I received a text on Thursday letting me know the test pressing of Reality Jockey was complete. Andy Weber invited me over to Smashed Plastic to listen and approve the test before sending the remainder of the project to press.
As you probably know, there’s an ongoing battle that ‘vinyl sounds better’ than digital, and until that day I never had much of a dog in the race. While recording Reality Jockey, I listened to the songs hundreds of times, so I was very familiar with what the album sounded like in the digital domain. When I listened to the album on vinyl, I was in a unique position to judge the quality because I had such a solid control group.
Vinyl sounds better. Even though the files began as digital, and the album was mastered digitally, there was still a wonderful warmth to the vinyl that wasn’t present before. All the instruments fit together better, making the overall sound more cohesive- as opposed to the digital versions where different sonic elements stand out a little more independently.
Obviously, the digital files and the compact discs sound amazing in their own way. It’s just that the vinyl, well, sounds a lot better.
Pre-order Reality Jockey today, then come out for the Vinyl Release Party in Chicago on March 15th. See you there!
