Like so many other "retro" phenomena, there are growing anecdotal indicators that vinyl may be on the comeback trail. While in Seattle recently with my family, my son (14) and I wandered into Sonic Boom, a local record store in Fremont. After he was done perusing the new CD releases, he asked about their "Vinyl Annex" – a large room off the alley from their street front location. Over 45 minutes later, he was still going through the albums, looking at the tracks and checking out the album art. I had to drag him out of there.
Last week, a Canadian Ph.D. candidate reported that in the process of conducting research for his dissertation, he constantly ran across teens who swear that vinyl is better. He noted that several said the appeal was finding obscure albums and looking at the album jackets.
It’s interesting that at the same time, Roger Waters has announced a tour that will include a live performance of "Dark Side Of The Moon," perhaps the most phenomenal album in the history of Rock music. And at WMMR, Pierre Robert’s newest feature, "Pierre’s Vinyl," has become a signature music appointment in his show. Pierre also has created a complete guide on his web page for where to find great vinyl in the Philly area.
A trend, a fad, or another of those odd Classic Rock-type anomalies (that keep happening)? It may be time to buy a new cartridge, walk down into the basement, and rediscover your record collection.
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Jeff Scarpelli says
Fred, you are on to something here.
Here’s the link:
https://wiredblogs.tripod.com/music/index.blog?entry_id=1468415
The link goes to an article about a USB-based Turntable that allows you to directly rip vinyl into your computer:
“Recording vinyl records onto your computer in order to turn them into MP3s or CDs isn’t too hard if you have a record player, phono preamp or an amp with a Phono input right next to your computer, a high-quality audio input on your computer, and a good amount of experience with recording software and noise reduction. OK, so maybe it’s not so easy after all.
Those hankering for an easier or simpler way to record vinyl onto a computer (whether for digital listening or sample harvesting) now have a one-stop solution, the Ion Audio iTTUSB Turntable with USB Record. Plug this into your computer’s USB port, read the short, simple tutorial on how to use the included open-source Audacity software, and you’re up and running.”