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CD vs. Vinyl
14 December 2007
Preface

This article is not for the faint of heart. It’s long, and very detailed. My goal when writing this was to cover every aspect of the tough selection between Vinyl and CDs. While this article is very detailed, I was not aiming to outright give you a definitive winner. Both are terrific mediums with their ups and downs, it’s up to you, the reader, to decide which fits your needs best. With that out of the way, enjoy, and good luck!

Intro

Not too long ago, the toughest part of becoming a DJ was picking out your mixer. Recently, Vestax and Numark have jumped in to add some more complexity by introducing some rather impressive turntables. Then Pioneer threw everyone a curveball. They introduced the CDJ-1000 tabletop Compact Disc player, and firmly established the CD as an up and coming DJ medium. You see, up until then, if you wanted to scratch, you bought a turntable. The CDJ-1000 introduced a “Vinyl Mode” which allowed the DJ to manipulate the large platter like a record. Denon took another step, and actually has a platter that rotates like a turntable. With the advent of these new tools, the CD has quickly become the medium of choice for many DJs. Now before you even begin to decide what gear you want to purchase, you must first decide which medium you want to spin, CDs or Vinyl.

Depending on whom you ask, you’ll get a wide range of answers to the question “Should I spin CDs or Vinyl.” Some will say Vinyl is dying, and CDs are taking over, so CDs are the way to go. Others say Vinyl will never die, and it’s superior sound, and hands on feel mean there’s no other choice. However, the question remains, what are the differences between the two? Which is better? Which should DJs use? The short answer is both, but what if you can’t afford a CD deck along with two turntables? Which should you start out with then? Well, the answer to that question is much more difficult. There are many factors that come into play, such as cost, ease of use, convenience, sonic quality, and even aesthetics. Sadly, there are huge gray areas when dealing with the facts about CDs and Vinyl, and many opinions are often heavily biased. We asked the members of our forums for their input on this hot subject, and combined with some research of our own, we hope to help shed some light on this important, yet touchy subject. So, without further a due, djforums.com presents CDs v. Vinyl, in the ultimate medium battle.

Sound Quality

The single most important aspect of a DJ’s music is how it sounds. You could have the best track on earth, but if it fails to impact the crowd sonically, you’ll be left with an empty dance floor. CDs and Vinyl may sound alike to the casual listener, but there are vast differences in both sonic clarity, and sonic range. Before I go any further, it’s important to know how CDs and Vinyl records produce the sound you hear.

How CDs work

CDs (short for Compact Disc) are a digital medium, unlike Vinyl, which is analog. Contrary to popular belief, digital does NOT mean purely electronic (while all digital devices are, or interact with, electronic devices, there are electronic devices which function on an analog basis), digital devices work on an On/Off basis. If something is stored digitally on a disc, it’s stored as either a 1 (on) or a 0 (off). If an electrical signal is transmitted digitally, such as with DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) or over Fiber Optic Cable, there must be a signal, such as a voltage pulse (such as with DSL), or a light pulse (as used in Fiber Optics), which signals a 1, no signal would be a 0. On a CD, the music is stored digitally, using a series of “lands and pits,” which the player reads with a laser. If the laser shines over land, the laser is reflected back to an eye, which the player will interpret as a 1. If the laser shines over a pit, the laser is scattered, and the player interprets a 0. Using a computer language called Binary, a digital device is able to translate these ones and zeros into numbers even we could understand.

So now you may understand how a CD stores the data, but how is it read? Think of it like a game of connect the dots. As the player reads the information stored on the CD, it is basically reading a bunch of coordinates telling it what frequency to play at that given time. Coordinate by coordinate, it puts together the information on the disc into what would be the dots in our game. The coordinates gathered are then sent to a Digital to Analog converter, which reads the information, and outputs an analog sound wave by “connecting the dots”. After a few more trips to various filters, amplifiers, and resistors, the signal makes it’s way out of the device, and to the sound source, be it headphones, or speakers.

