A few years ago, I started
converting some of my out-of-print record albums and burning the resulting MP3
onto a CD, my preferred medium. It is a project that I have put aside but one
that I need to return to. I wasn’t using the right software program previously
because it wouldn’t separate the individual tracks, which is something that
makes the transfer easier. As a record collector, I have some jazz records from
the 70’s and 80’s that have not yet been released on CD or as a digital
download.
There are a number of arguments
regarding the superiority of vinyl over digital. Some people claim that vinyl
contains a warmer sound and that analogue contains a more accurate transfer
rate. Some of the opposing arguments say that there is virtually no difference between
vinyl and CD and that so many other things contribute to the overall sound
quality, such as the turntable, the needle, the amplifier, or the speakers.
I began moving away from vinyl in
the late 80’s. Storage, the listening experience, and convenience are what
concerns me. Unless one has shelves made expressly to hold records, records are
difficult to store and often warp when they are not properly cared for. The
overall listening experience is determined by the quality of the medium, with
scratches on a vinyl recording ruining the experience—for me, at least. I also
find digital copies more convenient because I can either place the music on my
phone and use an auxiliary cable in the car or sync my phone and the car
stereo, using Bluetooth. Bluetooth is also an option when playing music on the
sound bar that is connected to the television. Another option, and one that I prefer,
is burning the files onto a CD and using the CD in the car, in the kitchen, in
the clock radio/alarm clock, or on the stereo located in my home office.
The quality of the vinyl recording
wasn’t as important to me when I was listening to music with few, if any, lows
or quiet passages. That changed once I started listening to ECM recordings in
the 1970’s. On one occasion, I remember getting the record home and discovering
that the scratch created during the manufacturing process ruined my listening
experience of Keith Jarrett’s Arbour Zena.
At some point in the future, I hope
to hear Hubert Laws’ The San Francisco Concert, Zbigniew Namyslowski’s Air
Condition, Pepper Adams’ Reflectory, and the Art Pepper Quartet at the
Maiden Voyage, which is available on two other albums besides Road Game—Art
Lives and Art Pepper Quartet. These are just some of the albums that
have not yet been recently released as a CD or as a digital copy.
Some of the other albums of mine
have since been released on CD, but I am reluctant to spend the money when I
can instead transfer the music. The cost of the software is ultimately cheaper
than replacing the albums, even when considering the cost of a plastic CD cover
and the recordable CD itself.
