There are many reasons to love LP’s. They sound great, they look beautiful and they usually add something extra to the listening experience. Vinyls have been seeing a resurgence in popularity lately, but there are some concerns within the community that need to be addressed. We won’t go into detail here, but they mostly revolve around quality control.
This trend of music being free and vinyl being a higher price is worrying, especially since records are becoming rarer. If your record didn’t get stored properly when it was produced or in stores, it might arrive warped. Very minor warping is unlikely to cause any problems.
Although it sounds strange, some LPs sometimes skip or create tracking errors. This is because the record bends during use. Some collectors might try to fix them by a variety of methods. One approach is apply heat to two layers of glass with a vinyl between them. This really is the debatable type but some people will rightly point out that there’s always the chance of ruining your record if it gets dirty.
If you buy a new album and it arrives warped, you should send it back. Sadly, due to them being placed horizontally while they’re in stores, they’re more likely to become warped.
Top Reasons Why New Vinyl Sounds Bad
Ever bought a vinyl in state of excitement only to find that it warped? We’ve been there too. Most of us know that crappy sound quality can turn an otherwise awesome experience.
If you’re thinking about throwing something away, review the following steps first.
1. Check if the Record is Warped
If your vinyl was not properly stored during its production or at its retail store, it may arrive damaged. While minor warping is unlikely, a warped record can cause serious problems. However, if the record has been stored improperly during production or at its retail location, it may skip tracks or cause tracking problems in extreme circumstances.
If your record arrives damaged, you must return it. We have a post that explains how to fix or prevent vinyl warping.
2. Check for Vinyl Debris
You should take a look at your vinyl to check for excessive noise. Surface noise refers to sounds such as clicks, pops, and hisses that are out of place while you play a melody on vinyl or record players.
As a best practice, I always wet clean my vinyl before it is played. Many times, the plates are contaminated right from the factory. They need to be cleaned easily.
Use a microfiber cloth or a toothbrush to quickly clean your new disc.
If you don’t see any clarity from the wet cleaning, it could be that your blood pressure is too high. You may be able to attribute some surface noise to the natural beauty of the beast. However, strong surface noise on a brand new recording is unacceptable. What is too much? It all depends on who you ask.
You need more information? You may need to clean your vinyl record player or record player from time-to-time.
3. Check if the Vinyl has an Off-Center Record Pressing
An off-center pressing refers to an album whose spindle hole is not in the middle of the grooves. The worst offenders are discs that have been pressed off-center. This means the spindle hole in the middle of the grooves is not located.
This pressing error can cause small discrepancies when the disc rotates at different speeds, which will result in audible noises and a change to the pitch of the flutter. It will be louder if you play longer chords or notes.
If one of the records is out-of-center, it will cause the entire package to be disabled. Any replacement record will most likely face the exact same problem. A slight deviation from the center of the recording should not cause problems if it is not too far away from the center.
If your recordings are distorted or sounding bad, you can return the vinyl and receive a new one if possible. If your vinyl isn’t new and cannot be refunded, you can still fix it.
You can fix this problem by slicing the spindle hole with your knife and manually centering the recording each time you play it back. You can secure the disc with the recording clip. This is far from ideal.
4. Check the Overall Quality of Your New Vinyl
In any case, if your vinyl is new and the problem persists we highly recommend you get a replacement as soon as you can. Vinyl has become strangely popular in the past decade and people are discovering why it’s so popular. The issue of quality control for vinyl is a serious one for record players who deeply love the medium. In order to meet the needs of new members, production often dips in quality.
It’s always a good idea to check out what other buyers have said about the product you’re about to buy. Choosing the store upfront that sells quality records will save readers from a lot of hassle, who knows what would happen if you didn’t have any other options to choose from.
5. Check the Bubbles on the Record Surface
These are tiny bubbles or dimples on the vinyl that make a loud popping noise when the needle passes through them.
These shortcomings are undoubtedly a serious mistake. We’ve heard all sorts of explanations for what causes them, from air entering the stamping to insufficient amount of separating agent used during pressing.
If you notice anything wrong with your new record purchases, then please request an exchange or refund.
6. Check for an Inconsistent Colored Records
The final topic I wanted to address with you is something that might not be as big of a deal but should really be mentioned. Vinyl has a few inconsistencies and one example is different shades of a color on a solid colored vinyl record as pictured below.
It might sound nitpicky, but I think it would make sense if new records were as close to perfect as can be. Vinyl is often seen as a premium luxury item, so it’s important they are exactly right. As a consumer, you deserve better and that’s our goal.
The Bottom Line: Supply & Demand
A major question for vinyl lovers is demand outstripping supply. While some pressing plants are better than others, many well-meaning ones are struggling to keep up with demand.
There have been a number of new record plants opening in the recent years, but there is still a feeling among vinyl fans that the quality control is still an issue.
We need to get the number of faulty records down or year-on-year sales growth will stop. That only comes from investing in improving manufacturing standards, so more companies can take part in the market.
I think people who still buy vinyl records will always be a minority. The best thing you can do as a vinyl consumer is vote with your feet and keep buying vinyl when possible. If a product is faulty, we recommend you return it right away. It’s important to keep the industry accountable, and this is the simplest way to tell if they’re at fault.
FAQ for Reasons Why New Vinyl Sounds Bad
What are the reasons why new vinyl sounds bad?
The sound quality of vinyl is usually seen as the main reason why new vinyl sounds bad. The other reasons are not so clear, but they can be related to the way that they were recorded or the people who mastered them.
Why does vinyl sound different from digital music?
One of the reasons vinyl sounds different is because it is a physical medium. It has grooves etched into a flat disc that are read by a needle, which follows the lines and produces sound. Digital music, on the other hand, is played back through speakers and stored as data on your computer or phone.
Another reason vinyl sounds different is because it was recorded with an old-fashioned analog recording process. This process captures all of the sound waves in their original form and then converts them to digital information (1s and 0s) for storage.
Digital music, on the other hand, was recorded using modern digital recording processes that reduce what’s called “noise” or unwanted sound in order to make it easier to store large amounts of music on your phone or computer.
What is the difference between analog and digital sound?
Analog sound is an audio signal that has been converted from analog to a digital signal. Digital sound on the other hand is a sound file containing data in the form of numbers.
The difference between analog and digital sound lies in the way they are recorded and stored. Analog sounds are converted into digital signals through a process called digitization, which converts them into numerical values. Digital sounds are made up of numerical values, which makes them easier to manipulate.
What are the benefits of listening to vinyl?
Listening to vinyl is a great way to enjoy music. It has a lot of benefits like it’s more enjoyable and relaxing, you can collect records, it sounds better than digital music, and it can be an investment.
The main reason people love vinyl is because they feel that the sound quality is better than digital music. They also enjoy the fact that they can collect records from all different artists and genres. Vinyl is also seen as an investment.
Listening to vinyl has many benefits like being more enjoyable and relaxing, you can collect records, it sounds better than digital music, and it can be an investment.
What is a new trend in music consumption?
In the past, music used to be sold in physical formats. But now, the industry has shifted towards digital downloads. Music streaming services like Spotify and Pandora are becoming more popular than ever.
Music streaming services have been around for a while now but they were not as popular as they are today. The reason behind this is because people are now willing to pay for music rather than downloading it illegally on the internet. Streaming services offer a lot of benefits such as no advertisements, unlimited listening and offline listening without any additional cost.
Why does the quality of vinyl vary?
Vinyl is a material that has been used in the production of records for over 70 years. It is also the most expensive type of record, with one LP costing around $28-$35. The quality of vinyl varies depending on the manufacturer, and this can lead to some records sounding better than others.
What are the main issues with new vinyl?
One of the main issues with new vinyl is that it is not as durable as old vinyl.
Another issue with new vinyl is that it can be scratched easily.
New vinyl also lacks the color depth and clarity of old vinyl.
What are the reasons for the decline in vinyl sales?
There are many reasons for the decline in vinyl sales. The first reason is the increase in popularity of streaming services. With streaming services, people can listen to music on demand and not have to worry about having a vinyl collection.
Another reason is that people are listening to music less and less on their own devices. Instead they are using Spotify or Apple Music while they’re out and about so they don’t have to carry around a bunch of records with them.
The third reason for the decline in vinyl sales is that it’s hard to find all your favorite albums on vinyl anymore, especially if you’re looking for more obscure bands or albums from decades ago. For example, if you want the latest album by Beyonce, you will be able to find it on iTunes or Amazon but not on vinyl.
Who is to blame for the decline in vinyl sales?
In the past few decades, vinyl has been making a comeback. From the early 2000s to now, vinyl sales have increased by more than 20%. However, in recent years, vinyl sales have declined. What could be causing this?
There are many different factors that could be contributing to the decline in vinyl sales. It is hard for anyone to pinpoint why exactly it is declining as there are so many different factors that can contribute to it.
One of these factors may be that people are not buying records as much because they can just stream music and listen to their favorite albums on Spotify or Pandora. Another factor may be that people don’t want to buy a physical copy of an album if they can get it from the library or download it illegally online for free.