My Analytical Writing: Records vs. Compact Discs

Compact Discs vs. Vinyl Records

Listening to music has changed so much since the first time I used my own money to buy a cassette tape way back in 1985. An addiction started in the music department of K-Mart that day. I was on my way to becoming a music freak; spending most of my money on tapes, Cds and records. That tape, Weird Al’s Dare to be Stupid would be the first of the thousands of tapes, records and compact discs that I would own in my lifetime. While I do not have many tapes anymore, I still have hundreds of compact discs and vinyl records, and I enjoy listening to both.

Digital music has made listening to music a different and oftentimes more convenient experience. With the advent of Mp3 files, the convenience increases because people are able to store more music in smaller spaces. Compact discs are probably still the most accessible way to store music since there are so many Cd players around. People who prefer compact discs have no problem playing their music in their cars or anywhere they may go. These small discs are also much easier to store and travel with since they are about a quarter of the size of a full-size record album. Who has a turntable in their car anyway?

Compact discs also make it much easier to transfer songs into a computer library, an Mp3 player, or another cd. Transferring music from vinyl to a cd or into a computer library is often difficult, and it usually requires additional software. While I have copied some songs from vinyl to Cds to share with friends, I would have much rather used a compact disc. There are times when a song or album is rare, and I only have in on vinyl. In that case, I manually record the song onto a cd with the burner in my stereo (which I don’t think they make anymore), and then I use the cd I made to transfer the music into my computer library or another cd. This stereo component requires special “music only” CDRs, so that is another reason this is more troublesome.

With all the advantages of digital music, I still must say I like vinyl better. Even when I was a kid, I would argue to my friends that records were much better than tapes because there was no need for rewinding and fast forwarding. With records, I could drop the needle directly on the song I wanted to hear without having to find it on a tape. The invention of compact discs took care of the rewinding issue, but they still lack some of the advantages of their granddaddy, the good old vinyl record.

Records are bigger. A bigger disc may be cumbersome for traveling and storage, but the album art really gets its due on a bigger surface. Oftentimes with Cds I am unable to see the entire picture on the front. There is never any problem with this when you are holding a record sleeve. Just think of the art on the covers of The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, or Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy, or Pink Floyd’s Animals; these pieces of visual art were not made for a tiny cd booklet. These larger works of art contribute to a more complete listening experience since I can enjoy the artwork better while I listen.

The sound from records is more pure because they work in the same way as the human ear. Your eardrum is a thin membrane stretched across some nerve endings. The sounds you hear are the amplification of a vibration. Drums are an amplification of a vibration, as are the sounds you hear from a guitar, saxophone, or even the human voice. When one plays a record on his turntable, he is causing a vibration in the needle that is electronically amplified through the speakers, so naturally you are going to get the best and most natural sound. For example, if one were to crank up the volume while listening to a compact disc, the music gets louder. Do the same with a record, and the music gets louder and bigger. The difference is that with a CD, you are turning up thousands of ones and zeros, but with a record you are amplifying actual vibrations.

I, like most music lovers still cherish my compact discs that I have collected over the years. This is especially true when we consider music that was recorded after compact discs were invented. This music was made to listen to on compact discs, while earlier music was made for records. The one exception I can think of is the White Stripes’ Elephant which was recorded on 1950s equipment, and yes, I have the record. I have bought new music on LPs, and there are times when I think these sound better as well, but I have to think Radiohead was invisioning how Amnesiac would sound on a CD, not an LP. I might be wrong.

I have not even gotten into cassette tapes or eight tracks, both of which own space on my shelf. It seems that no format sticks around for too long, though vinyl records reigned for over fifty years. One day this whole argument may be obsolete when mp3s and computer files rule the music world, but until that day comes I will continue getting my hands on as many records and CDs as I can, and I will listen to all of them in their due time.