feeling to beeing a dj!
That’s why you use FLAC lol
Many people feel discomfort that they cant buy a record, feel a record, cratedig for records, its a social thing, we had recordshops that served a purpose, not just selling the records, but it were a hub where guys with similar interests and taste in music could hang out, get a cup of coffe, load up a track on vinyl, casette or later on cd and just listen.
Try that on itunes or beatport *lol*
You get robbed on quality, the covers, the physical form and shape of a record, and you pay in some cases double for a digital downloadable copy then you do for the cd.
People get tired of getting ripped off, they are content as long as they get what they want, soon however the tides will shift.
Im glad i kept all my records over the years, the sound i phenominal compared to DLs and mp3s, not even the wavfiles that are offered beats my cds or vinyl.
when consumers get aware on what going on, say bye bye to the digital age.
I agree that vinyl’s sound quality is far superior, and the fact that you can actually hold the physical wave is just so freekin cool. However, the digital format is way too convenient in so many ways, and most ppl aren’t audiophiles or dj’s, just consumers, so the digital age is not going anywhere, too much $$ made from it. I just can’t wait to travel to Europe and come home with boxes of vinyl, its too expensive to import into the US.
DiGITAL IS LIKE HAVING SEX WITH A CONDOM I DONT LIKE THAT YOU MIGHT AS WELL PULL YOUR PUD YOU ARE FUCKING NOWHERE DIGITAL RETARDS MOTHER FUCKERS VINY RULES GET FUCKED THE WHOLLE LOT OF U MOTHER FUCKERS FUCK USa ARE FUCKING REDNECKS
The comments that I’ve been reading are absolutely astounding. I don’t think that vinyl will ever make a major comeback. On a micro scale it has for the collectors of physical medium. I can spend a little more than on an MP3 file at Beatport, or a few others like Juno and buy the lossless wav or aif version which is the studio version of a song. That means I can buy the same quality, or higher in digital format (yes, in modern studios, digital is the format it’s in before it’s transferred to vinyl, if they make a vinyl pressing of it), just like when you read a novel. It was on someone’s computer before it was published into a hard copy.
Vinyl has a bitrate, it’s close to that of say a 96k recording, but it has popping, and every time you play the record the needle through the process of playing and running in the groove cuts a little of the material out each time, decreasing the sound quality slowly over time. Digital obviously has none of this, and the convenience factor is amasing. You can either feel really cool that you’re carrying a crate of heavy records, or for me even cooler that you don’t have to.
Most DJs today who play around the world use flash drives and they store them in a tiny bag, and have headphones. Vinyl is one of those things where it takes a while to learn, and the equipment is costly. Midi controller and a computer cost maybe $1000, where (say for a DVS) computer, software (if not free $400), mixer is around $400, turntables are $800 (for something good), so you can see where a cash starved beginner DJ sees the sticker shock of price of entry for vinyl, and thinks that maybe an all digital system will be a better financial choice for them.
I still have all my vinyl equipment because selling it isn’t an easy option since no one really wants most of it, and I can maybe ask half of what I originally paid and that’s even being in like new condition. Why am I keeping them instead of collecting the cash? I hear most people whining about when they sold their favourite, or cool rare car and how much they regretted it in the future. My equipment isn’t taking that much room, and if I feel the need to play on it for whatever reason, it’s there.
Let’s not forget how many people in clubs simply don’t care what the DJ uses to play, but that the songs are good, and the track selection is nice, and he or she can read the crowd.
I met a really good DJ in a smaller club who had much of the dance floor going, and when i saw what he was using to play I couldn’t believe it. Tiny midi controller, headphones, and a macbook pro 13.
The future of club DJs might actually be an iPad/tablet and a small midi controller for a mixer, and headphones. I guarantee you that the same amount of people will care what they use for playing music, close to none.
Well its sad really, before people use to play quality in the clubs, now the play “low bitrate drophouse shit” and call it music.
You may think this is an evolution and dawn of the new “species”, well its the dawn of fuckups and degenerate technology used in the wrong way.
For me music and djn is about one thing, Love and respect for what was before and what is comming, and i damn have no respect for this disillusinal music and hardware industry, that have no intention of doing whats right as long as money is on the table
Indeed.
Nicely put mang… sad and true, but I’m still laughing.
you are nowhere mate no idea
I started djing With digital and I’m going to branch out and get som Technics when I have the Money for that.
