TheAmnesiacKid | 130 points
Ok!
So, I’ve had many requests for Hi-Res vinyl rips of Radiohead’s discography.
I was initially uninterested in gathering and uploading vinyl rips as I prefer to listen to my wax on the turntable.
Then for shits and gigs I decided to rip the 45rpm 2x10” clear vinyl “Newspaper Edition” of The King of Limbs to my PC. I was very pleased with the result and decided to delve into vinyl rips online.
A little back story… I am an incredibly obsessive Radiohead nut and a collector in the truly addicted sense of the word. I own multiple copies of every Radiohead album on vinyl: 1st or 2nd pressings of all the Parlophone albums, many original 7” and 12” Parlophone singles, the 45rpm In Rainbows diskbox, the 45 rpm TKOL, the deluxe editions of both A Moon Shaped Pool and OKNOTOK… And then I own all the 2016-2017 XL reissues (These are the ones I’m able to toss on the turntable without becoming consumed with dread at the possibility that I might damage something as I put the record away in its sleeve)… And, of course, I’ve owned Capitol pressings in the past but have traded all of those in.
Now, all this is not to brag. This is to qualify as a listener who is concerned with acquiring the best sounding pressings possible (I shit you not, I’ve owned 8 different copies of Kid A on vinyl before finally acquiring, what I consider to be, sonic-bliss).
So, what I’ve learned in my addiction… errr…. I mean… experience: The Capitol pressings are garbage, Parlophones (in good shape) are excellent and the 2016 XL pressings are, for the most part, excellent as well… By and large, original UK pressings/Parlophones are what you want if given the option.
So I hopped online and gathered UK pressings of all the studio albums and I Might Be Wrong: Live recordings. I mainly searched for PBTHAL rips as his rips are original UK 1st pressings. Where I couldn’t find PBTHAL, I found equal, if not superior quality, UK rips. Lastly, the TKOL included here is my personal rip. I did no post processing or editing. Just recorded at 24/96 WAV with audacity and then converted to 24/96 FLAC with dBpoweramp. I am very pleased with the results.
Pablo Honey – PBTHAL
The Bends – PBTHAL
OK Computer – Rumored to be ripped from a positive vinyl “mother” master. Sounds fan-freaking-tastic.
Kid A – PBTHAL
Amnesiac – PBTHAL
I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings – PBTHAL
Hail to the Thief – PBTHAL
In Rainbows 45rpm Diskbox – PBTHAL
The King of Limbs 45 rpm Newspaper Edition – TheAmnesiacKid (yours truly)
A Moon Shaped Pool – UK pressing
L: aHR0cHM6Ly9tZWdhLm56LyNGIXBxZ1NWQUxJ
K: IUxXMjdoaDRTUTZpU0FQSDNiN251aWc=
[-] understandunderstand | 5 points
ripping vinyl to digital
but why
[-] stickyroot | 7 points
The point of a vinyl rip is access to a better master. A CD release lets record companies add huge compression and distortion to the signal without penalty. Try the same thing on vinyl and the needle skips - the record is useless. Even though vinyl contains less resolution, its physical nature forces them to use common-sense when mastering. The perceivable quality goes up. Usually.
The fact that the source is vinyl is beside the point; these are (hopefully) the highest quality masters available. Whoever owns the original analog tapes could easily blow everything released so far out of the water, but unless there's the promise of more money, it won't happen.
[-] tyleralderiondurden | 2 points
what about hi-res digitals from let's say 7digital or hdtracks?
[-] TheAmnesiacKid | 2 points
I think when it comes down to it, it's a matter of taste. Depending on the source, 24-Bit/96kHz Digital music will sound pretty flawless. It will be louder and more "clear", perhaps, than most vinyl rips. But, as I've mentioned, these are two very different listening experiences. Vinyl rips are really a novelty for me and I prefer listening to records on an actual turntable but the idea of having excellent vinyl rips is kinda cool too (especially for hard to find releases and out of print pressings).
In case you were wondering, I previously posted all the official 24-Bit digital HD releases.
https://www.reddit.com/r/megalinks/comments/6pm53o/music_radiohead_24bit_hires_flac_20072017_in/
The way I look at it, you don't have to choose one or the other... You can experience the music in a variety of different ways.
Enjoy!
[-] tyleralderiondurden | 2 points
yes i did download those thank you very muchly sir
as a matter of fact i love your uploads my fellow 90's kid
i already bought those about 30 years ago though and these remastered/reissues give me boner but i'm not made out of money dammt
[-] iscreamuscreamweall | 2 points
actually thats kind of a myth. most (the vast majority) of modern vinyl releases use the EXACT same master as the CD version. the amount of bass/clipping needed to get a needle to skip is actually pretty high, you'd have to go out of your way to make that happen, and it certainly wouldn't happen from a radiohead CD master. all you have to do is turn the CD master down a few dB and you have yourself a vinyl master. At the plant the cutting engineer will take the CD master, adjust the EQ and turn the master volume (post limiter) down to compensate for the limitations of the vinyl format. what that means is that the vinyl version of an album has been sent through several more generations of processing compared to the CD release: the digital master goes through the cutting engineer/lathe, the vinyl itself, and the turntable, needle, and amp before you hear it.
[-] TheAmnesiacKid | 3 points
That was my initial thought... Like I said in the post, I prefer to listen to vinyl on a turntable... just filling the many requests I have received and I'm beginning to become interested in high quality vinyl rips myself. Just a hobby!