How Vinyl Works

Vinyl records store the information in a much more simplistic fashion. On a quick glance, you can immediately notice the trademark grooves of a vinyl record. The grooves consist of two walls, which meet at a 90 degree angle at the bottom of the groove, the outside wall being the left channel, the inside being the right on a stereo record. Instead of a reading a digital signal off of the walls, each wall has the actual sound wave cut into them. As the record spins, the stylus (needle) glides over the grooves, and vibrates as it follows the sound wave cut into the wall. This vibration is translated into a weak voltage signal by the cartridge, which is then sent thru the turntable, and to the mixer (or a “Phono” input if your turntable is connected directly to a shelf system). The signal is amplified slightly before being sent on it’s way to the sound source, be it an amplified shelf system, PA system, powered speaker, or headphones.

Which sounds better and why?

Confusing? Sure, but very important, for without understanding how the respective mediums produce their sound, you may not be able to understand the answer to an important question: Which sounds better? The short answer, Vinyl, because the information is stored in an analog fashion. Remember the game of connect the dots I mentioned earlier? Well, it’s important to understand that analogy when considering this question, as this part is tricky. When working with a game of connect the dots, you see all the dots at once, and are just filling in the lines. CD players don’t see all the coordinates, just the most recent coordinate read. To get an idea, take a look at the image below.
Currently you can see all the dots, but what if you couldn’t? If you covered the dots with a peice of paper, and tried to connect them, keeping the next dot covered untill the last second, you’d get an idea of what CD players do. Now, considering the Digital to Analog converter doesn’t know the following coordinate, it simply holds the frequency until it receives the next coordinate; visually, the sound wave would resemble a staircase. While to the casual listener it may sound like a pure analog wave, it is not. The jagged, abrupt, change of frequencies and amplitude negatively effect the sound, giving it a cold, harsh feel. To offset this, CD quality sound is produced at a high frequency and bitrate (44,100 kilohertz and 16 bits for most common CDs). This enables the CD to store a large number of coordinates in a short span of time. The more coordinates, the smaller the “steps”, and the smoother the DA converter can make the curves.

Sound waves are purely analog, and have very smooth curves, flowing from frequency to frequency, and changing amplitude smoothly. Because the wave is stored on vinyl exactly as it was originally produced*, it retains this smoothness, and warmth. While listening to a song on a CD player may satisfy the casual listener, listening to that same song on a turntable with a high quality sound system will send chills up your spine. Also, CD players are capped at frequencies between 20hz-20Khz. Even though humans can’t hear outside of that range, we can feel it. A vinyl record can produce low sounds that may add a “punch” to the bass kick we can feel, enhancing the listening experience. A quick note, while the record may contain the purest sound, a good stylus is needed to accurately reproduce the sound. So, while an average CD player on a cheap sound system may sound ok, a decent turntable/stylus playing though a decent sound system will sound far superior than even the best CD player can aspire to.

Additional Sound Quality Factors

So, vinyl produces a better sound, end of story right? Wrong, there’s much more to the sound reproduction than that. You may have noticed I’m calling records Vinyl throughout this article. There’s a simple reason for this, the majority of records you buy in stores are made out of Vinyl. While vinyl is cheap, and can be seen everywhere from your car’s dash, to your kitchen floor, it’s not perfect. Because records must be read with a stylus to reproduce the sound**, there is a constant friction on the walls of the grooves. Temps can easily reach over 300* at the point where the stylus and wall meet, gradually melting, and shaving material away. If you have you’re needles improperly set up with too much weight, or if you scratch a lot, it’s very easy to increase the wear, chewing away at the walls of the record. This wear is a fact of life, and cannot be avoided, only minimized. When the records wear, the sound degrades. It’ll become muddy, or scratchy over time, and may eventually become unplayable in any situation but a casual listen. Cleaning, and proper stylus and turntable setup both will aide in reducing wear, and extending the life of your precious vinyl.

A big plus CDs have going for them, is their lack of wear. They aren’t invincible, over time the glues holding the disc together degrade, rendering the disc useless, however, this can take as long as 100 years. CD’s may skip after sustaining a scratch, or becoming dirty, but they are simple to clean, and there are repair kits that buff the surface smooth. Burning a backup copy of a favorite CD ensures you always have a perfect copy when you need one, with no loss of sound quality. CD’s are a very durable medium, and when properly stored, they can usually outlast their owner. Sadly, the same can’t be said for vinyl, so while vinyl may produce a better sound, it won’t last forever.

