AMEN!!! finally someone that feels the same way i do lol....dont you also start to feel a little lazy when you have to search through your crates instead of typing it into serato...lol...i know its wrong but thats what serato does to you. everytime i drop a needle onto one of my records i grind my teeth from thinking of them wearing out...and before serato you did it gladly because there was no other way...lol

I don't think it's bad especially if you're doing it to not ruin your stuff.

However, if you're like me, you'll end up using your records every so often just cause there's no feel in the world like it.

Serato comes very close... but not 100%.

I don't play my vinyl very often for the same reason. First, I look to see if it's been released on CD and if so, I buy a copy.

If not (like most indie pressings or obscure mixes), I pretty much only play them to record uncompressed digital audio at very high quality (192 kHz / 24 bit).

For vinyl that's in good condition, I generally don't do anything to the signal other than some very light signal boosting with Waves L3. For stuff with very bad pops/clicks, I do clean-up with the Waves Restoration bundle which is really almost magic.

There are some tracks that I'll do an additional remaster and squash the crap out of to make them fit better in a modern mix, but there aren't many of those.

I then burn two reference discs, one data with the 192k files and one that's Redbook audio. Finally, I rip the Redbook CD to MP3 for use in SSL.

I even have a needle whose only purpose is the conversion process. =-)

As vinyl begins to disappear, I think it's critical to start treating my collection as an archival system. As digital recording and playback continues to improve, I can always go back to the source and get a better sounding copy, but that requires that the vinyl still be in good condition.

The point of my long-winded rant is to wholeheartedly agree with you. Until studios recognize that there's value and money to be made in providing their *entire* back catalogs in unprotected high quality digital format, I will treat my 12" singles of "Anotherloverholeinyohead" as if they were made of gold. =-)

Fun side story: My dad, a retired professional musician, called me one day and asked if I could convert records to CDs. I told him I could. He said he had a couple of records that he couldn't find on CD that he'd really like to listen to again. Next time I saw him, he handed me about 10 albums. A big project, but certainly doable. Then he said he needed me to help him get the rest. We pulled two full boxes out of the trunk... probably 300 records or so.

After I finished choking at the thought of the conversion process, I opened the first box. First record I pulled out was a Benny Goodman album from 1932! I've been having a great time with those records! I also told him that he'd probably never see them again. ;-)

ok.. I feel better now

I miss flippin through my crate to pick records (i think it is easier to pick out songs that way).
I dont miss worrying about my recors wearing out, getting dirty, or warped. And yes, I definetly dont miss searching for hours to find one record.

Im Cant Remember The Last time I Used Vinyl At A Gig...?

This all should be a no brainer. You shouldn't feel bad at all!