Maximum Dynamic Range Of Vinyl

The dynamic range of digital audio systems can exceed that of analog audio systems.

Maximum dynamic range of vinyl.

Analog fm broadcasts rarely have a dynamic range exceeding 50 db. The dynamic range of a direct cut vinyl record may surpass 70 db. The tt dynamic range meter doesn t work on vinyl. That s why snare drums cymbal splashes and other loud instruments have so much more punch in vinyl recordings.

Dynamic range is the difference between the loudest signal and the noise floor. As implemented the bit depth of cd and dvd digital audio formats accommodates a higher dynamic range than vinyl is capable of. Vinyl can still push music to the limits of its dynamic range 55 70db but it often shies away from doing so in order to maintain sound quality. It turns out the dynamic range meter that folks are using to measure different releases doesn t work accurately on vinyl records or at least according to mastering engineer ian shepherd.

Another significant impact of finite quantizing resolution is finite dynamic range. Relative dynamics is the difference in db between any two points in a waveform. Consumer analog cassette tapes have a dynamic range of 60 to 70 db. Lp s difference between maximum to average is around 11 56db compared against the cd recording at 11 11db and even the digital rip at 11 35db.

For the first time consumers could purchase a recording in a medium whose dynamic range exceeded that of 20 000 professional tape machines. Fdr vinyl our full dynamic range releases were made in response to the so called loudness wars with the dynamic range of music being restricted more and more in an effort to make it sound louder. There s very little compression so the loudest parts of those sounds often. Now i know that there are vinyl philes who still swear that lps sound better than cds.

The only signal that can exist between the bits of a cd is drowned out by random noise from the vinyl surface grain. But right now i m talking about signal to noise ratio and dynamic range. When i cut a master for vinyl and a cd master from the same digital master tape they sounded pretty much the same except for the noise floor. Pcm of any flavor has a flat response to fs.

These releases on the other hand deliver music at its optimum sound level dynamically leaving the listener to decide on the playback level. The maximum peak level of analog recordings such as these is limited by varying specifications of. Yes vinyl was noisier. In the video below ian uses a record he mastered to demonstrate the inaccurate readings produced by.