Across the vinyl community, there is a shared appreciation for the experience of collecting and playing records. We all have an affection for the physical product and the extra dimension it brings to the music we love. As an increasing number of music fans discover the joy of vinyl, there is a growing number of vinyl record subscriptions and record … Read More
Types of Vinyl Records: An Easy To Understand Guide
Have you just inherited a record collection? Or perhaps, like many, you’re rediscovering vinyl records for the experience and unique sound quality. There are many different types of vinyl records, and some of the terminologies can get quite confusing. So if you’re looking to understand what’s in that dusty box in the attic, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll … Read More
How to Clean Vinyl Records – The Ultimate Guide
Vinyl records are more popular than ever. Their distinctive sound, and immersive, tactile listening experience has solidified the format as the ultimate way to own music. When properly looked after, your vinyl record collection will last a lifetime and beyond, and a huge part of this is keeping your vinyl clean. Most importantly of all, clean vinyl records sound amazing, … Read More
How to Use a Record Brush – Avoid Damage!
The humble carbon fiber record brush is an essential accessory for any turntable. If you don’t already own one, you should change that pretty quickly and start incorporating one into your daily playback routine. It’s good practice to use one before and after each play, as this will help to prevent dust and dirt building up into a bigger problem … Read More
How to Use a Record Player Properly Without Damaging Records
So you’ve got your first record player and you’re ready to start spinning records. Congratulations! You’re about to experience the most rewarding way to enjoy music. But wait… How do you use a record player? (or turntable for that matter). Vinyl enthusiasts can often assume everyone knows how to use a turntable, but do they? We live in a digital … Read More
Win a Six Month Record Subscription
We’ve teamed up with VinylMoon to give one lucky grand prize winner a chance to win six months of FREE subscription to their record club. The lucky winner will receive one ultra-deluxe VinylMoon record every month for six months. VinylMoon releases are some of the most beautiful records showcasing up-and-coming artists we’ve seen, with some highly-creative visual art to match. … Read More
How to Handle Vinyl Records Correctly – Prevent Damage!
Collecting records is a rewarding hobby. There’s nothing quite like the tactile process of selecting a record, gently pulling it from its sleeve, and carefully cueing up the stylus to unleash beautiful music. Handle vinyl records correctly, and they will reward you with a lifetime of musical enjoyment. Mishandle them, on the other hand, and you will quickly ruin the … Read More
Album Covers and Art: Does it Still Matter?
Designing an album cover has been a well-respected job throughout music history, often considered just as important as the music itself. Many of the best examples are as familiar to the eye as the music is to our ears. In the days when vinyl was the primary music medium, getting the album cover just right was essential to commercial success. … Read More
Classic Albums: Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde
The last installment in Bob Dylan’s so-called “rock trilogy” is an ambitious and accomplished creative crossroads that came to be the perfect pivot point to intersect his hippie minstrel poet past with the electric swagger of his trio of albums in the mid-1960s… The version of this album featured is the VMP Essentials release cut by Ryan Smith at Sterling … Read More
Phono vs Line: What’s the Difference? – Vinyl 101
The terms “phono” and “line” are often misunderstood, particularly by new record collectors. Understandably, phono inputs can confuse music enthusiasts as they use the same RCA connectors as the inputs and outputs labels as “line” or “aux” on turntables and amplifiers. So what’s the difference between phono and line signals? Fortunately, it’s easy to boil this question down to a … Read More
