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Comment on The information density on a vinyl can be higher earlier in the record than later...

BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

I never said I’ve been on the record business since 1995, I said I spent 30 years in the record business, starting in 1977, the peak of the age of vinyl, cassette, and 8-tracks, and I saw the introduction of the CD, and the end of all those other formats. Recalculating, I actually spent another 7 years or so beyond that, on a consulting basis.

I know vinyl, I’ve got a huge vinyl collection, and I know the business from the inside. The fact that there were far more terrible albums than great albums has nothing to do with the silly idea that they programmed the shitty tracks on the inside because the sound quality was worse. That’s just stupid.

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SlurpingPus@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
‘Vinyl Mastering 101: What You Need to Know Before Cutting a Record - Mix & Master My Song’

Place tracks with more complex or high-frequency content towards the beginning of each side, where the sound quality is inherently better.

The last tracks on each side are more susceptible to inner-groove distortion, which can degrade sound quality. Reserve these positions for tracks that are less sonically demanding or have less high-frequency content.

‘Inner Groove Distortion: The Problem No One Wants to Talk About’

Bright, aggressive EQ that sounds fine on the outer grooves becomes an exercise in sibilant torture by track four.

Putting your most complex, frequency-dense track at the end of a side is engineering malpractice. When an album sequence allows for it, loading the outer grooves with demanding material and saving simpler arrangements for the inner tracks is smart mastering. The original Blue Note engineers understood this instinctively in the 1960s.

Pink Floyd “The Dark Side of the Moon” (original UK Harvest): say what you will about vintage pressings, but the mastering engineers understood sequencing. The album’s most demanding moments land on outer and mid-grooves; simpler material occupies inner real estate.

Any Bernie Grundman cut for a major artist: Grundman’s reputation exists for a reason. His cuts consistently demonstrate that proper EQ adjustment for inner grooves, pulling back excessive brightness, managing phase issues, makes a profound difference.

Many modern rock reissues with “hot” mastering: excessively bright, compressed mastering that sounds aggressive even on outer grooves becomes actively unpleasant by the inner tracks.

‘What Causes Inner Groove Distortion, and How Can It Be Minimized During Mastering? - All For Turntables’

Placing tracks with high-energy, bass-heavy content towards the outer grooves and tracks with softer, acoustic elements towards the inner grooves can mitigate distortion.

‘Vinyl Record Inner-Groove Distortion (A Simple Explanation) - Sound Matters’

Mastering engineers will attempt to mitigate end-of-side distortion by pressing quieter songs, with moderate bass and lower HF energy towards the center of each side.

These and other articles highlight that higher frequencies in particular suffer from the inner-groove distortion.

Keep learning, grandpa.

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- BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  
  Putting your most complex, frequency-dense track at the end of a side is engineering malpractice
  
  Sure, that’s why you don’t find complex and/or dynamic songs like Stairway to Heaven, When The Levee Breaks, A Day In the Life, Jungleland, Won’t Get Fooled Again, You Can’t Always Get What You Want, Purple Rain, etc. as the last song on the album, or side. Oh, wait…
  
  I’m not saying there aren’t engineers/producers who never put the ease of their jobs ahead of musical decisions, but musical artists whose artistic vision is more important than simple commerce aren’t concerned about “engineering malpractice.” The engineer serves the musical vision of the artist, and whining about “inner ring distortion” isn’t going to go far.
  
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