I really don’t see why I can’t do both. Digital and Vinyl both have their strong Points and there really isn’t a reason to fight over what’s best.
I love having a vinyl spinning and I love blasting high quality digital files (not mp3) on speakers.
Music is for everyone.
OK, don’t say we didn’t try warn you away from the “black crack.” Those of us with experience in this medium are glad those days are over… but you’re certainly welcome to the pain if that’s what you want.
Well done stian 🙂 when i started playing them around 12 years ago, i was hooked and when you master your own styles you’ll love it, Holding it cleaning it taking pride in your collection, Its expensive but well worth the effort!!
the vinyl industry has slept through it. With the CD’s have the massive amounts ingested, although the production of a CD costs a lot less than one vinyl.
I’ve got used to the digital loop. (and love it)
And the end users are more and more on to love Dj mixes.
Customer loyalty as McDonalds only works with the stupid.
at the end of the 20th century some good compilations have come out. And since I knew that, the industry is swimming in a wrong primordial soup, for me.
In addition, a vinyl with more bass as you need it partly for electronische Music, is no longer technically feasible.
btw: 128 kbps sounds as if you had a worn needle or worn vinyl
http://youtu.be/ukzaWoJBjnM
“electronische” = electronic.
(F*ck! btw: i thing bing translator is the reason for some war today)
I have always bought and played vinyl from when I first started mixing 12 years ago. Granted when I got my first set of CDJs the vinyl took a bit of a back seat for a while, but I still bought it sporadically, now it’s more a case of using the vinyl more than the CDs again.
I’m lucky enough to have a built a setup over the years which means I can play vinyl, CDs or Traktor if I want to. I have to admit though, I use Traktor the least out of all of it. My main reason for this is that when I play in clubs I find it too much of a pain in the ass to set up each time before a set. Over here where I live (Belfast, Northern Ireland) the amount of DJs who use an all digital setup are far, far fewer than the amount who use CDJs or vinyl so I just find coming into a club to setup your laptop, soundcard, controller way too much hassle. Plus, I much prefer the feel of records and the fact that no matter how old one of my records are, when I see the cover or the label for it, I’ll know EXACTLY what that tune will be and I’ll be able to remember where I was the day I bought it. I guess I just feel a bit more of a connection to the tunes I’m playing if it’s from my record collection, digital just seems so disposable. You buy a track from some digital download site and two weeks later you can hardly even remember the name of the artist, never mind what it sounds like.
Also, like I previously said, over here, quite a big portion of the DJs who play out in clubs still use vinyl. I think it’s definitely a lot more popular for the European scene rather than the American one.
just to remind everyone that CD’s are digital, they are not analogue, just saying! Only vinyl records and older stuff like Edison (tube like) records are analogue not CD’s. For the record I play vinyl records at a bi-monthly vinyl afternoon at a local bar and people love it, so do I, a different sound and vibe that still has it’s place, but like Nem0nic I agree that it isn’t really making a comeback in mainstream society just yet, however I don’t agree it never will, just not lately or anytime soon..
CDs are digital yes, but the soundquality over lossy is lightyears between them.
Wav / Aiff, 44100 / 16/24/32 8min = 80-90 mb 100% lossless
Flac – 50 -60 mb – 80-90% lossless
Mp3 /AAC = 10-15% of the overall “lossy” quality
Vinyl = Analogue (No Bitrate) but sounds awsome all the same.100% lossless
So please keep on playing lossy, as it give us other losslessguys an edge over everyone else and not the least the payoff in the end.
If you are concerned about quality and want space as well, go with FLAC, CDJs and DNS dont support them however, and it seems that Pioneer standalone hardware never will!
Just had to correct one minor detail H8er, FLAC is 100% lossless. It is indeed smaller than WAV but still is 100% lossless, just compressed in a more efficient way than WAV.
pst… heads up, your analog sound gets processed by your digital mixer and then sent to your digital amplifier on the way out. honestly, when the track you are playing is make of wav. samples, how are you getting better than wav. playback? just a thought.
Um, you do realize that every time you play a record, a little of that surface is rubbed off which causes degradation of the media, right?
