Droney records to "bliss out" to: Better on vinyl or CD?

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Examples: Stars Of The Lid, Jazzkammer, Tim Hecker, SunnO))), Growing, Earth, Fennesz, Lucier, Belong, Oren Ambarchi, Thomas Koner, Lichens, etc...

Best for: Reading, chilling, meditating, concentrating, cuddling.

Is it better to have these types of records on vinyl or CD? Vinyl means thicker hues and deeper bass. CD means the drones are crystal clear with no distracting crackles or pops.

Which is best for maximum blissitude?

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Friday, 19 January 2007 10:05 (nineteen years ago)

Good vinyl only has nice crackles. Vinyl all the way.

― Johnney B English (stigoftdump), Friday, 19 January 2007 10:09 (nineteen years ago)

CDs. they don't sound as good, but they allow for longer bliss-outs, uninterrupted by getting off your arse to flip the record over.

― mister the guanoman (mister the guanoman), Friday, 19 January 2007 10:15 (nineteen years ago)

Vinyl means thicker hues and deeper bass.

Er, no. Woollier, more enveloping lower-mid, maybe. Which could be what you're after.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Friday, 19 January 2007 10:16 (nineteen years ago)

mister the guanoman has it - you don't need to get up to turn the CD over!

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Friday, 19 January 2007 10:23 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, I don't pretend to know what the fuck I'm talking about regarding vinyl. I haven't been a vinyl consumer since the days of getting Gremlins story discs in my Happy Meals. I just thought since I spend a lot of time with these records in my room (ie, not on an ipod), maybe i could "upgrade."

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Friday, 19 January 2007 10:24 (nineteen years ago)

mister the guanoman has it - you don't need to get up to turn the CD over!

why, thank you sir!

and don't forget the repeat function... I know some turntables have that, but mine does not.

― mister the guanoman (mister the guanoman), Friday, 19 January 2007 10:48 (nineteen years ago)

Yes, repeat is your friend WRT the drone.

― Shoes and Shoegazeability (kate), Friday, 19 January 2007 11:21 (nineteen years ago)

Vinyl definitely, unless it's a long piece that doesn't fit on one side.

― Pom (pom), Friday, 19 January 2007 11:47 (nineteen years ago)

I used to listen to Dreamweapon before I fell asleep at night, when I was younger. The only problem was, having it on vinyl, I used to be woken up by the popping sound of it hitting the last groove. You don't have that problem with CDs, it lulls you seamlessly to sleep.

― Shoes and Shoegazeability (kate), Friday, 19 January 2007 11:49 (nineteen years ago)

mp3s

― a.b. (alanbanana), Friday, 19 January 2007 11:51 (nineteen years ago)

You can queue up all of the Stars of the Lid rekkids on MP3 and pretty much not notice the joins. Which is nice.

― God Bows to Meth (noodle vague), Friday, 19 January 2007 11:59 (nineteen years ago)

CDs are better because if I'm listening to this kind of stuff (and yes, I do sometimes!) I'm too sleepy to get up and flip it over.

― xhuxk (xheddy), Friday, 19 January 2007 12:01 (nineteen years ago)

ahhh, dreamweapon. haven't heard that in years.

― mister the guanoman (mister the guanoman), Friday, 19 January 2007 12:06 (nineteen years ago)

xhuxk is 100% correct! Especially if you have a turntable with no auto-return.

― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Friday, 19 January 2007 12:51 (nineteen years ago)

vinyl. for no other reason than i'm more likely to listen to abstract, drony stuff if it's broken into 20 minute chunks. also sounds better.

but if i'm trying to fall asleep or something, jonathan coleclough & andrew chalk sumac or roy montgomery temple IV on cd, on repeat.