Another issue when using vinyl is their susceptibility to dirt and oils. No matter how clean your hands are, they contain oils, which are easily transferred to the surface of the record. As dirt and oil collect, they “smooth” out the walls of the groove, reducing sound quality, and giving records that trademark “crackle.” Dirt also plays hell on styli, acting like sandpaper and dulling the diamond tip, while at the same time rubbing away at the walls. If a vinyl record is not kept clean, its life will decrease dramatically, as will the life of the stylus. For a detailed explanation on how to keep your records clean, be sure to check out Mr. Smashy’s record cleaning guide. CDs, on the other hand, have little problems with dirt. The laser used is powerful enough to shine thru oil, dust, and even small scratches on the surface, and a quick rub down with a shirt is usually enough to get them to play properly. Simply keeping a CD in its jewel case, or a sleeve is enough to keep them in perfect working condition for years.

While an analog medium may sound better, they are susceptible to static, and outside noise. Analog devices require precise voltage readings from the sound source; any noise added can alter the voltage, negatively affecting the sound. Any problems in the signal chain from the record to the mixer can add hiss, hum, or even pops to the sound. Turntables are usually grounded (there are a few exceptions) to help prevent noise, but it’s not failsafe. CDs, again, have fewer problems with noise because of their digital nature. Because a digital device only needs to see a 1, or a 0, it can ignore minor voltage differences, and still produce a clean sound. Because of this, the signal to noise ratio on most CD players is much higher than that on even high-end turntables.

Finally, vibrations have a huge impact on a vinyl record. Most people know that a sharp bump or rough handling will cause the needle to jump, many people don’t know that outside vibrations are also picked up sonically. If you remember above, I mentioned the styli work by following the walls, and vibrating depending on how the waves are cut. So anything from a high output sub, a truck driving by, someone dancing near the stage, a tap on the record, and even the vibrations of the turntable motor can be heard through the sound system. Turntable companies have taken steps to reduce outside vibrations. Most have heavy, solid bases that don’t transmit vibrations well, quiet, smooth running motors, and soft rubber feet to absorb unwanted vibrations. While these measures help, a strong enough vibration can still make it’s way to the stylus. Again, this is a problem CDs don’t have to deal with, to a certain extent. While a sharp jolt can knock the laser off track, vibrations don’t have any affect on the sound, again, because of it’s digital nature. To circumvent skipping, all but the cheapest CD players have some means of absorbing shock. Most suspend the disc using a type of suspension to absorb shock. Some even have a buffer that stores music (some devices have buffers which can store almost a minute of music), and read ahead. The information is read, and stored in the buffer, before the DA converter reads it. So, if there is a strong enough shock to cause the laser to skip, the device can continue to read from the buffer, playing uninterrupted, while the laser tracks back to the proper location.

So, while a turntable may reproduce a song more accurately than a CD, it does have it’s downfalls. Vinyl wears out, is susceptible to dirt and oil, and because it’s an analog medium, outside noise and vibrations play a big factor. CDs on the other hand may produce an inferior sound, but that sound will remain constant throughout the life of the CD, without the worry of outside noise or vibrations altering the sound. Before you call CDs a winner, remember, most turntables are designed so outside factors are reduced, and although vinyl wears, it takes a lot of plays before it’s sound quality degrades noticeably. Keeping a record clean will help ensure it will keep it’s owner pleased for years to come.

Scratchability

Sound quality isn’t the only deciding factor in this battle. A major aspect of being a DJ is manipulating the song, be it scratching, queuing, or beat matching. Vinyl has one major advantage in this situation; you can physically touch the record. When you manipulate a record, everything is in real time, heard instantly when the record is moved. The tactile feel of a record helps DJs control the record when scratching, or even queuing. By being able to touch a record the DJ has a level of control, feel, and even pleasure a CD cannot replicate. To circumvent this, Pioneer and Denon have introduced CD players with a large platter the user can manipulate like a record. While a welcomed feature, it isn’t perfect. There are delays in when the wheel is moved, and the sound reacts, also, the Pioneer platter doesn’t spin, which makes it feel unnatural for the DJ to use. The Denon unit took Pioneer’s idea one-step further, and made the platter simulate a turntable, by rotating. However, the torque of the platter isn’t as high as a high-end turntable’s, and the scratch sounds are simulated. Vinyl isn’t without its flaws either. As mentioned earlier, dirt and oil from your fingers will gather in the grooves, reducing sound quality. Also, vinyl can skip under hard scratching, while under even the hardest scratching, a CD holds tight. Poor styli, low-end turntables, and unsteady stands exacerbate the situation. Turntable companies have made strides in reducing skip, most notably Vestax with their PDX-2000. Some vinyl records have shallow grooves, which can make them difficult to queue, and damn near impossible to scratch. I have a record that jumps with even the lightest bump on my SL1200 M3Ds, which can be very stressful when playing live.

