The effect of digitally recorded and/or mixed records on power spectra and turntable velocity

Abstract

This study had a twofold purpose: to determine if music recorded or processed digitally retains a sampling frequency artifact on vinyl records, and to find whether the playing of such records has an effect on the turntable speed. A sharp peak in the record’s acoustic power spectrum was noted on some recordings at 44.1 kHz, an agreed upon standard sampling frequency for digital recordings. No unexplainable differences in the rotational speed between the test ‘‘digital’’ records and the control ‘‘analog’’ records were observed during the study.