Mandatory Fun On Vinyl LP

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WeirdBillWX
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Mandatory Fun On Vinyl LP

Post by WeirdBillWX »

Greetings everyone!
If there's already a thread for the vinyl edition, sorry. A quick look and I couldn't find one.
If you have a turntable, get the LP edition. It's MANDATORY! :great:
The vinyl LP version is obviously mastered from a higher resolution master of the album. (As was also the case with Alpocalypse.) The digital compression is also less than the CD version. I won't get all audiophile on here, but the overall sound is very nice. I'm not talking about digital vs. analog or anything. There's vinyl LPs out there that are just the CD master dropped onto an LP. That isn't the case with Mandatory Fun, it's the real deal. The frequency range goes into the 30+K range in places (not 44.1K for CD).
I noticed the cymbal crashes, drums and faded background sounds are much smoother sounding than the CD.
Note that the LP edition also comes with a digital download of 320K MP3 files, but they are 44.1K and compressed - like the CD.
As a side note (and a shameless plug), I'll be playing selections during my live radio show today (Sat. August 9, 2014) between 5-7pm EDT on Lost Planet Radio. ( http://radio.thelostplanet.net/liveroom.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ) It's a variety show, so there will be other stuff. Of course the digital stream will cut the audio quality a bit, but if anyone wants to listen in, you can get an idea of how the LP sounds.
The other nice thing about the LP is, of course, the larger sized cover art. The LP is in a regular white sleeve and Sony added an insert with the lyrics and other album info. Another nice touch is custom art labels. (Alpocalypse has plain red labels with black print.)
Keep rocking! It's MANDATORY!

-Bill...aka WeirdBillWX..aka BillWX
I made an effort to avoid word crimes. I always do. ;)
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TMBJon
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Re: Mandatory Fun On Vinyl LP

Post by TMBJon »

Thanks for sharing, Bill! I do have the vinyl but I don't own a record player yet. Soon!
How does Inactive sound compared to the CD? Are any of the compression/sampling issues resolved on vinyl or is it still kinda shitty?
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Marc
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Re: Mandatory Fun On Vinyl LP

Post by Marc »

Hey, Bill ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swG6Rry9Tss" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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WeirdBillWX
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Re: Mandatory Fun On Vinyl LP

Post by WeirdBillWX »

TMBJon wrote:Thanks for sharing, Bill! I do have the vinyl but I don't own a record player yet. Soon!
How does Inactive sound compared to the CD? Are any of the compression/sampling issues resolved on vinyl or is it still kinda shitty?
No problem. Give a listen for yourself! I made a short clip of "Inactive" from the CD and the LP. You can download the zipped file at http://www.thelostplanet.net/WeirdAl/WA ... CDclip.zip" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; . (Both are 24bit/48k, even though the CD is only 16bit/44.1K. I recorded both with the same settings.)
That particular song isn't the best to show off the overall sound though. Knowing Al is a perfectionist, that song has some digital "compression/crunchiness" for effect and on purpose. One thing that is quickly noticeable is the LP isn't as compressed and "crowded" - it's not as loud, but also you can hear the elements easier. Some people will like the overly loud and higher frequency boost on the CD though. (Most are mastered that way these days.)

Marc.....NO! I am NEVER playing that single on my radio show EVER AGAIN! I should have followed Yoko's screaming with "Sports Song". After she screeches, have Al scream "You suck!" :whoot:

Enjoy!

-Bill...aka..WeirdBillWX...aka...oh forget it, I give up.
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Bridger987
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Re: Mandatory Fun On Vinyl LP

Post by Bridger987 »

After listening to the two clips in that ZIP file, I noticed an audible difference. My turntable (or my cartridge, or stylus, or something) isn't very good, so the LP doesn't sound very good being played on it. Even so, I noticed a big difference in the clips that Bill posted.

I scanned the files using the DR14 T.meter (link), and I got these results:

Code: Select all

cd.flac: 	 DR 5
lp.flac: 	 DR 9
I had to convert the files to FLAC to allow the program to scan them, but that wouldn't have affected the dynamic range. In any case, that's a huge difference. I'd love it if there ended up being an illegal high-quality vinyl rip of Mandatory Fun out there somewhere. Not that I should encourage that sort of thing here. :F

If there ended up being a high-resolution digital download of the album (perhaps with a sampling rate of at least 96khz, a bit depth of 24, and the better dynamic range and mastering that is found on the LP), I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Now that Al's independent, maybe he could use services like Bandcamp or HD Tracks that allow for that sort of thing.

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Re: Mandatory Fun On Vinyl LP

Post by jbrodax »

i need to start use FLAC too...mp3 started to be bad after i bought better headphones.
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Troodon
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Re: Mandatory Fun On Vinyl LP

Post by Troodon »

I've actually started a collection of Weird Al LPs for display purposes; framed album covers make great displays and all of Al's albums feature great album art (his debut album especially). I don't even own a record player currently (though I'm seriously considering getting one, mainly for the sake of listening to music I can't find any other way) so I can't comment on the sound quality. I have heard Al's debut album played on vinyl though, and it does seem somewhat "crisper" than the CD version, but that may very well be due to the CD being an afterthought (the first Weird Al album released on CD during its initial release was "Dare to Be Stupid"). I am agnostic in the whole CD vs LP debate; CDs are just more convenient to listen to (record players are not particularly portable lol) but I have nothing against vinyl in general. I think a lot of people just prefer the aesthetic. Oddly I never hear people say they prefer VHS, beta, or laserdiscs to DVDs, nor do I ever hear anyone enthuse about listening to music on cassettes, 8-tracks, or wax cylinders. Vinyl is definitely the most popular obsolete recording medium, for reasons... I'd say nostalgia, but I hear enthusiasm from people born well after records fell by the wayside so it can't just be that. I've heard arguments about sound quality, but I've seen such arguments go both ways, and supposed objective proof seems inconclusive (I've seen people use exactly the same arguments and data to support both sides; it's like listening to a political debate lol...). But I won't deny there is a certain tactile allure to holding a record you just don't get with a CD. I'm just not totally swayed to the vinyl side of the fence yet.

P.S. For the record (pun only slightly intended lol) I own "Weird Al" Yankovic, In 3-D, Dare to Be Stupid, Alpocalypse, and Mandatory Fun on vinyl. I intend on acquiring other Weird Al LPs in the near future. I won't be going after rarities though until I have something to play them on lol... I want Peter and the Wolf but I won't buy it on LP until I either have the CD first or a record player to play the LP on.
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anthontherun
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Re: Mandatory Fun On Vinyl LP

Post by anthontherun »

For the record (no pun intended)--if you don't have this yet, it's available for just $9.13 (+ $1.29 shipping) at GoHastings.
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Kevbo1987
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Re: Mandatory Fun On Vinyl LP

Post by Kevbo1987 »

Thanks for the heads-up, Anth! It's up to $13.04 now, but that's still a good price. At that price, I may buy it just for the sake of adding it to my collection (and supporting Al, of course).
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