Compact Disc celebrates 25th anniversary

Associated Press ^ | 08/16/2007 | Toby Sterling

[abt87]

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands - It was Aug. 17, 1982, and row upon row of palm-sized plates with a rainbow sheen began rolling off an assembly line near Hanover, Germany. ADVERTISEMENT

An engineering marvel at the time, today they are instantly recognizable as Compact Discs, a product that turns 25 years old on Friday — and whose future is increasingly in doubt in an age of iPods and digital downloads.

The recording industry thrived in the 1990s as music fans replaced their aging cassettes and vinyl LPs with compact discs, eventually making CDs the most popular album format.

The CD still accounts for the majority of the music industry's recording revenues, but its sales have been in a freefall since peaking early this decade, in part due to the rise of online file-sharing, but also as consumers spend more of their leisure dollars on other entertainment purchases, such as DVDs and video games.

[Gondring]

dangerdoc...

No offense meant to Fishtalk. Although I read the request as serious, I can see now how it could be misconstrued, with the humor in it.

Questions? Go to...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1289325/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1877220/posts

[RepublitarianRoger]

It's still lossy, though. Compressed to hell.

True, true.

The thing that bugs me is that even a lossless recording is compressed. Dynamic compression is so prevalent on modern recordings that you can't really win for losing anymore. They're already squashing the music down horribly, and making the CDs unnecessarily loud.

See this article

As someone who still owns hundreds of vinyl LP and "45" singles, I can say that the digital age isn't all it's cracked up to be. The music itself is mixed and mastered so as to be overly loud and to lose dynamic range, resulting in a harsh, flat, monochromatic, lifeless rendition. Then the MP3, M4P and other digital formats strip out even more detail.

And they want 99 cents per track for that crap? Or for that matter, $16 per CD?

Yes, a lot of today's music is junk. I won't argue that. But the misuse of digital technology is also stripping the life out of the good stuff, as well.

I do enjoy my iPod. But...excuse me while I slap on my old LP of The Who's "Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy." :-)

[RepublitarianRoger]

The first cd I saw was when my roomate in probably ‘86 bought a CD. I was afraid to touch it at first. My first CD was The Hooters.

Heh, I still have my 45 of "Day By Day." I think my first CD purchase was R.E.M.'s "Murmur," which I already owned in vinyl.

[jdm]

Well said.

The Who's "Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy." :-)

You could always put the vinyl version on your iPod! I have quite a bit of vinyl recordings on mine. You don't even need bloaty iTunes software anymore either, if you don't want. I use Foobar with the iTunes plug-in to manage music on it.

[RepublitarianRoger]

I’m workin’ on transferring my vinyl to digital. (I use Terratec phono amp to do it, along with “vinyl restoration” software when necessary to remove pops and clicks and surface noise.)

But with over 600 albums and 350 “45” singles, and the recording process having to happen in real time, it’s going to take me forever.

I like Bob Dylan’s quote about the modern recording process. In response to the music industry’s complaints that illegal downloading means that people are getting their music for free, he said, “Well, why not? It ain’t worth nothing anyway.” He was mainly talking about the quality of the recording rather than the music itself (although I think the comment could apply to most of the music being made these days also, IMO).

[dangerdoc]

LOL.

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

I have some 78 RPM records at home.

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

Ha ha ha ha...About 6 years ago, I was watching my friends son at the pool with one of his friends. They were talking about music. The one kid says to the other, my parents have such and such band but they have it on the "old fashioned big CDs"

It was at that point, I knew I was OLD!!!

[dangerdoc]

BTW

All your graphics are now belonging to us.

[dangerdoc]

I converted about 50 albums to digital before actually sitting down and listening to the CDs for an evening. I found that although the vinyl sounded normal to me when using a phonograph, they were somehow harsh and not pleasant when played the digital transfers.

It’s subltle but you should probably sit and listen to your digital transfers for a few hours before spending too much time transferring all those albums.

Of course, it may be hardware related. I connected the Receiver to the computer sound card using RCA cords. I’m not familiar with Tarratec, it may give you better results.

[tarheelswamprat]

I have some 78 RPM records at home.

Cool! There are still turntables around to play those discs. However, if you want to listen to them more than just once it is much better to archive and record them onto a more modern medium such as CD or tape, then store the originals away in a safe place. They are easily damaged.

The machine I have is a different sort of critter, however. It doesn't play 78 RPM discs - it simply records them on 78 blanks off of the wire recorder. It's an old office dictation/memo machine. These were used before the invention of magnetic tape to record dictation, memos, meetings, etc. on spools of extremely thin steel wire. Then if a more permanent record was desired, the recording on the wire could be dubbed onto a blank 78 RPM disc by the cutting stylus, and the wire could be rewound and used again.

Primitive stuff by today's standards, but it was "state of the art" way back when!

[RepublitarianRoger]

I have some 78 RPM records at home.

So do I, big quarter-inch thick ones. But unfortunately I have nothing to play them on. :-(

[discostu]

Of course that’s doable without much special equipment and without special media. Just need the extra speakers and something to separate the channels out. I mean heck car stereos have been giving semi-surround sound (using the faders in the back) since the 8-track days.

[andy58-in-nh]

Smithers! What are these "compact disks" of which he speaks? I want you to go out and buy all of them NOW, do you hear me?

[7thson]

I was 19 with about a month to go before 20. I had just left San Diego - finished RM A school a few days before. I was on a flight to Boston to meet my brother and mother, who drove up there from Virginia to visit another one of my brothers. When I met them, the first thing they told me was Elvis died. I said quit lying.

[reagan_fanatic]

Oh, man - I used to have one of those close 'n plays! I thought I was the king of the world to have something so cool.

Of course, the sound quality was one step above chalk on a blackboard, but who cared back then.

God, I feel old :(

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

I have a pink one that is a picture disk that plays “My Darlin Clementine”. I am told it is very rare for a 78.

[Clemenza]

Remember watching a "Consumer Reports" special, broadcast on HBO no less, on how JVC was introducing a "laser disk" that would revolutionize how we listened to music. I must have been 6 or 7 at the time, but I was intrigued by the laser.

The first CD I remember seeing in a store was Billy Joel's "An Innocent Man" at Sears. The first one I ever bought (on the same day as my first CD player) was Metallica's then recently remastered "Kill 'Em All" in 1988.

[KarlInOhio]

EVERY CD music player of any type should come from the factory with a copy of Dark side of the Moon.

It's interesting going through friends music collections and finding the LP, 8-track, cassette and CD of Dark Side of the Moon. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them have bought the iTunes version too. I only have the cassette and CD.

[dave k]

I have a pink one that is a picture disk that plays “My Darlin Clementine”. I am told it is very rare for a 78.

Is it a Vogue picture disc?