I have completed conversion of about 50 records (mostly 60s and 70s rock) in my vinyl-to-digital conversion. Most of the records are in good condition, although I am still spending a great deal of time identifying pops and ticks. Now that I have some good experience identifying the defects, I am quite curious as to what a never-been-played record looks like using the spectrogram in Audacity. I have not purchased a new record in decades.
Does anyone have an Audacity recording of the initial playing of an otherwise never-been-played record? I would love to see the spectrogram of that recording. Just one song would probably be sufficient to educate me. I certainly don’t wish to violate any copyright laws, so I promise to destroy the Audacity recording if anyone here were to share one with me.
I can’t answer 'cause I haven’t purchased any records since I got my 1st CD player…
But, I wouldn’t expect to see much difference. In general, you can’t tell much about actual sound quality for a spectrum. And, a sample of one or two records probably won’t tell you much. As you know, the quality of older recordings varied quite a bit and most records were a bit “dull” sounding but occasionally you’d run-across a gem.
I assume modern records are more consistent and more-consistently “brighter”, just because listeners are now used to clean-sounding digital recordings without rolled-off highs. But I would expect the spectrum to look a lot like one of your best older recordings.
Clicks, pops, crackle, and other noise will probably tend to make a better looking spectrum since there is usually a lot of high-frequency energy in the noise. In fact, some people will claim that records extend well above the audible range (and above the range of CDs), not realizing that they are looking at a noise spectrum. And, that’s for records in good condition.