Just when you thought vinyl couldn’t get any better, BAM! A new way to listen to records is on its way.
Vinyl records have made a comeback in recent years. What used to be “old people stuff” is now a hip and modern way to listen to music. Even artists like Kendrick Lamar and Lorde have recently released versions of the classic style album. The problem with vinyl records is that they get beaten up from weather and the tonearm of a record player. A new start up in Austria is hoping to revolutionize the way people listen to music using vinyl. Rebeat Innovation has challenged themselves with designing HD vinyl records.
The company has 4.8 million dollars behind them to develop this new record with greater sound quality and a lifespan expected to be 30% longer than older discs. According to an interview with Pitchfork, “the HD vinyl process involves converting audio digitally to a 3D topographic map. Lasers are then used to inscribe the map onto the ‘stamper,’ the part that stamps the grooves into the vinyl. According to CEO Guenter Loibl, these methods allow for records to be made more precisely and with less loss of audio information. The results, he said, are vinyl LPs that can have up to 30 percent more playing time, 30 percent more amplitude, and overall more faithful sound reproduction. The technique would also avoid the chemicals that play a role in traditional vinyl manufacturing. Plus, the new-school HD vinyl LPs would still play on ordinary record players.”
Environmentally friendly, longer lasting, and better sound quality, oh my! And another bonus, these records will be compatible will older turntables. When can you find these on shelves might you ask? According the director of Rebeat:
“Our aim is to officially present our prototypes at the Making Vinyl conference, which will take place in October in Detroit. Then, we’ll need another eight months to make all the necessary adjustments. So, by summer 2019, the first HD vinyl will be on the shop shelves.”
High definition vinyl may be coming sooner than you think!