[-] Mr_Zipperface | 2 points
Wonderful stuff!
[-] sohamsdays | 2 points
Thanks !
[-] magnificentbop | 2 points
You did an amazing thing. Thanks for this OP.
[-] Kingcrowing | 2 points
I’ve got TKOL newspaper vinyl... sounds so great!
[-] annoyingstungun | 2 points
noob here, how do I download this?
[-] StarckLight | 1 points
Use a base64 decoder to decode the link and the key
can anyone provide a clickable link unfortunately there seems an error when I try to input it manually on mega.co.nz or mega.nz
What is the average per song something like 40mb like most FLAC?
[-] gazongagizmo | 4 points
Paranoid Android 142MB, Creep 85MB, Fitter Happier 38MB
[-] Dance_Solo | 1 points
So I just downloaded that 3.5 gb flac radiohead collection yesterday. 😒
[-] TheAmnesiacKid | 3 points
Well, that's fine... They are two totally separate sources and two totally separate listening experiences!
[-] meganerd64 | 1 points
I feel kind of stupid asking this, but, how do I get to the link?
[-] TheAmnesiacKid | 1 points
Sent you a PM
[-] El_Santiago | 2 points
I'm in the same predicament any advice?
[-] meganerd64 | 1 points
I got it, thank you
[-] tyleralderiondurden | 1 points
unrelated; just finally gave a listen to in utero 2013 mix and it's awesome.
if john leckie ever mixed the bends and it being released it would one of the awesomest shit ever.
As a massive RH fan this is just... amazing. I am conflicted as I have a few of their albums on vinyl but yet to get a new turntable. I wanna download these but it feels wrong lol.
And I am also now worried my copies could be sub par versions. I have both the major vinyl release and the special edition of AMSP and the 8inch pressing of Kid A. Are these definitive for listening quality? (all purchased in UK)
[-] iscreamuscreamweall | 2 points
if you care that much about sound quality just listen to the CD versions. vinyl will always be inferior to CD given that they use the same masters (they almost always do)
No doubt about it CD has the cleaner and higher quality sound. But if you listen to vinyl for the unique audio experience you get with it you're also gonna want the best quality version there is.
[-] TheAmnesiacKid | 3 points
Well said. I try to not get too caught up in the digital vs analog debate.
CDs were so revolutionary at the time due to their incredible convenience and high audio quality. No longer did one have to rewind a tape, carefully drop a needle or struggle to skip to another song... The post-CD digital world saw even more convenience.
The vinyl resurgence appears to be a response to the intangible mp3 experience. For some, the incredible convenience of digital music began to detract from the overall experience of what it once meant to participate in the act of listening to music. Sure, you don't need to care for, clean and physically store a digital file (well, you kinda do)... but you also don't get to sit back with a 12x12" illustration of your favorite album's artwork in your hand... you begin to notice the weight and texture of the card stock on which it's printed... there's no intrusive glow from an LCD screen to remind you of your technological advancement as a 21st century being... The music even sounds different... Less perfect, perhaps.
And then you know what?? You get to jump in your car and effortlessly stream your favorite music from the smartphone in your pocket. We have the best of both worlds!
So, remember that your choice of whether to listen to digital or analog does not have to be mutually exclusive.. There is no written law that states you must only listen to vinyl or CD. I believe this mentality is a result of the "HD" marketing movement in which we all now believe we must own the best, most flawless, definitive edition of a piece of artwork. I am more guilty of this than anyone, by the way...
Anyways, a vinyl rip does not include the physical experience I previously described... which is why I was initially hesitant to get involved with the digitization of vinyl at all. I suppose my decision to do so is yet another example of my attempts to put everything in its right place.
I must confess I started buying vinyls when I was about 15 because I was obsessed with The Prodigy and I simply wanted to own every version of their stuff and also have some nice artwork. I never listened to those albums as I always had the CDs lol. And even up till recent years I bought the vinyls purely because I wanted the artwork and supplements which I would hang in frames.
Then I started listening to some on a turntable and was like wow this is interesting, Ive never listened to my music before in this format but it was something different even if I couldn't hear a massive difference in quality, just a subtle textural difference? Or maybe even that difference was a placebo in my mind since I knew it was vinyl and was analogue.
I think you described it well, the physical experience is the interesting part of listening to vinyl in this day and age. It also forces you to concentrate more on the music since you're more engaged with it rather than playing the mp3 on itunes while I browse reddit!
my attempts to put everything in its right place.
;)
[-] TheAmnesiacKid | 1 points
The Special Edition for AMSP is the best pressing.
Kid A was initially pressed on 10" vinyl. If yours is a Parlophone then that's a good copy. If it's a Capitol pressed in EU, that's a pretty decent copy. If it's a North American Capitol, that's not so good.
If you are not satisfied with your Kid A, then I HIGHLY recommend the 12" XL 2016 reissue but it must say MADE IN EU on the disc labels... The North American one is no good in my experience (owned 4 different copies of that before importing a UK pressing). The EU version is out-fucking-standing though... I actually prefer it to my 2000 Parlophone 2nd pressing.
[-] wilsonm0624 | 1 points
Thank you!
[-] TheAmnesiacKid | 1 points
You're welcome!
[-] xXsTeffOovErkILLXx | 9 points | Dec 17 2017 11:22:12
It's not really my type of music, but man this is huge.
Thank you very much for taking the time with this and sharing it. This is incredible!!
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