Did you perhaps put a pound coin on top of your stanton stylus lol then yeah your comments are valid , did you ever use a 1210 ? or a cheap ass numark turntable, your comments are very odd and some what annoying ? i find it very odd that you used vinyl or you are just trolling the site, I won’t say anything bad about mp3s wav or what ever each to there own, Just don’t crash your hard drive wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
The Technics had a counterweight adjuster so that you could vary the weight of the tone arm… that’s one of the big reasons you wanted a Technics 1200 turntable (in America, we used pennies and scotch tape on the stylus head when we didn’t have the “good” turntables). I understood from the very beginning that friction was the means in which the music “came off” the record so I was very mindful when I heard the songs becoming “too bright.” I suppose you could probably use a laser now-a-days, but you’d have a hard time scratching with a laser.
In regards to my digital archives: I make sure to duplicate my archives (at least on two other disks) and then synchronize the libraries to keep them up-to-date. I’d like to optically archive them as well, but that’d be something like 25 Blu-Ray DVDs.
Nothing beats the feel of a record and how it sounds,, compared to lesser formats, well maybe a pair of tits in hand, fully and round, that beats it, but nothing else *LOL*
I presume you’re talking about these “Lesser formats” as something akin to the record, not the master tracks these records were recorded from (which, because of the medium suffer from a degradation in sound, and each time the record is played, it suffers more) or the WAV/AIFF/FLAC files that come directly from the master tracks?
Vinyl Stores in Antwerp are stupid, They don’t let you listen. What they say is just buy a couple and listen to them at home. Without the chance you get a full return when you come back with the LP’s that don’t suit you. I’ve started using JUNO instead. Great delivery, pre-listening and service and I never had to leave the house.
I love antwerpen for vinyl stores. Wally’s grooveworld is one of my favorite recordshops. They have nice turntables too for listing.
Yes Wally is a good one. Specially for dance records.
Well. This is a great article but I think that you might missed a point. Vinyl is still alive in the underground, always was, and always been. I see a lot of dj’s who moved to Traktor/Serato Scratch in the past few years, ditch those solutions in favor of usb sticks and Vinyls. in a proper club setup you can enjoy both. I think what will be more likely to see is the spilt of the dj profession to 2. the first one will be the “Controllerist”, how Ean calls it. who embrace digital technology and uses it in a way different form then the classic dj. While in the underground, The classic “DJ” will live, and there is where vinyl will still be alive, there the original form of art will still be used. We are moving forward to the point where we can’t refer to those 2 kind’s of performers in the same way. One in manipulating music and track pieces, while the over played the track almost untouched, and still spent most of his time on beatmatching.
I was living in Tel-Aviv, where in the local scene you can see all kind of dj’s, a lot of them play vinyl even that there isn’t one (!) proper record shop in the city. Now days I live in Berlin, where vinyl is more alive then ever. Every tiny bar has a pair of mint condition technics, there are records store specialized in every sub-Genre of house and techno, young dj’s wish to learn the art of dj’ing in it’s original form factor.
I think a major test will come in the next couple of years-
after the mint-conditions technics will become most and more rare (around 2030 :))
will the club and the Dj scene will embrace a new turntable as an industry standard?
or will we see Vinyl djing, with a dusty SL-1210 in the background without any replacement parts available.
Luckily, We still have few years at least to spare.
Cheers guys, big fan.
The technics are already outpaced by many modern turntables, it’s only the brand whores keeping them around because they don’t trust anything else, or because it’s just UNCOOL. The reloop 8000s and 7000s that just came out have the same wow and flutter, adjustable torque, midi buttons on the 8000s, and classic 1200 looks for the 7000, far better decks IMHO. I’ve never been a brand whore, and I never will be… Technics are great, we all know that, there’s no logical way to deny it, but it’s foolish to think that after years of not making them, no one else could step up and make a better deck… that’s nonsense.
Amen little brother 🙂 As a dj AND collector, I have to say that i’ve been reading the “vinyl is coming back!!” for almost 2 decades now. Still makes me laugh
As for re issues, the idea is quite simple – you cannot download a vinyl from a torrent site…this is the last “real” thing the majors can sell, and yes – mostly re issues celebrating a date of sorts.
The underground always played vinyl 🙂
I persoanlly prefer playing with USB sticks, and bring something from my 7000 strong vinyl collection if there are suitable decks (not that many in Tel aviv).
When i work as a mobile dj – traktor is still the best
Choose music – not format
Just a little thing to be reminded – anything created via digital recording can sound like crap on vinyl (like mosdt new music today), and the real tragedy is that less and less people know how to really WORK the presses 🙁
“Choose music – not format”
Amen!