― GOD PUNCH TO HAWKWIND (yournullfame), Friday, 19 January 2007 13:49 (nineteen years ago)

CDs are better because the noise reduction means that during the quiet bits you start to forget it's on and drift off to sleep and then the music starts INVADING YOUR DREAMS

― braveclub (braveclub), Friday, 19 January 2007 14:07 (nineteen years ago)

i just snagged a copy of charles curtis' four LP set on squealer from a few years back. he did the flamming lips thing: play all or some of the sides together or separately. but i wish i had one long computer file mixing them all: violing, synth, drone heaven stuff.

― QuantumNoise (Justin Farrar), Friday, 19 January 2007 14:19 (nineteen years ago)

is that "ultra violet white light"?

― GOD PUNCH TO HAWKWIND (yournullfame), Friday, 19 January 2007 14:34 (nineteen years ago)

Good lord, people, CD quite obviously for all reasons stated, and mp3 can be even handier if you want to just have something all night. Then there's this, which runs forever.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 19 January 2007 14:35 (nineteen years ago)

Years ago I used to listen to music when going to sleep, now it's unthinkable, just keeps me awake. Not sure what changed. I'm less drunk when I go to bed, probably.

― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 19 January 2007 14:36 (nineteen years ago)

For me the trick is to have it at a low, soothing volume, thus that broadcast I linked. Other discs good for this: the Cure's Faith and Lull's Cold Summer.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 19 January 2007 14:38 (nineteen years ago)

The "CDs/vinyl sounds better/worse" issue is subjective and kinda beside the point, isn't it? Whereas the different ways the two function is inarguable.

Anyways, CDs for me, easily...UNLESS the LP in question has a locked groove and you wanna hear that final 1.8 seconds repeated for eternity (or until you shut it off.)

And yeah, to me CDs generally sound better but I'm overlooking that, like I said.

― M. Agony Von Bontee (M. Agony Von Bontee), Friday, 19 January 2007 14:46 (nineteen years ago)

Vinyl sleeves are easier to skin up on.

― Jacob (Jacob), Friday, 19 January 2007 15:15 (nineteen years ago)

Also, i can imagine the littlest scratch could ruin a drone on a piece of vinyl

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Friday, 19 January 2007 16:01 (nineteen years ago)

you should hear what one will do to a cd.

― GOD PUNCH TO HAWKWIND (yournullfame), Friday, 19 January 2007 16:22 (nineteen years ago)

Personally, I like the vinyl surface noise on, say, Stars of the Lid or Windy & Carl or Fripp & Eno records. It puts me in the mindset of the original space/cosmic music vibe from the 70s, I guess. Plus the few times I've DJed experimental events it was great to be able to mix thru those on LPs.

― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 19 January 2007 16:26 (nineteen years ago)

it depends. long stuff is really handy on cd. and, yeah, the not having to get up angle is a big part of that. there is some stuff i have on vinyl that i would probably listen to more if i had it on cd. rilly rilly rilly quiet stuff too can be better to have on cd. i am NOT a surface noise/"crackle" fan. new electronic stuff is perfect for cd too.

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 19 January 2007 16:44 (nineteen years ago)

Re: Original Post.

Who cares? I like vinyl 'cuz it's pretty and 'cuz I'm old. I like ceedees, because, well ... I guess I don't really like ceedees. That's because I have an Ipod, and it's the same, but also better. You can make it go for days.

And whatever. Cosmic space goo is good for your orgones, no matter how you get it inside you.

P.S. I kinda think you get more demons in your grid if you listen to digital. I could be wrong about that.

― verbose, bombastic, self-immolating (Pye Poudre), Friday, 19 January 2007 16:48 (nineteen years ago)

If you just want the surface noise of vinyl (rather than the frequency response) then you could just record some surface noise to MP3. Someone must have already done this and put it on Bleep.com.

xpost.

― caek (caek), Friday, 19 January 2007 16:49 (nineteen years ago)

i bought pristine original german pressings of cluster & eno and eno/moeb/roed's after the heat recently and they STILL have a little too much surface noise/pops for me. overall, they sound really cool though. i mean, it doesn't drive me crazy or anything.

