"If you look at a record under a microscope, the high frequencies are short jagged edges... and the low frequencies are long swinging ones are deep bass sounds. When it cut it at half speed, you're getting more of those on the record"
About this Quote
The intent is practical: justify (and demystify) half-speed cutting, a mastering technique where slowing the source lets the cutting head trace detail more accurately, especially in the treble where information is densest. But the subtext is about care. Half-speed isn’t just a technical flex; it’s a statement that the record deserves time, patience, extra passes. In a culture where listening has been compressed into streaming convenience, he’s arguing for labor you can’t easily see - the kind that shows up as “air,” separation, and bass you feel as much as hear.
Contextually, it also frames vinyl’s resurgence as more than nostalgia. Alpert, a musician from an era when the physical medium was the main event, is defending the idea that sound is a sculpture with edges and curves - and that artistry includes the invisible hands shaping those grooves.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Alpert, Herb. (2026, January 16). If you look at a record under a microscope, the high frequencies are short jagged edges... and the low frequencies are long swinging ones are deep bass sounds. When it cut it at half speed, you're getting more of those on the record. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-you-look-at-a-record-under-a-microscope-the-112575/
Chicago Style
Alpert, Herb. "If you look at a record under a microscope, the high frequencies are short jagged edges... and the low frequencies are long swinging ones are deep bass sounds. When it cut it at half speed, you're getting more of those on the record." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-you-look-at-a-record-under-a-microscope-the-112575/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"If you look at a record under a microscope, the high frequencies are short jagged edges... and the low frequencies are long swinging ones are deep bass sounds. When it cut it at half speed, you're getting more of those on the record." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-you-look-at-a-record-under-a-microscope-the-112575/. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
