i use both cds and records when i spin, but lately, more and more cds. over the years i have reserved my thoughts about the whole cds vs. records debate in favor of focusing on the music itself, but i do have some observations (which may make me look like i hate cds, but i don't. really):
1) cds don't weigh very much compared to vinyl. they're smaller too. very obvious, i know, but this fact needs to be mentioned anyway. this is a good thing. ok, on to some of the stuff i don't like:
2) downloading music takes lots of time, even if you have a fast internet connection. then there is organizing your files, burning cds, labeling them, etc. buying music off the shelf (or getting it in the mail) is 5000 times easier.
3) speaking of time, how much of my life is being wasted "scrolling" through tracks when cuing, etc? scrolling to the back half of a track can take around 5 or 6 seconds, sometimes more. add up those seconds over the course of a few sets and you've got a good 15 minutes of time wasted. add up a years worth of djing, and you've got about a day that you've wasted holding your finger down on a silly little button just trying to get to some part of a track other than the beginning.
4) cds are difficult to read in the dark. part of this is due to my poor handwriting, but a lot of it is due to the fact that cds are more than twice as small as records, plus you've go no sleeve on which to write.
5) digital music distribution is creating a surplus of mediocre (ok, really bad) dance music. let me explain: 12" vinyl costs a bundle to manufacture and ship. the labels that release those things don't want to lose money, so they try extra hard to release only music deemed good enough to sell enough vinyl to stay in the black. once freed of those pesky expenses, labels can release anything they want and not loose their shirt in the process. the downside for you and me, however, is that we must now wade through 4 times as much music to find those good tracks that we know are still out there. moreover, once you realize how much time you're wasting "streaming" and "downloading" all this stuff, you start having fantasies about different ways you can torture the "producers" that are making these crap tunes.
6) mastering? what mastering? ever wondered why one cd is twice as loud as another. or why one sounds super crisp and another muddy and muffled? that's because no one is mastering those things. mastering makes soft tracks nice and loud and tempers out of control sounds (like ear splitting highs) so you don't have to hear them when you're at the club. and the reason no one is mastering? when you finish a track and burn a cd it's optional, and people don't seem to care. "what? you mean this is supposed to sound good in a club too?" which reminds me of my final point...
7) vinyl sounds really really good. really.
feel free to send me an email with any comments
and
p.s. i just purchased a new cd case that will no doubt eventually replace my record bag.
Posted by Spesh at December 22, 2005 02:16 PM