Portability

If you’re at a party, it’s always easy to recognize a DJ. He’s the one with the huge crate, or the bag filled with records. Personally, I bring my set, as well as enough records incase I’m invited to spin an after party. All in all, a full case can easily weigh well over 50 pounds. This brings us to CDs biggest advantage, portability. Vinyl is heavy, large, and you can only fit a few songs on one record. Most modern electronic dance songs are over 5 minutes long, which would mean you could fit around 6 tracks on one record. Considering full albums are usually 10-15 tracks, you may have as many as 3 records for any given album. In sharp contrast, CDs are roughly 5 inches in diameter, weigh next to nothing, and one CD can hold around 80 minutes of music. A DJ who spins CDs can bring a CD wallet he purchased at the local music shop, and have enough music for hours. With recent CD burning, and compression technologies, it’s possible for a DJ to have enough songs for a 5 hour set on 2 CDs!

A CD’s portability isn’t without its drawbacks however. As I mentioned, with the advent of CD burners, and music compression, it’s possible to put only the tracks you intend to spin on a CD, however, there can be serious issues. If you spin at a bar, and someone asks you to play the hottest song, if you don’t have it, you can simply download it, right? Well, not really. The Recording Industry Association of America, (RIAA) is cracking down on music pirates, going as far as to subpoena Kaaza users. If you download music off the Internet, and play it publicly, you are violating copyright laws, and can face hefty fines, or even jail time if caught, so do so at your own risk. Also, MP3s have a lower sound quality than normal CD tracks because of the compression. While an average listener won’t notice, even high quality MP3s have audible artifacts, which can reduce their sonic impact on a crowd. However, these caveats are easily overlooked considering the ease of transporting your music.

Affordability

DJing isn’t a cheap endeavor; turntables cost around $400 each, plus anywhere from $50 to $200 for the cartridge, mixers range anywhere from $100 to $2000, and CD players can cost from $300 to $1500. Then there’s the cost of music. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars at once just record shopping, and I’ve easily spent thousands of dollars on music since I’ve started. This is another area where CDs benefit. You’re average CD costs $15, you’re average record costs $8-10. Also remember that a CD may have 15 tracks on it, where the vinyl may just be a single. It is possible to find vinyl tracks for around $3-5, however. Buying music adds up very quickly, I can’t count the times I’ve started shopping looking for 1 or 2 records, only to end up with 6 or 7. At $10 a pop, plus shipping, you can easily spend over $50 for just a few records.

The cheap cost of CDs, and their portability may swing a lot of people over, however, there is one major issue. If you plan to spin electronic dance music, 90% of all the tracks are released on Vinyl first. Those that do make it to CD are usually recorded from vinyl, and then burned on a CD. Even if you spin Hip-Hop, it’s very common for special remixes to be released on Vinyl, and never make it to CD. Most vinyl Hip-Hop records also have an instrumental, and some even have an acapella, something that can be next to impossible to find on CD. It’s imperative for a DJ to have fresh music, and currently, it’s very difficult to keep you music collection fresh without spinning vinyl. However, thanks to the cheap cost of CD Burners, and blank CD media, it’s simple to take a track on vinyl, and convert it to CD.

The Hardware Factor

The final aspect in deciding which medium you want to spin is the hardware factor. I’ve mentioned the Pioneer and Denon units a few times, and many DJs are familiar with the Technic SL1200, but we can’t forget the many other brands of CD players and turntables from companies such as Vestax, Numark, American DJ, Gemini, and Stanton. There are a wide variety of tools, and for the most part, they’re features remain constant respective to their medium. For example, all DJ turntables have a Start/Stop button, a 33/45 RPM selector, and a pitch slider. All CDs players have Play, Pause, Stop, Fast Forward, Reverse, and a pitch slider similar to a turntable’s. However, there are differences amongst the ranks. I’m not going to go into detail regarding the specific models, but I will touch on the more common high end features that may appeal to someone trying to decide which medium to start with.

