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Inside Grado Labs: A legacy of hand-built headphones
Grado Labs is a special place. That sounds hyperbolic, but allow me to explain. Behind a graffiti-covered Brooklyn facade, there's a small factory where the family's namesake headphones and turntable cartridges are assembled. When you step inside the door off of Seventh Avenue into what used to be the family's fruit market and home, a history lesson awaits. And it's not just about this particular company, but of the audio industry as a whole. It just happens to be told through the lens of one New York City family.
Childish Gambino's latest vinyl release comes with a VR headset
Say what you will about the vinyl resurgence, but artists keep turning to the ancient media format to try out high-tech tricks. The latest in that trend is Donald "Childish Gambino" Glover, Pitchfork notes. When his Awaken, My Love! album from late last year lands at your local record store (or, more likely, an online retailer) on May 19th, it'll come packed with a cardboard VR headset and an app that gives access to live performances recorded in 360-degrees from Glover's "PHAROS Experience." Next week in London, you could even attend a VR screening party for the record if you're so inclined.
Discogs expands its marketplace to help you sell used audio gear
Discogs' vinyl-tracking app and database are handy for vinyl collectors on the hunt for some new goods. However, the company is moving beyond records and into audio gear as a whole with its next big project. In an interview with Thump, Discogs founder and CEO Kevin Lewandowski explained that it already launched a database called Gearogs for synths, drum machines, turntables and more.
Vinyl record production gets a much-needed tech upgrade
Ever wondered why you sometimes have to wait months after an album's launch to get the music on vinyl? It's not necessarily because the label hates vinyl -- in many cases, it's because the decades-old manufacturing process can't keep up with the format's resurgence. Relief may be in sight for turntable fans, though. Viryl Technologies is producing a pressing machine system, WarmTone, that should drag vinyl production into the modern era.
UK vinyl sales hit a 25-year high in 2016
We hardly need more convincing of vinyl's resurgence over the past few years, but a report from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) today details that more records were sold in the UK in 2016 than have been for the past 25 years. Based on Official Charts Company data, over 3.2 million vinyls were purchased in 2016 -- a volume the BPI predicted early last year -- representing a 53 percent increase over 2015 and the highest total since 1991. The death of several music icons no doubt helped (for lack of a better word), with David Bowie's Blackstar being the best-selling vinyl of the year.
Recommended Reading: Some suggestions for Twitter in 2017
A Billion Dollar Gift for Twitter Anil Dash, Medium Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey asked the masses this week what the company should focus on in 2017. After a year filled with harassment issues and the failure to court a buyer, the next few months will be very important for Twitter's future. Tech entrepreneur and blogger Anil Dash penned some suggestions for the company and the list would be a great place for Dorsey to start in January.
The 'Ocarina of Time' soundtrack is coming to vinyl
In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, music had a pretty big role. For instance, all it took to summon a rainstorm or change the time of day was playing a few notes on an the titular musical instrument. And now you can get in line to buy those iconic tracks and more on 180 gram vinyl. Hero of Time is scheduled to release second quarter of next year and will set you back $40 plus shipping. Rather than just pressing the MIDI score from the Nintendo 64 game to wax, however, a 64-piece orchestra performed the tunes. I see what you did there, iam8bit.
UK vinyl sales made more money than music downloads last week
Digital music might be the future, but legacy formats like vinyl aren't going away any time soon. New figures from the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) have shown that more money was spent on vinyl records than digital music downloads in the UK last week, highlighting a significant shift in how consumers are choosing to buy their music.
The 'Death Stranding' trailer music is headed to vinyl
Hideo Kojima has the video game industry in a frenzy. The Metal Gear creator released a new teaser for his latest project, Death Stranding, to rapturous applause on Friday night at The Game Awards. It's deliciously weird, featuring one-time Silent Hills collaborator Guillermo del Toro, Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen (Doctor Strange, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and a vanishing baby. The trailer, like its spooky predecessor, features the music of Low Roar, which specialist record producer Mondo is now planning to release on vinyl. You'll get two tracks, I'll Keep Coming and Easy Way Out, on the 12-inch "clear with heavy black splatter" single.
Discogs' vinyl app offers more info on artists, labels and releases
Discogs' vinyl-tracking app has been available for everyone since February, but today the company revealed an update for the iOS version. The redesign is primarily focused on serving up more details on artists, record labels and releases. For example, the mobile software now pulls it Discogs' database info on an individual musician or band. We're talking things like image galleries, band members, name variations, aliases and more. Any related artists and releases are linked which makes it easy to go hunting for new material.