There a lot of DJs who play vinyl. But I don’t think it’s coming back like it was in the 80’s and 90’s. I have a collection of 10000 12Inches en 3000 7Inches a love my vinyl records. I also have 3 Technics SL1210’s and love them a lot, but a don’t want to go back in de time that a got to bring a cases of records to a gig. Sorry but vinyl is only for the freaks who love to do it. There maybe a lot of titles who don’t come on digital forms but there are even a lot more titles that don’t come on vinyl.
One thing is sure that vinyl never really died.
I can only speak for what I’ve been noticing the last years.
Consumers are getting back to vinyl themselves, and DJ’s have nothing to do with it in my opinion. At least not the vinyl DJ’s, perhaps the Digital DJ’s unconsciously.
Consumers want to play vinyl because it’s much it fits better in the material/gadget minded era we live in now. You can buy much better looking and more exoensive vinyl gear than cd players.
A vinyl collection only contributes to the materialism feeling.
In the electronic music field, a lot of people are giving up thier CDJ’s for Vinyl I’ve noticed personally.
And by right choice, as the struggle and competiton is nothing compared to the digital torrent djs out there, who play for free just to get a foot in the door, and then think they get payed when everything is set up.
Fooorget it.
Maybe i should go wipeing my 1200s and start relaerning the art of djs on the only true wheels of steel.
Cdjs are just like wheelchairs, you can ride them but man what uncomfortable they are after a couple of miles!
What’s the bitrate of vinyl again?
I strongly disagree vinyl is geared toward materialists.
24/96 or MONO hahaha
Vinyl has No Bit Rate…Not Even Comparable
My point exactly.
thats only if the song was made with 100% analog stuff, if you make a song in a computer, just because its pressed to vinyl, doesnt mean it doesnt have a bitrate! so modern tracks vinyl tracks, produced in the box, will def have a bitrate!
So many DAC and ADC’s in the chain. Even if it was a pure analogue synth, it would have to be digitized during the original recording, which is then submitted as the master copy to the press, which will then need to do another DAC to get the wave out to the vinyl.
That’s like asking what is the frame rate of your eyes.
You are kidding right? You know you can find out how many frames we can see per second quite easily…
Of course our eyes have a ‘frame rate’. Duh. LMAO
Your eyes have “kind” of a frame rate, the same as your ears have a “kind” of sample rates.
in the eyes, I think its anything faster than 30fps the human cannot tell the difference.
and in ears, a sample rate of 44100 is enough, its twice as the hearing spectrum of humans, if you use a sample rate higher than that no one will ever notice a difference, however, software will
What he is saying is continuity vs discrete. Assuming our eyes work continuously (which I’m pretty sure they do, the light cones get continuously modulated by a continuous frequency (light, which is part of the greater electromagnetic spectrum of energy waves)).
But your eyes aren’t on a continuous frequency. That’s why the question can never be answered, what is the frame rate of your eyes? Light seems change frequencies at different intensities. You can prove this easily. Take a red LED light and take it in a dark room. Shake the LED around….look at the light compared to your hand. It looks like the light is moving faster than your hand. They are not in sync. So therefore, light is not perceived on a constant frequency. Going back to my original post, asking what bitrate vinyl is, which is an analog media, is like asking the frame rate of your eyes because you cannot measure it simply comparatively in bitrate because the media is not constructed in terms of bits.
In Berlin you’re seriously laughed at if you don’t use Technics. CDs are dead as…dead and not coming back. The new Pioneer DDJ-SZ mixer is super nice and it will kill the CDJ once and for all. Your options going forward are gonna be Vinyl/Control Vinyl or something like the DDJ. In 5 years time I doubt there will be a major club on the planet that won’t have something like the SZ with 2 or 3 Technics as the setup.
Big ass serato controllers or SL 1200 /1210 isch vinyl record players, no more mr 1000 000 carry around my own cool modified stuff and fiddle with cables and hookups.
Now whats missing is a 100% DRM style for performance djs, so you cant play pirated music, R.I.P torrentguys that think they are djs cause the have the latest rip from youtube by tiesto, hahaha
do you even live in Berlin??? DDJ-SZ? Are you still under tourist status? If you want to say that it’s moving somewhere than it is thumb drives.
