Is vinyl records worth collecting in the era of digital recording?

Collecting a vinyl record is not only collecting the sound of that era, but also collecting the music, culture and binding of that era. It can be said that a small vinyl record can give a glimpse of the lifestyle of that era.

With the closure of 1998, the last vinyl record production line in China, vinyl records gradually faded out of people's lives. However, driven by players and collectors, vinyl records have gradually gathered a group of loyal fans in recent years. After a fast-paced era, nowadays, more and more people want to slow down and watch vinyl records spin with the stylus on the old record player. When the voice branded with the years is released from the loudspeaker, it suddenly reveals an inexplicable magnetism, which makes people feel the warmth of the years.

Memories of an era

Vinyl, also called LP(long play), is a kind of compact disc with three-dimensional black celluloid texture. Among all kinds of music recording materials developed so far, such as records, tapes and CDs, the sound quality of vinyl records is the closest to the original sound, and the works of many heavyweight performers, conductors, big bands and singers are mostly based on vinyl records. Vinyl records have a long life as long as they are properly preserved. Although it is only a collection of small people, some people chase the "front page", some chase the band, and some chase the cover. Players from all walks of life have a good time.

Although vinyl records have faded out of people's sight, in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other big cities, more and more players are obsessed with vinyl records in recent years. In the past, each vinyl record with a price of more than 10 has been sold for more than 100, and some even got thousands of dollars.

I prefer the natural truth of old vinyl.

I prefer vinyl records, not only because of my past memories, but also because of its excellent sound quality.

For people who are obsessed with vinyl records, scouring vinyl records every day is like dating a lover. It is a process full of expectation, anxiety, excitement and satisfaction. There are long-awaited ones, occasional ones, mediocre ones and expensive ones, but they will never fail. It's like finding a way to heaven, walking here every day and commuting by bus. Even in typhoon weather, take an umbrella and put on rain boots.

Why are so many people who like western classical music chasing vinyl records now? Because the heyday of vinyl records in the sixties and seventies happened to be the heyday of classical music orchestras all over the world.

Conductors karajan, Bohm, Klebel, singers Pavarotti, Domingo, Taiwan Baltus, pianists Rubinstein, kempf, Gould, violinist Hafez and David Austera ... all met in this era, leaving countless wonderful recordings. Until now, some record companies with a long history have not been able to copy all these recordings to CDs. So if you want to find some rare performances, you can only find them in old vinyl.

Technically, the current CD is far superior to vinyl in terms of ease of use, low production cost and standardization of indicators. However, the audio index is set relatively low, which makes some high and low-end sounds cut off. Audio enthusiasts with sensitive ears will have a feeling of "wanting more", that is, digital audio. Because vinyl records are analog recordings, there are no restrictions on audio, so good vinyl records give people a more natural and real feeling.

How to tell the version of vinyl records

When it comes to vinyl records collection, there are many kinds. Some people chase the "front page", some people chase singers, and some people chase conductors. Among them, the "front page" collection of vinyl records is different from the collection of printed matter. The earlier the version, the clearer the better.

In this regard, vinyl records are generally mass-produced by opening the master tape and then molding. The so-called front page vinyl, I think mainly refers to DMM. Of course, the long storage time of the master will also cause losses and reduce the information content of the reproduced records. DMM is the abbreviation of DIRECT METAL MASTERING, which means "direct recording". Its technological process is a conversion process from acoustic energy to electrical energy and then to mechanical energy. It has no traditional recording program of tape recording, mixing, playing and lettering. The whole conversion process is the most direct and simple, so the original sound signal can be preserved to the maximum extent, so the sound quality is also the best. Because there is only one direct engraving master, the number of suppressed records is limited. Once the master tape is scrapped, it will be out of print, so vinyl records with DMM logo are much more expensive. If it is a better version and it is the front page, the price will be higher. For example, the home page 1000 yuan, and the second edition may only be 300 yuan. But the record company will not indicate which one is the front page and which one is the reprint on the vinyl record, because this record was not released for collection. Therefore, players can only read enough books and judge by the year and label of the record, so it is very fun to collect vinyl records.

Vinyl records are worth twice as much

In the 1980s, a vinyl record cost more than ten dollars. At that time, China had just started playing vinyl records, while European and American countries had already begun to eliminate vinyl records. Because CD was born in 1984, many unsalable vinyl records were exported to China.

Things that used to be common are now the new favorites of collections. Now when it comes to the collection of vinyl records, some people will emphasize that the price of vinyl records with a dozen dollars has risen to several thousand dollars. Is there still room for maintaining and increasing the value of vinyl records?

Vinyl records are a very small collection, and those who play records are petty bourgeoisie who enjoy life. Buying vinyl records is very different from buying paintings and calligraphy. Most people buy calligraphy and painting, they will think of the room for appreciation in the future, but most people buy vinyl records out of pure love. Collecting a vinyl record not only collects the sounds of that era, but also collects the music, culture, binding and so on of that era. Its value is difficult to measure with money.