Don't get the vinyl 'Gremlins' soundtrack re-issue wet
Mondo is a music and memorabilia store that's making a name for itself with sumptuous vinyl soundtrack re-issues of classic film and game scores. The company may have outdone itself this time with the re-release of Jerry Goldsmith's score to Gremlins on green and brown vinyl. Even better, however, is what happens to both the gatefold and the disc sleeves when you expose them to sunlight or water. If you break two of the three golden rules of Mogwai keeping, then you'll find more artwork of Gremlin-based chaos buried in the paper.
Ocean adventure 'Abzû' gets a glow-in-the-dark vinyl soundtrack
After the recent announcement that soothing underwater adventure Abzû will be heading to Xbox One, fans will soon be able to own its soundtrack too. Composed by Austin Wintory, the man who wrote the music for Journey and The Banner Saga, Abzû's entrancing score will be available to order as a double LP, exclusively through iam8bit.
Classic 'Ninja Gaiden' scores earn a deluxe remaster next year
Say what you will about the trend of gaming soundtracks being released on vinyl (I've already chimed in), but the upside is that the business move can expose classic tracks to a new audience. Take the brutally difficult Ninja Gaiden, for example. The game originally came out in 1988, so there's an entire generation of folks who have likely never heard the lauded chiptunes before. The same team responsible for last year's Street Fighter II vinyl edition, Brave Wave, is at the helm for a remastered version of composer Keiji Yamagishi's first-ever score, according to The Verge.
Injection-molded vinyl could offer better sound and lower costs
The vinyl resurgence trudges on and a Dutch company is working on a new production method that could bring big changes to how the format is made. Symcon built an injection molding system for pressing vinyl records that not only reduces production costs and provides better audio quality, but it also uses 65 percent less energy during the manufacturing process. Energy is saved by not using steam to heat and press records and the company hopes it can eventually cut turnaround times from 12-16 weeks down to two.
'The Last Guardian' soundtrack is getting a vinyl release
Pumped for The Last Guardian? Yeah, we are too. The long-awaited follow-up to Ico and Shadow of the Colossus stars a young boy and a giant feathered creature called Trico as they explore a world filled with broken, temple-like structures. The emotional puzzle-platformer has an equally distinctive soundtrack -- the work of composer Takeshi Furukawa -- and Sony has dropped a few extra pieces of news about audio in The Last Guardian.
Pioneer's new turntable digitizes your vinyl collection for $350
Sony's PS-HX500 turntable caught our eye at CES for its ability to catalog a vinyl collection as high-res digital files. It's a steep investment at $600, but now Pioneer DJ has a more affordable alternative. Pioneer's $350 PLX-500 also features a USB connection that converts your records, but the company touts the device's ability to serve two purposes admirably. Sure, you can set it up in your living room for spinning records at home and archiving new vinyl purchases, but DJs can also expect to employ it in the booth.
Jack White's label played a vinyl record at 94,000 feet
Jack White's Third Man Records label is no stranger to using technological feats to draw publicity, but its latest feat is something truly special. The company recently teamed up with Students and Teachers in Near Space to become the first to play a vinyl record, the Carl Sagan-sampling "A Glorious Dawn," at the edge of space -- to be exact, in the stratosphere at 94,413 feet. As you might gather from the video (skip to 1:21:20 to see the maximum ascent), it involved a lot more than strapping a turntable to a high-altitude balloon. Key designer Kevin Carrico explains that there were quite a few technical considerations needed to keep the record spinning for as long as possible on its journey.
Intense music game 'Thumper' is a PlayStation VR launch title
Chalk up one more game available day and date alongside PlayStation VR. Drool has revealed that Thumper, its PSVR "rhythm hell" music title, will launch in sync with the headset on October 13th at a reasonable $20 price. As the developers put it, this isn't just a 2D game with virtual reality slapped on top. While regular TV gaming is an option, Thumper is built to create an "overwhelming sense of speed" when you're wearing PSVR. In short: if you take breaks, it may be less about VR queasiness and more about needing a respite from the game's relentless pace.
Boss-battle game 'Furi' gets a soundtrack full of electro artists
You might not know much about The Game Bakers' upcoming one-on-one action game Furi, but you're about to hear a lot more about it in a very literal sense. The studio has revealed that its boss-battles-only title will have a soundtrack created by a slew of known electro artists, including Carpenter Brut, Danger and The Toxic Avenger. The Game Bakers are confident enough in it that they're both selling the soundtrack (€15/$17 for digital, €30/$34 vinyl) and holding a concert in Paris on July 8th.
ICYMI: ISS inflation failures, remote controlled muscles and more
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-2").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: That newly installed inflatable habitat aboard the International Space Station has refused to fully inflate and nobody's sure why just yet. A Japanese inventor has devised a system that enables users to hijack another person's limbs simply by moving their own. And Disney released a special edition LP set for Star Wars: The Force Awakens soundtrack that features hidden, laser-engraved images of the Millennium Falcon and TIE Fighters.