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 19 January 2007 16:49 (nineteen years ago)

RING TONE IDEA.

xpost.

― caek (caek), Friday, 19 January 2007 16:49 (nineteen years ago)

is that "ultra violet white light"?

yes. and i can't believe i missed this the firt time around. wowser. it's a total trip.

― QuantumNoise (Justin Farrar), Friday, 19 January 2007 16:55 (nineteen years ago)

having said that about electronic stuff, i still might buy the last three kompakt pop ambient albums that they have at the record store on vinyl. if i don't, nobody will.

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 19 January 2007 17:13 (nineteen years ago)

Another vote for CD, for the the "not having to get up and flip it" reason. I have SOTL's "Tired Sounds of..." on vinyl, though, and there's a noticeable jump up in sound quality, I think.

I'm torn on what format to buy the new SOTL in.

― Zachary Scott (Zach S), Friday, 19 January 2007 17:14 (nineteen years ago)

i'd buy it on vinyl, then buy a cheap kranky promo on cd for like $2.

― GOD PUNCH TO HAWKWIND (yournullfame), Friday, 19 January 2007 17:20 (nineteen years ago)

i still listen to my magnog double album on vinyl.

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 19 January 2007 17:21 (nineteen years ago)

i usually only want to play a side or two anyway.

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 19 January 2007 17:21 (nineteen years ago)

but, um, this is all kinda obvious. if a song is 40 minutes long, you aren't gonna want to hear it split up on three sides of a record.

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 19 January 2007 17:25 (nineteen years ago)

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― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Friday, 19 January 2007 19:18 (nineteen years ago)

all the Sky Records pressings of Cluster & Cluster side-projects are terrible -- I tried, but gave up the third time I took home a wrapped copy of Selbstportrait vol II to discover massive clicks & hiss

― milton parker (Jon L), Friday, 19 January 2007 19:30 (nineteen years ago)

it's a weird thing.

1. CDs are easier to listen to, and the way the format plays is more conducive to long periods of listening

2. i (personally) think vinyl sounds better, almost always

3. i still purchase "blissed" things on vinyl, even though i usually put on the CD for longer sessions. i dunno

DOES ANYONE HAVE SOUVLAKI on VINYL?!

― Cameron Octigan (Cameron Octigan), Friday, 19 January 2007 19:54 (nineteen years ago)

"all the Sky Records pressings of Cluster & Cluster side-projects are terrible"

very curious. i had the same problem with a seemingly mint cluster album. i ended up selling it. but i have had other sky stuff that sounded fine.

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 19 January 2007 20:08 (nineteen years ago)

yeah, my copy of the 1st Cluster/Eno record is on Sky and it sounds just fine. curious ...

― Cameron Octigan (Cameron Octigan), Friday, 19 January 2007 20:09 (nineteen years ago)

"DOES ANYONE HAVE SOUVLAKI on VINYL?!"

slowdive's souvlaki? no, i have it on cd. but mostly cuz the u.s. cd has all the cool extra stuff on it. and it sounds great! i listen to loveless on vinyl though. u.s. vinyl copy of isn't anything i had was beyond horrible. sooooo bad. i need a u.k. copy i think. but i'm not in a hurry or anything.

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 19 January 2007 20:12 (nineteen years ago)

Scott,

I've had two copies of Isn't Anything, and they've both been US pressings. Um, the UK Creation press doesn't sound MUCH better but it is a little more full. I think that the recording doesn't translate very well on any of the vinyl versions. At least not the ones I've heard. Isn't there a recent reissue on Plain Recordings?

― Cameron Octigan (Cameron Octigan), Friday, 19 January 2007 20:19 (nineteen years ago)

i'm just so used to my u.k. 12-inch of feed me with yer kiss sounding so MASSIVE and it's sad to hear it so neutered.

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 19 January 2007 20:21 (nineteen years ago)

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