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Annoying trend? New vinyl equalization and compression

Hi...I searched discussions and didn’t find much mention of this. Direct me if there is a thread.

Is this just a few of the recent (maybe last 5 years or so) albums I’ve picked up reissued on vinyl or a trend by the big manufacturers (such as Rhino records etc.....not talking about "audiophile" Mofi etc.).....

-------Albums sound dynamically compressed, thick in the bass and very rolled off on top--------.

Of the thousands of albums I have.....these recent pressings/purchases have this same sound.

A couple recents.....David Bowie Scary Monsters, A new Samantha Fish Death Wish Blues, A reissue of Ozzy Osborne Blizzard of Oz etc.

Not sure if this might be an EQ that compliments new vinyl purchasers and sounds better on USB or maybe inexpensive tables or systems???

Or is it just a few of the releases I purchased and not so widespread?

 

foeraus
pindac's avatar
pindac
2,435 posts
 

Vinyl today is the Hard Medium that assists with keeping a Band / Performer afloat.

It is the revenues made through this merchandise sales, that enables them to exist and be able to grow their exposure.

The remuneration from streaming platforms is killing off natural born performers.

Collecting Vinyl and keeping it in the Cellophane, is a trend that is proving to be very good financially for struggling performers. These collectors are not with a concern for the pressing Quality, they just want Covers without creases.    

seekerbob
64 posts
 

pindac

Sad but so true. I have witnessed this with my own eyes, My wife's adult son

was horrified by my suggestion to actually play one of his records!

I can still remember saying "playing them is what they are for"

I still can't believe it!

dogberry
562 posts
 

@seekerbob my son has never bought a record, but has watched me all his life putting records on to a turntable. All we can do is to condition the young to regard this as just another way to play music. A few of them might be alert enough to the stimuli in their auditory cortex to understand that it might be the best way. Maybe we should play compact cassettes as an alternative?

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,604 posts
 

I doubt that Technics is selling all their new turntables to just the high end market.

When we were mastering LPs for a digital source file, we would try to make sure that the file had no DSP other than normalization. In that way we could master an LP that had greater dynamic punch than the digital master. I know we were not the only mastering house doing that! Since the digital release is often thought to be played in a car, there is a tendency to compress it. LPs of course have no such expectation.

Irony is still in. If you want the most dynamic range out of a recording you stand a better chance getting it with the LP rather than the digital release simply on this account.

mahler123
3,050 posts
 

@atmasphere 

 

Columbia records classical division used to master records in the sixties with the expectation that they would be listened to on AM Radio

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