24
votes
Accepted
What was the first vinyl record to have a repeating loop in the run-out groove?
That innermost looping groove is called a locked groove.
While it is difficult to track the first record to employ this technique, one of the earliest and most well known examples is The Beatles' Sgt....
- 1,166
21
votes
Should I store my vinyl records side by side or in piles?
They should be stored side-by-side, as vertically as possible, and in an area that doesn't get really hot to prevent warping.
If you stack them on top of each other there is extra pressure on them ...
Dom♦
- 4,289
20
votes
Accepted
Standard vinyl vs Audiophile/Weighted vinyl - What's the difference?
I feel I have to put an opinion on this - & opinion it is, because there are too many factors influencing vinyl quality.
Factors.
Attention to detail in the cut.
Will affect every pressing of ...
- 7,133
18
votes
Accepted
Why are vinyl records now so prestigious?
It's not because of fidelity
I'll start by discarding one reason: fidelity. Fidelity is the ability of a system to reproduce a signal with the least amount of change. High fidelity means little to no ...
- 4,292
17
votes
Accepted
What gives vinyl records their characteristic sound?
Vinyl sound is influenced by how music is carved into it (mastering), the playback mechanism (turntable, stylus, cartridge, electronics, etc), and the characteristics of the medium itself (vinyl).
...
- 4,292
16
votes
Accepted
Is there any difference in terms of sound quality between different vinyl colours?
If you're asking about the difference between "180gr vinyl and a [regular weight] coloured vinyl", then 180g usually has better sound quality when compared with the regular 120-140g vinyls.
If you're ...
- 1,166
14
votes
Accepted
Hidden tracks on other media than CD?
Jack White has a habbit of including hidden tracks and other features. Here's for instance his latest album Lazaretto:
The 11-track album on White's label Third Man Records, includes
different ...
- 2,827
11
votes
Hidden tracks on other media than CD?
Monty Python's Matching Tie & Handkerchief may qualify, as entire sides were 'hidden' by two methods.
Both sides of the album had the same label, claiming it was 'Side 2'
One side had dual ...
- 7,133
10
votes
Accepted
Turntables: Direct Drive vs Belt Driven, what are the differences, pros, and cons?
Belt Drive
Pros
The belt acts as a shock-absorber, preventing vibration transmitted from the motor reaching the platter
Isolating the motor from the platter results in less noise transmission to the ...
- 7,133
10
votes
Hidden tracks on other media than CD?
C+C Music Factory's Gonna Make You Sweat album on cassette had a hidden track. The cassette said that "Bang That Beat" was the final track on the tape, but if you let the cassette continue playing ...
- 1,643
10
votes
Has a B-side unexpectedly become more popular than A-side?
After a little research (A sides in parentheses):
“Rock Around the Clock” (“Thirteen Women (And Only One Man in
Town)”)– Bill Haley and His Comets in 1954.
“Tequila” (“Train to Nowhere") – The ...
9
votes
Hidden tracks on other media than CD?
The cassette release of Pulse by Pink Floyd contains a 22-minute hidden track titled Soundscape (Cassette 2, Side 4) that starts a few minutes after the last listed track Run Like Hell.
"Wish ...
9
votes
Accepted
What was the first vinyl record ever pressed?
According to The Record Collectors Guild:
In 1930, RCA Victor launched the first commercially-available vinyl
long-playing record, marketed as "Program Transcription" discs. These
revolutionary ...
- 2,827
9
votes
What Exactly Is *Virgin* Vinyl?
Some explanations as provided by these forum posts:
Virgin vinyl is non recycled higher quality vinyl.
[...]
Pure vinyl which isn't recycled or adulterated with filler. Quieter as
a ...
- 2,827
8
votes
Standard vinyl vs Audiophile/Weighted vinyl - What's the difference?
As with many issues around vinyl, there are differing opinions out there:
Let us explain: 150 grams is considered a "heavy" weight because it's heavier than a standard 120 gram weight record. All ...
- 3,136
8
votes
Hidden tracks on other media than CD?
One of the first and most famous hidden tracks is on The Beatles' Abbey Road. "Her Majesty" begins 14 seconds after the last song listed on the album jacket ("The End") and runs 23 seconds long. It ...
8
votes
Why are vinyl records now so prestigious?
Ever try rolling a joint on a CD cover? ;o)
But seriously... There is a wonderful comparison over on the Audioholics site that breaks this down much further than I can. To me, however, I will just ...
- 7,086
8
votes
Accepted
If possible, how could mastering engineers allow for stereo bass on vinyl?
Let's start by saying, even if you could, it doesn't make a great deal of sense to have a heavy stereo split in the bass frequencies.
Let's try to analyse why that would be...
First, your ...
- 7,133
8
votes
Strange Pink Floyd's "The Wall" album with round sticker
I suppose by "weird", you are refering to the sticker on the cover (as the Wall album is suppose to have nothing but a wall:
This album, very likely, comes from a box set from 1997 : '97 Vinyl ...
- 8,182
7
votes
How common is it for club DJs to use vinyl these days?
Do any club DJs still spin vinyl? Yes.
Have most/all of them moved on to computer formats (such as WAV, FLAC, MP3)? Difficult to answer.
We are currently experiencing a vinyl revival during which ...
- 1,166
7
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to discover where a vinyl record was physically pressed?
Record stamper Matrix codes can be used to identify the pressing plant, but the correlating lists may not be publicly available, or may have only been compiled by collectors, rather than the plants ...
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7
votes
Accepted
How to Clean Vinyl Records
Dust and dirt does affect sound quality and in extreme cases, can even make the needle jump out of the groove. Back in the 60's and 70's, when record albums were commonplace, you could easily find ...
- 1,626
7
votes
Accepted
How did Tops Records squeeze two songs in each 78 rpm side?
As these records were made before the age of computers & also really before even relatively simple modern vinyl cutting techniques were invented, they only really had two things they could play ...
- 7,133
7
votes
Is there deliberate marketing that tries to persuade people to prefer vinyl records over CDs?
This might come across as a tad cynical ;)
Personally, I feel it's that people, given sufficient peer pressure, can easily be convinced to fool themselves. No need for marketing pressure.
Most people ...
- 7,133
6
votes
What's the reason behind the poor sound of picture discs?
The simplest reason is that the outer, playable surface is not actually traditional vinyl, but a thin film, applied to the outer surface, as part of a 5-layer process in manufacturing…
film - paper - ...
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6
votes
Accepted
Vinyl grooves look like scratch
It's hard to tell from the photos, but there are two possibilities I can think of…
Random chance of frequencies
Sometimes frequencies in the recording do just seem to highlight better than others. If ...
- 7,133
6
votes
Is there any difference in terms of sound quality between different vinyl colours?
The german "Intro"-magazine states, that transparent vinyl is theoretical the one with the best sound, but in reality the black one is, because the pressing machines are always held on working ...
- 297
6
votes
What gives vinyl records their characteristic sound?
There are two issues here that are hard to separate: analog recording and vinyl as a medium. There are many basic misunderstandings of how digital sampling and psycho-acoustics work circulating in ...
- 2,091
6
votes
Accepted
Which album's inside cover featured a policeman running after the band on a motorcycle?
I found the answer. The art is featured on the inside cover of the Chicago X album.
I miss the days when albums came with great art. Here's a scan:
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Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible