vinyl drag

Oct 26

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Three days have passed since I received my lovely slab of vinyl and since then I’ve only achieved a few minor things in the way of the project. Of course I’ve left it out of it’s protective packaging all day and all night since Thursday - which has attracted all sorts of dust mites that may live in my bedroom, I’ve scratched a spiral onto the blank side with a knife (which addmitedly probably does nothing to affect the sound side) and have run my finger nails and other plastic objects across the grooves several times.

All pretty minor stuff, but still, the change in audio quality is quite drastic; the clicks and pops that are ubiquitous amongst older records from the ’70s have found their way very quickly and there seems to be a large amount of unwanted noise, almost like it’s been run through a crude distortion pedal.

Oct 25

This is the video that truly started to get the ball rolling concerning this project. I got this video from the university library back in 2008 as I was studying György Ligeti and in particular this composition Atmosphéres for an essay I was writing.

The original video was recorded from a BBC 2 broadcast in 1991 and since then has probably been played hundreds of times by students at the university. This overuse gave a really lovely warbling effect at various parts on the audio track and glitches in the visuals; which isn’t so noticeable in this version, but the first time I watched it was very interesting.

This got me thinking about the vulnerability of analog media such as video tape, cassette and vinyl, and how simple it becomes to, in a way, alter the resulting outcome of analog media through degradation.

The video presented here was recorded directly into Final Cut Pro from the original videotape in all it’s degraded glory.

Oct 23

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Original Track:

The record arrived in the mail this morning. Here it is; recorded before any modifications or manipulations have taken place on it’s poor unsuspecting self. I will be recording it from now on at the same volume levels as this one, with the same needle and the same cables so any loss in audio will be due to the degradation rather than a change of equipment.

Oct 22

The vinyl is on its way! It was cut yesterday at the lovely (and comparitively very cheap) Dub Studio and should be winging its way to me right now.

It all begins soon.

Oct 17

Introduction to Vinyl Drag

Vinyl Drag is an experiment. An experiment that takes place on an unsuspecting slab of 12” vinyl.

We all know that vinyl records are vulnerable, and need to be treated with respect. Keeping to this rule I’ve always been mindful of the way that I handle all vinyl that I come across.

Now it’s time to see what happens when I don’t follow the rules. Everything that happens to this poor slab of “wax” are things that can and probably do happen around the home such as being left out of its sleeve, having a number of items dropped onto its surface and generally having a bad life.

The track that is featured on the poor record is one that I did in collaboration with my good friend Sebastian, and the vinyl has been mastered and cut by Dub Studio and can be heard here.

Over the next few months I’m going to document the degredation that takes place on this poor record right here on this tumblelog.