Designing a better record box

When you're just getting started collecting records, the traditional milk-crate / Yaffa block / giant bin is your most likely storage solution. As you start getting more records, you come to a point where you ask 1 - Should I keep getting these plastic things? or 2 - Should I get a dedicated shelf for my albums?  This middle area is where a lot of people end up - too few records for a shelf, too many to have milk-crates all over the place.

We thought it would be great to have something better than a milk-crate but that you could grow with as your collection grows. Right now, we're working with a friend of ours that designs furniture as a hobby here in New York to come up with a modular solution for ourselves.

We're finalizing the design and will share the process of a prototype in the coming months.

What do you think? We would be interested in hearing your thoughts in the comments on how you store your records and how many you have.

Monkey Box Set at The Vinyl Factory

Every so often, you come across a vinyl boxed set that makes you realize just how lacking digital music is when it comes to packaging and experience. I came across this incredible limited-edition Monkey art box set over at The Vinyl Factory.

Here's what's included:

• Black cloth-bound box foiled on cover and spine.
• Four exclusive Jamie Hewlett giclee art prints on Somerset archival paper, each stamped and numbered, one signed and dated. Housed in a red, gold-foiled folio.
• Black cloth-bound hardback 84-page art book containing exclusive Jamie Hewlett artwork, sketches and illustrations.
• Book also houses two super-heavyweight 200-gram vinyl LPs, containing six bonus tracks not available on the commercial release. Pressed on the classic EMI 1400, with one-side especially etched.
• When you purchase the Box Set you also receive a digital version of the album.
• The first 500 customers to pre-order/order the Box Set will also receive a custom-made special limited edition Monkey Om Box, with tones composed by Damon Albarn and artwork designed by Jamie Hewlett.
• This beautifully produced collectible edition is limited to just 2,000 copies worldwide.

The kicker (as usual), the price. It is listed at £255. For more pictures, stop by here.

Here's a bit about The Vinyl Factory:

Specialists in hand-crafting the very finest music and art editions, The Vinyl Factory mark assures a stamp of quality that's often promised but rarely delivered.

All our vinyl is created using the classic EMI 1400 Press at the original EMI vinyl pressing plant at Hayes, Middlesex, a century-old landmark in British manufacturing. Our paper stocks are individually sourced and hand-chosen, while our print techniques combine tradition with modernity to create beautifully-produced collectors items.

The Vinyl Factory was established in 2003 when the company acquired EMI's vinyl pressing plant in Hayes. The plant now presses over 50% of the UK's vinyl. In addition to the high end special editions, The Vinyl Factory group also includes gallery spaces in central London, an independent music & arts magazine and website (FACT) and record shop (Phonica). The Vinyl Factory are due to open two new music and arts spaces, in London (Shoreditch) and Berlin (Mitte), in 2009.

Winner of our "Show us your Analog Apartment"

We're happy to announce the winner of our "Show us your Analog Apartment" contest. This amazing setup comes to us from Aaron, an analog enthusiast based in the French Alps. Check it out below.

The Turntable

Of course I bought the plater , bearing and motor (from Scheu in Germany) but I made the battery power supply, the chassis, and the sandbox it sits on.

This turntable has very little surface noise... I mean really silent. Often the recording tapes have more hiss than the groove noise. Sound stage is huge! and vocals are so lifelike it can sometimes be a little unnerving.. You can also bash the vinyl quite hard whilst playing with almost no effect whatsoever to the sound. That's a great party piece for the doubters of analog.

I use a Pierre Lurné unipivot arm (whilst I experiment with DIY options .. which are showing great promise) and the cartridge is the famous Shelter 501 (although in the photo is an Audio Technica ART1.. my spare)

The whole thing is weighing in at about 50kgs (110lbs)

The pre-amp / speakers

It is fed into a DIY pre-amp (completely my own design) which features Sowter 8055 input transformer 2 stages with 6C45 tubes, passive RIAA & SAC transformer volume control. That feeds a Jeff Rowland model 1 power amp (to be replaced by a DIY SE triode amp) and finally Monitor audio GR60 speakers.

My pre-amp design completely whooped my previous pre-amp which was an Audio Research, but I did build an absolute no holes barred design, so I expected something good.. but you can never tell till it's built. I am still tweaking the design a little, but it's almost at the point where I would want no more.

The Collection

I've about 1100 LPs 75% rock /folk. 10% Classical and 15% for Jazz, blues and world music. The shelf is from Ikea.

Thanks Aaron for sharing your great setup and thanks to everyone that submitted. We had such a great response that we'll be doing more of these mini-contests over the next few months.

Our next contest will be geared towards people new to vinyl so if you didn't submit to this last one, the next one may be your time to shine.

Thanks again and congratulations Aaron.

Update on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 5:44PM by Analog Apartment

We will post some of the other entries as well!

Customizable crates from Sleeve City

Tennessee based Sleeve City is selling now selling these simple, stackable wood crates for your vinyl collection.

Priced at $25 each, these crates give you an affordable, modular solution to storing your records in a classic crate that can be painted and stained to your liking

Here's what they say on their site:

Holds up to 90 records safely and securely, these crates will last for years and years, unlike cardboard or plastic alternatives. Ships unfinished and unassembled, so you can stain or paint them any color you like, and then assemble with the 12 screws provided for an affordable and custom look. Stackable!

Available here and shipping on January 21st.

The Many Sides of Vinyl on Current

Great short from Current.com about the appeal of vinyl. Share this with anyone that loves music.

The world of vinyl welcomes all...