When you hear the words vinyl, record player, or the crackling sounds of yesteryear, you may consider them passé and soon to be obsolete in this digital audio world. Surely these are things you only hear down in your grandparents’ basement or in a museum. You may even reminisce fondly over DJs of the 90s, scratching away over tracks played on minidisks and what not. But did you know that right now, vinyl and record players are making a huge comeback, a format favoured by young and old. Pressing factories are re-opening and a new era of modern and high-tech vinyl is on the rise.
Truth is, vinyl never really disappeared, unlike the cassette tape and even the compact disk, the record industry has been steady since its invention in the late forties. There are many reasons why vinyl has been favoured over other formats. Firstly the sound is analogue, giving a natural feel to the music that is starkly different from any sound digital formats can produce. When traditional recordings are being done, the pin that etches the song into the vinyl also picks up the sounds of the atmosphere, bringing another real life dimension to the sound. Even though digital music attempts to recreate these sounds from time to time, the humble MP3, AAC, WAV etc. have nothing on the natural analogue sounds of vinyl.
Vinyl’s old and new are also extremely popular as collectors’ items. Their physical embodiment holds music for a lifetime, and is even playable with no electricity (though it will sound very soft). Vinyl enthusiasts are always on the lookout for ancient rare gems from yesteryear otherwise lost to the ears of our ancestors, or newly pressed special edition copies that are only going to increase in value and personal wealth the more they are kept and the more they are played.
Record players have come a long way since the beginning of the 12 inch, with turntables offering state of the art technology to produce the clearest sound, the steadiest rotation, and the crispest of needles that pick up every groove of sound recording but without damaging the vinyl itself.
As you would expect, with great things comes great responsibility. Vinyl records do need extra special care, such as standing them on their sides like books so as to prevent them from bending under the weight of other records, and they must be kept in a dry environment away from sunlight. Some would even say that the storage is a form of art, making sure that the record itself is in perfect condition, and also caring for the often delicate cardboard sleeves.When it comes to drawing a comparison between digital and vinyl, you can imaging which one wins. Yes, digital format is convenient when travelling in the car, watching music videos online or downloading just one or two songs to test the water with a newly discovered band. But when you have that perfect band and that perfect setting, then there is no better format than vinyl.
Get back into the groove and hook yourself up with some of the most high-tech and stylish vinyl equipment from NEO Entertainment Gallery on Huay Kaew Road. Their wide range of record players, amplifiers, needles, arms and many other electrical items, NEO welcomes all kinds of shoppers will all kinds of budgets. They also stock a curious collection of vinyl too, from modern rock and electronic bands to collectors’ items from a time gone by, but still very much alive.