Roots Archives Forum

Hey everyone, ive been listening to reggae for a few years now and love it, i mean i dig other kinds of music but all i ever catch myself listening to is reggae, but anyway, ive been thinking and i think its time to make that leap and start a nice vinyl collection, ive only got 2 records thus far (knotty vision, and wiser dread) and am a complete newb to vinyl so anykind of info on anything that has to do records would be rightious! you know, those must have albums, the difference between the differnt sized records, and well anything that you think i should know befor i start my collection! Thanks!

Guidance

Hello, Easy. I am in the same boat...I've got a few (Marley's Confrontation, Gregory Issacs' Extra Classic, Rockers soundtrack, a couple other), and am going to start shopping around for some good stuff. From what I've learned lately, the 12" inch records sometimes have a couple vocal cuts (2-4 minute songs, or something like that) on one side, and what's called a version or extended version on the other side, which is like the dub of the song. Sometimes a deejay cut (I find the deejaying on the songs annoying). I'm not sure about the other sizes. As many people here will tell you, knowing what reggae to get depends on what you are looking for...check out the thread about finding good reggae, it should still be on the front page.

hey dogpatch aka ben haha hows it goin its funny i was just reading your thread (12") not 5 min befor i posted mine thats crazy, yeah man thanks for your response, i think we have the same taste in reggae, i love roots, from the 60s 70s 80s, especially the 60s and 70s it was an amazing time for music, reggae and otherwise, im tryin to start a crucial vinyl collection but i would like to get the 411 on everything befor i start buying up records like a madman Is that a good Gregory Issacs album, i was just listening to this "ultimate collection" i have of his, i also dont even have a turntable i was looking at the ones that have a usb output so you are able to archive and "fix up" the tracks up on your computer, but im not bent on that, either way i need to swoop one up and start spinning some records! rightous brudda!

Irie

go for a direct drive table,they are better quality i think then belt
7" jamaician pressings are usually kinda noisy but can be such a treat to find a tune only on that format,and generally are cheap,not always though.

_Easy_, Greensleeves are re-pressing a lot of their old catalogue on vinyl; Pressure sounds vinyl is worth checking and you won't go wrong with any of the Soul Jazz Studio One releases. _bill_, Where did you get the info that direct drive is better quality than belt? As far as I'm aware all top American, British and European turtables are belt driven. If you're on a budget then Pro-ject and Rega make some excellent decks (not USB though). You'll need a sound card in your PC.

And then a program to "fix up" the sound, if so desired. Adobe Audition is a great resource; I use that at the station I work at. It has lots of noise-reducing featurers. It's not really a miracle worker; the incoming quality of any recording really dictates how well you'll be able to fix something up, but you can often fix up really outlandish noise issues like pops. Extra Classic is a great album. Issaccs is more in the vein of "lovers' rock," and so not as intense as some of the other stuff.

from having using belt and dd ,i went with dd on STANTON and TECHNICS two top turntable makers.Its good to be aware of the differneces wich a google will help you with.

Those are both great companies. Direct-drive uses a magnetic field to propel the platter, while belt drive uses...you guessed it...a belt. The belt can wear out after a while, but I think there are pros & cons to both kinds. Direct drives are useful for dj work because you can release them without waiting for the belt to get up to speed. I think.

Thomas wrote:If you're on a budget then Pro-ject and Rega make some excellent decks (not USB though). You'll need a sound card in your PC.

When i was talking about a usb turntable it was more of the idea that i could use my comp speakers instead of buying seperate speakers, i have a pretty good sound card, so i think im covered there, but i mean if there are better set-ups (obviously there are) that wont crush my wallet please guide me the right direction. Im dieing over here i havent even listened to the records that i do own, and am already thinking of the ones that im going to buy :/

Easy, I went reggae hunting today, and found a few good records: Marley's Kaya, Prince Jammy Destroys the Space Invaders, & Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires.