![]() Talented vinyl engineers started to disappear. Some engineers wouldn’t put as much effort into producing the vinyl original pressings, and even less so into any reissues. With record companies putting a lot of their efforts into advertising and producing these new technologies, vinyl sales swiftly declined with record pressing plants closing down left, right, and centre. People were now able to easily listen to their music on the go. This is where we see an influx of new ways to listen to music in the way of cassettes and the shinier, flashier, CD. The 1980s is where things start to get even worse. Also, in many cases, the thickness of records were reduced, again, cutting costs. Many an audiophile will tell you that records using this process just don’t sound as good. Instead of the ‘pure’ or virgin’ vinyl of the last decade, some companies started to recycle old, unsellable records or scraps, melting them back down and using them to create new records. Many great sounding records were still pressed in the 70s, but due in large to energy consumption problems on a worldwide scale, alternative methods by some record production companies were looked at to reduce costs. If we now look at 70s pressings, a lot changed over this decade this had a detrimental effect on vinyl and the types of presses available. There was also a very skilled labour force and many production plants of which were still relatively new and in perfect working order. Care was taken to produce them and the competition was rife, so record companies would compete to create the best mixes and production techniques. A couple of reasons why original pressings sound so good from this period is because it was a golden age for record production and basically the only medium that people bought their records on. You can even find reissues that were created pre-70s which sound fantastic. Pre-1970s vinyl is generally considered as some of the best original pressings you can get. Here’s a bit of background and the reasons why. Original pressings may not always be the best quality if taken from a certain decade vinyl quality and consistency of recordings can vary wildly between decades. To further understand the nature of original pressings and reissues and what suits you, it’s good to look back at the changes over the years. The Changing Qualities of Vinyl Over The Years ![]() It’s all open to interpretation on how much quality is lost throughout these processes and different people will give you different answers. The more the original master tapes are used, the more wear and tear there is likely to be, so, in theory, later pressings may not have the same quality. These extra pressings may be created using different lacquers if the first set have worn out. You can then get, 2nd, 3rd and 4th pressings, etc, if the record proves to be popular and they continue to make copies of the record. ![]() As they are the first records to be pressed, many consider these to be the definitive edition and best sounding records. Below we aim to dispel the myths, give some advice, and take you through a bit of history so you can decide what will be right for you when deciding to buy a specific record on vinyl.įirst of all, let’s define what we mean by an original pressing and a reissue pressing:Īn original pressing typically refers to a vinyl record that was made from the initial batch of lacquers in the production process and cut from the original master recordings. Both an original pressing and vinyl reissues have their disadvantages and advantages, and personal circumstances also play a huge part. It’s a question that gets asked a lot and, to be honest, there is no definitive answer.
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