Future Nostalgia is the second studio album released by Dua Lipa in 2020. The album was an instant success heading straight to #1 in several countries and spawned several hit singles such as Don’t Start Now, Levitating and Physical. An expanded edition of the album was released in 2021 dubbed The Moonlight Edition. The mix of modern electronic and old school disco vibes throughout this album make it a bit of a guilty pleasure for me and the fact it is reasonably strong from front to back make it a rarity in the world of “modern” pop music. In this review we will compare the original 2020 black vinyl release, 2021 Moonlight Edition release and the standard CD release.

Background

The purpose of this comparison is to answer a couple of questions:

  • Is it worth buying a modern pop album on vinyl or is it best just to stick with a digital version?
  • Is The Moonlight Edition vinyl release significantly different to the original vinyl release?

I have seen a few comments regarding The Moonlight Edition vinyl sounding less shrill than the original vinyl release which would indicate a new lacquer has been cut for this release with tweaked mastering. Given both lacquers are listed as being cut by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios I was dubious so let’s get on with the comparison!

Samples

The following vinyl recordings were captured using a Behringer U-CONTROL UCA222 played on an AT-LP5x turntable with AT-VM95ML cartridge and MoFi StudioPhono preamp.

2020 Standard Edition Vinyl

2021 ‘The Moonlight Edition’ Vinyl

2020 Standard CD

Thoughts…

The digital version of this album is brickwalled to death as is the norm for popular music these days and whilst the vinyl versions aren’t exactly a dynamic marvel the subtle mastering differences and the inherent sonic traits of the medium mean the listening experience is far less fatiguing. The distortion and hard edge to the vocals are smoothed off in the vinyl master which is more laid back yet also more detailed. Subtle details are still present but don’t compress their way through the mix unnaturally like they do in the digital master. During the verse of Future Nostalgia the drum machine and synth parts fight each other to be at the front of the soundstage on the digital master but things sound more harmonious on the vinyl editions.

The following volume matched waveforms show the glaring difference between the CD and vinyl master. You can clearly see that dynamic range is more limited on the digital waveform and the peak clipping is quite severe. Analogue formats such as tape and vinyl aren’t capable of reproducing waveforms like this which is why even if the same heavily compressed master is used to cut vinyl the resulting waveform will generally appear more dynamic.

Digital

Vinyl

In general more compression on the digital master results in more impact particularly in the bass department but definition is sacrificed across all frequencies as a result. For example the bassline during the chorus of Hallucinate grooves much more on the vinyl master where it’s got a bit of space to define itself. Vocals are also more textured and natural sounding on vinyl which is apparent on tracks like Future Nostalgia.

Even on tracks such as Physical where the differences are much less obvious between digital and vinyl the presentation of the vinyl is more pleasing with less hard edges to the vocal and more dynamics on offer.

The differences between vinyl editions are very minor in my opinion. There may be slightly more high frequency detail on the standard vinyl but it’s very marginal.

Summary

I’m constantly surprised by the quality of sound possible from the vinyl format even with a modest setup. I always had the impression that vinyl would lack clarity and high frequency detail compared to digital but in my head to head comparisons so far it’s vinyl that has offered more definition and detail across the board. Of course on paper there is no contest and if you like your noise floor to be silent and music crackle free digital is definitely the way to go. But besides the subjective charms of the vinyl format it’s clear that mastering and inherent format characteristics can play a major role in how music is presented and this can enhance or detract from the overall listening experience. For me personally when it comes to Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia it’s the vinyl I will be reaching for.

What are your thoughts on modern digitally recorded music on vinyl? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!