CD Players

Modern CD players are loaded with features. Most high-end units have built in effects, such as Wah, Zip, and Echo. Others include features to allow you to swap CDs without interrupting the music. Others have the ability to store queue points, so you can simply select a cue point, and the CD player will automatically seek to it, much like placing a needle at a specific point on a record. Some even offer a “key adjust” feature, which allows the tempo of the track to be changed without altering the pitch. Many now offer beat counters, so at a glance, you can know how fast, or slow the track is. CD Text is increasingly popular, enabling the DJ to see the name of the track quickly, and easily (this feature only works on CD Text encoded CDs). As mentioned before, all but the worst CD players have an anti-skip mechanism; most use a suspension, others have a buffer as well. Many units also have a wide range of pitch adjustment, some going as far as a 100% change. Add on the scratch features that are becoming popular, the ability to play MP3s, their high SN Ratio, and you have one feature packed tool. Turntables, on the other hand, are remarkably simple. Most have engineered their tone arms to reduce outside noise, and skipping as much as possible. Others have added wide range pitch adjustments, key adjust, BPM counters of their own, adjustable start/stop time, and even a reverse function. Numark even introduced a unit with user replaceable tone arms. When it comes to features, high-end CD players blow turntables out of the water.

Of course, as I have proved time and time again, nothing is without its downfalls. As was the case with sonic reproduction, the fact a CD is digital comes back to haunt it. A key part of being a DJ is accurately beat matching two tracks, something a CD deck can make very difficult. Because of their digital nature, a CDs pitch control doesn’t have an infinite resolution. For example, most units have the pitch on the display, which is usually accurate right down to the hundredth of a percent. Sadly, 2.01% is quite a large jump from 2.02%. This gap in pitch adjustment can make it difficult to keep two tracks together for any period of time. Fortunately, CD players usually have a jog wheel, a pitch bend feature, or both. The jog wheel can be rotated to speed up, or slow down a song, helping to keep the tracks together. The pitch bend feature allows the DJ to press a button to speed up a track a few percent, while the button is depressed, helping to keep the tracks aligned. For beginners, this may prove difficult, but over time it’s easy to become accustom too.

Turntables

Turntables, on the other hand, don’t suffer from any such problems***. Because of their analog nature, their resolution is infinite, meaning it’s possible to speed a track up by a fraction of a percent. This makes it much easier to properly beat match two tracks, without constantly working with the turntable. Do remember, not every production is perfect. It’s possible for a record’s BPM to shift near the end of the track, meaning the DJ has to continually monitor the song. This is where the feel of vinyl also comes into play. For many DJs it’s much easier to “bump” a record, or drag the platter than to press a button and hope for the best. Plus, once the records are re-aligned, a small adjustment to the pitch will help keep things together for the duration of the mix. Also, while the CD player may have a lot of neat features built in, there are tricks that just aren’t possible on a CD player. For example, some DJs may “tap” in a beat by tapping the label of the record. I’ve seen another DJ put a rubber band around the tone arm, and play it like a guitar, with amazing results. Other DJs use the turntable like an actual instrument, playing it using special records, and manipulating the tone arm. While a simple device, the DJ turntable is an incredibly powerful tool.

Conclusion

As you can see, there is much more to deciding which medium to use than someone may lead on. It’s important to know the technical aspect of each medium, as well as what the advantages and disadvantages are. I hope we were able to shed some light on this tricky subject, and were able to help you better make your decision. Remember, when deciding CDs or Vinyl, the best choice is both. However, if you must choose one or the other, read this article carefully, and decide what negatives you can live with, and what positives you feel are required. Good luck.

Notes

* - Songs, which are to be cut to vinyl, are run through a special RIAA equalization curve. The curve helps to prevent distortion, and sonic problems, which may be introduced when the record is cut. The curve is “reversed” on playback so the original recording is accurately reproduced.

** - There is a special turntable that reads records with a laser instead of a stylus. It is still a true analog instrument, however, it is not designed for DJ use, and is VERY expensive.

*** - I have come across turntables, which do use a digital pitch adjustment, leading to the same frustrations when dealing with a CD player.

written by Just J
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