True Story!!! I once saw a guy deejaying on an iPad in one Berlin lounge and no one was laughing …”When chef cooks great steak, customer not complain about plate it’s served on.” -shon tzu 😉
True Story!!! I once saw a guy deejaying on an iPad here in Berlin and no one was laughing 🙂
Maybe there was no people at all!
true story on “internet”, give me a break
?
technics only the rest chuck it in the lake its shite pioneer wanker dj and on top of that YOU HAVE TO BE A DEAF DJ ITS SOUNDS SHITE PIONEER RETARDS
People with a mind of quality, timelss hardware and love for music buy vinyls
Stupid / Naive or cheap djs buy or steal digital mp3s and use Pioneer CDJs as they were gods, when they are in fact simpletons and peasants regardig music and culture.
You’re entitled to your own opinion however I take offense to your stereotypes. I am neither stupid, naive, or cheap and yes I do buy every digital music file I own unless provided to me by friends and fellow DJ’s which is not illegal. I do not support illegal file sharing and free download websites. Regarding CDJ’s throw me anything whether CDJ’s, Controller, or turntables and I’ll put on a nice musical adventure for you. Just because I choose to spin digital does not make me any better or worse than anyone else. I just don’t want to be the 40 year old DJ with the broken back carrying vinyl everywhere. I’ll save the vinyl for my home and I do own vinyl by the way. I’m a product of the late 70’s and 80’s era before CD’s were affordable for most people. Hell I still even own cassette’s and a cassette player if you want to really take it back. All I’m saying is that just because a person embraces a certain format does not make them less of a person or less of a DJ. Be fair to all who read these awesome articles Ean and crew put together for all of us to enjoy or learn from.
lol… look at the stupid, naive, simpleton that doesn’t realize that the world is in constant progression. i buy all my .WAV and .AIFF files and have the receipts (they aren’t cheap). i know a lot of producers and have respect enough for my friends and artists in general to purchase creative property.
i love how these jerks run around bashing digital dj’s running 24bit/96k when they don’t even know enough about their own hardware to realize that their vinyl gets rendered to 24bit/96k by the mixer too. read you mixers specs. before you shoot off your mouth.
lol, the wave is already rendered on the vinyl. The needle generates a continuous current from it that is passed through the mixer and sent directly to the amp. I suppose newer mixers could have a DAC in them for rendering digital sources, but that would be over a fiber optic cable (if your plugging your ipod or laptop in via a 1/4, 1/8, or rca, its definitely NOT a digital stream).
shut up
Your contributions to this discussion are profound, thank you for your keen insight into this matter.
“People with a mind of quality…” LMAO
Vinyl never really died – I know a lot of people, who still play vinyl. I personally don’t play vinyl anymore, because I like the capabillities of Traktor and Ableton. Still I do buy some vinyl singles and LPs from time to time, to support artists and stuff.
Right now it is inconvenient in a club setting, but that depends on the setups. At home, I play vinyl or timecode because it’s more fun. Nonetheless it would be great to bring a few exclusive 12″ to mix in each set, just to add the extra touch.
There should be a Dicer-like looper/sampler for audio inputs with proper bpm detection that’d let you roll and loop things on the level we’re accustomed to from Traktor/CDJs. Or maybe just sampling the live vinyl into the remix desks.
Wasn’t this the case with the Redsound Soundbite or the Peavey DJGrabber? These were loop players for DJs, but they aren’t being manufactured anymore. Wonder why that is, because it would be a nice thing to carry around a bit more. Especially with some updated software/hardware.
Just look at the scene in Berlin. Loads of DJs plays vinyl only, loads of stuff is only released on vinyl and there’s new vinyl only record shops popping up every month.
Indeed. Know of any stores or nights our readers should check out?
Vinyl is pretty much played in every club, even the big ones like Watergate and Berghain.
Best records stores when I quickly scanned the city:
https://oye-records.com/
http://hardwax.com/
http://www.rotation-records.de/
Berghain and “Club der Visionäre” are more or less vinyl only… at least most of the residents play vinyl only. Other than that I have to say, that vinyl only evenings got pretty rare. You would have to take an educated look on the lineups of an evening to see where and when vinyl is played.
Oye Records rocks! Great great collection of different (understandable genres/subgenres). If you talk with the staff the can quickly give you great recommendations.A lot of prelistening 1210s with aiaiai headphones. So much more than receiving an email of beatport: “Get your new dancefloor bangers here”
I was over in Berlin in August last year. Space Hall Record Store definitely needs a mention.
Record Loft is another good one