In the Grooves

When tiny diamond-studded needles swim through the grooves of a 12-inch black plastic disc, the world of vinyl collectors rejoices. Even in the age of the MP3, after cassettes and compact discs went the way of the 8-track, record collectors are a formidable pack of music lovers. One member of that pack, IU alum Martin Gimenez, said records have the upper hand on digital music. "I'm an audio engineer, so I know the fundamental differences between vinyl and CDs," he said. "If I buy a record, I know I'm getting something that is analog through and through." The difference is not an easy one to understand, but analog sound is recorded on a continuous surface, such as a vinyl groove or the magnetic field of a tape. When it is played back, analog sound is the actual sound of the surface on which the music was recorded. Digital music works a little differently. The analog sounds created by voices and instruments are converted into digital code, and the code is then burned onto a CD. What the listener hears on playback is a digital interpretation of the analog sound. "If you really listen to music, you can tell the difference," said IU-Bloomington law student Justin Treasure. "It's miniscule, but it's there." Gimenez, now an audio engineering professor at West Virginia University, said he has used his students as test mice to study the difference between the two sounds. "In my class we'll have A-B comparisons between vinyl and CDs," he said. "Even though the CDs are much newer, the vinyl holds its own." A Day at TD's
Tucked beneath Laughing Planet through a few low corridors around Soma, TD's CDs and LPs is one of Bloomington's havens for vinyl collectors. Patrons routinely discuss trends in music while shuffling through the store's selections. "For a beginning collector, get all those Motown things," Gimenez said. "And old jazz." Treasure had his own tips for building a solid collection. "Buy some old stuff, some new stuff," he said. "Something from different eras. Get yourself some Miles Davis albums, or even Sinatra. And Sumday by Grandaddy. Everyone should know that album." Gimenez said that, along with an original copy of REM's Chronictown, an album he found at a recent shopping spree keeps him coming back for more vinyl. "I found an original They Might Be Giants album," he said. "I found that, and I practically shat myself." The Look
Many vinyl collectors at TD's find solace in the appearance of records, as music for the sake of art. "Look at picture discs," Gimenez said. "When the disc is the artwork, it's fucking beautiful." And that opinion finds little resistance, even among those in favor of digital music. It's tough to deny the romance involved with the vinyl record, from the Victrola to the Hi-Fi. Michael Anderson, TD's employee, musician and avid music collector, said he finds that romanticism is the saving grace of vinyl. "I think a lot of people fetishize over it," Anderson said. "People don't like the non-art of CDs." Anderson, also the lead singer of local band Turn Pale, said digital sound is a superior alternative to analog. "A far as sound quality goes, I think a lot of people overemphasize the warmth of vinyl," he said. "Nowadays, you get a lot of kids who talk about how much infinitely better vinyl sounds, but they're playing records on an old player with a shitty needle on a digital receiver. They're not capitalizing on the technology." Gimenez dissented. "It does have a different sound," he said. "It's a different era of listening. You get that with bands like Sigur Rós. I guess I like that stuff because I'm a pretentious fuck." Anderson agreed that many vinyl afficionados are pretentious. "He knows all the right things to say," the vinyl-phobe said. "But he's just babbling music talk. I only buy CDs. I don't have to flip it every 20 minutes." The Voice of Reason
Last November, when TD's founder Tom Donohue passed away, Jason Nickey took the reigns of the basement record shop. A longtime collector of music, Nickey traces his love of vinyl back to his childhood. "A lot of it is, it's what I grew up with," he said. "I've never been without a turntable. I brought mine with me to college, and I think I was the only kid in my dorm with one." While many music buffs enjoy the ease of use of the digital medium, Nickey said part of his fondness for vinyl comes from the clunkiness of the record. "I like the inconvenience of it," he said. "There's too much music out there. When I listen to MP3s, it's like I'm swimming in this soup of songs and I can't tell you anything about it. But when I listen to records, I have to go home, look through my collection, pick out a record, put it on the turntable, then flip it to the other side. I like the hassle." Nickey also points to the long history of the record as an advantage. "Vinyl definitely has more of a life in it than CDs," he said. "There will always be people who want vinyl." The Product
Anderson, although firmly in favor of the power of technology, said the production quality of any medium of music affects the overall sound. "Anyone can make a CD sound like shit," Anderson said. "It's just a matter of do you know what you're doing when you master it. In the reissues (of older albums), the CD is going to sound better than the vinyl album." And while Nickey revels in the hassle of the black plastic disc, Anderson does not. "For me it's just a convenience thing," he said. "I just want to hear it. I don't have a record player in my car." Gimenez, meanwhile, said the physical entity that is the record makes it a better option as a piece of music. "Just look at the size of the record," he said. "You can fit in more liner notes and illustrations and all that neat shit." So while the debate, older than the advent of the gramophone, between technology and romanticism wears out like an old diamond-studded needle, the sound plays on. "Ultimately, it's just about the music," Anderson said. "If it's good, it's good."