HD "HI-FI Vinyl Will Soon Be A Reality 3D Printing Technology

You mean Baerwald? ;^)

 

I spel gud.

 

None, as far as I've seen. Apart from the way it's etched, it is a normal vinyl record. The breakthrough is in the control they have over how the grooves are laid out, thus maximising playing time and modulation.

 

The groove layout is computed beforehand. The spacing between grooves is always a compromise between loudness and playing time. To an extent that used to be optimised per revolution in the conventional cutting method. Their claim is that their process does it vastly better, so you get longer playing time as well as optimal loudness, which means better fidelity. Some other disadvantages of the conventional cutting process probably disappear away as well, for example the inertia and shape of the cutting needle.

 

Hmm, I have to agree with others that 3D-printing a record sounds suspiciously like it would be akin to using a -- gasp! -- digital master.

 

Of course it's digital, they say so upfront. This concept is not about analogue purism. They do use a hi-res master though.

 

This passing through a digital PCM stage regardless of resolution will only make us appreciate full analog cut records from Audio Fidelity, Analogue Productions or MoFi even more. For hipsters, this will be a new novelty item to show their visits and friends, 'though they will keep listenning to music on their "bitten forbidden fruit" cell phones.
Just in case this happens, if Van Halen albums get released on this laser cut 3D printed "HD vinyl" I may bite and get S/T or Van Halen II, but my listenning records will still be my full analog originals, the Mr. Hoffman remaster S/T re-released in 2009 and the 2015 Chris Bellman remastered LP's.

 

Its more like 3d shaving, not printing.

 

I loved and still love MiniDisc. Reliable and rugged, sounded very good by the third generation models. And should have caught on in cars. An application which was perfect for the medium.

 

Yeah I figured it was going to be pretty obvious they'd be using digital masters and not cutting from analogue, especially since almost no one does that now anyway.

Although I remain skeptical about this process, in terms of whether I'll actually need it or hear much of a difference, reading some of the comments in the thread (and also elsewhere), I don't think many people have actually read the articles that have been floating around about this new technology.

 

I'll buy some, why not........

 

The core information is in the video posted on page #3 of this thread by @nosliw on 29 Oct 2017. I hope this link points to it.

 

How about a 200 gram, 45rpm, one-step HD Vinyl LP, WOW!

JG

 

It's an interesting concept. I figured we are now to the point where 3D printing type stuff was going to be done with vinyl. Theoretically I can see how you could squeeze some more fidelity out of vinyl this way, but unless they find a way to get rid of pops and clicks and rumble all that other fun stuff it's still just gonna be vinyl!

 

You can get rid of that now, use good vinyl and take care of your records.

 

I'm very curious about this. It appears that the cost may be lower to manufacture these. If this will lower the price and move a lot of longer albums to 1 record, then I would be tempted to buy these.

 

It wont lower the cost directly. It will allow them to cut Mothers or Stampers from much harder materials for example, increasing the amount of records pressed from the same metal parts to 5 - 10 times as many.
But it will cost more to cut I think, more expensice materials etc.

 

If "High Resolution Vinyl" does become a thing and ends up being really very good indeed, then it has major ramifications on the value of your current vinyl collection, especially on those common "one more go" editions, like DSOTM, Kind of Blue.

Imagine IF they end up being miles better than your current loved vinyl edition in your collection? Ready to buy the Beatles box sets again?

Load of factors in this though, the old digital versus analogue will never be more contested here.

For me personally, I've never held on to my vinyl and continued to add to it because its worth money, I want it and continue with it because to me its the best sounding format around. If high res vinyl ends up sounding better then I am in a lot of financial trouble in future, as I am sure that this will also carry another big premium passed over to the consumer.

 

digital vinyl? unless they can somehow make the music 3D I dont get it.

 

Wait what?

 

well the record is an analog recording so I dont understand why it would benefit from a digital process to make it more HiFi... In the realm of digital I'd love to hear what holographic sound or 3D would be like. Closest thing I know of is, Surround Sound and stuff like Hemisync... unless Im misunderstanding the concept.

 

Well the concept is not that its more hifi because its digital, it just has to be in order for the laser to cut.
The improved sound part is in the fact of what and how they cut.

 

Since much - if not most - mass market vinyl from the late-'70s thru the 1980's was cut using digital delay lines, it's fair to say that much of the "analog" vinyl sound its adherents obsess about was really digital.

The reality is I find the fetishization of "analog" audio to be a bore. I've heard enough crap analog recordings to know it's the skill of the engineers that makes 99% of the difference, not the mixing, recording and mastering decks used. Crap engineering is gonna sound like crap regardless of the equipment used.

 

hmm it started to make a bit more sense the way you put it, but isnt the process of cutting a record a conitnuous sound wave and digital sound is stepped (regardless if its perceivable). I guess a computer controlled laser could cut more info if the technology is there. Maybe it could improve bass, but I still have doubts whether a digital process can improve an analog one. Analogue will resolve more detail with better equipment.

Analog in this case from the cutting of the grooves to the output of your playback chain. Not whether or not it is recorded and mastered on protools or whatever.

 

I agree pretty much, but a bad recording and mixing will sound bad too, no matter how good the mastering engineer is.