Behind the Scenes; More than just a background
If you’ve ever joined me on a Teams call from my home office, you’ve likely noticed the wall of vinyl records behind me. This post aims to answer the most common questions I get on calls, offering a glimpse into my music collection and the technology used to play it.
The Collection
My vinyl collection is more than just a backdrop; let me give you a tour:
The Main Attraction
The wall you see behind me during video calls is just the beginning:
What you don’t see on calls
Adjacent to my desk, a second wall of records adds to the collection:
Box Set Bonanza
For those special editions and compilations, my bookshelves house an array of box sets:
Exploring the Collection Digitally
With over 2,827 items cataloged on Discogs; the collection caters to every mood and taste and I don’t find myself with nothing to listen to. A while ago I got bored during a winter weekend and using ChatGPT created a custom website that brings my collection to life digitally. Using data from Discogs, Wikipedia, Apple Music, and Spotify, https://www.russ.fm/ offers an interactive exploration of my vinyl collection.
Discover a Random Album
If I ever get stuck and can’t decide what to listen I added a feature that allows you virtually randomly grab an album from the shelves until you find something you want to listen to:
Click “Album Details” to learn more, or “Grab Another Album” to explore further. Hover over the cover for more information on the album if you can’t recognise from the sleeve cover!
The Tech Behind the Tunes
For those interested in the development side, here are links to the code that does the scrapping and serves the website:
Don’t forget to check out my weekly listening habits in the “What have I been listening to?” section of this website.
The Audio Setup
To truly appreciate these records, a quality audio setup is crucial. Here’s what brings my vinyl to life:
- Turntable: Denon DP-400.
- Cartridge: Nagaoka MP-110.
- Pre-amp: Cambridge Audio Alva Solo.
- Speakers: Sonos Five (Stereo pair) & Sonos Sub Gen3.
- Record Cleaner: Pro-ject VC-S MKII.
This setup is complemented by additional Sonos speakers throughout the house, a system I’ve been building for about a decade.
Summary
The result of all this? It can get loud!!! 🔊
Related Posts

My Top 10 of 2023
Explore 2023's diverse music scene with 17 albums, from The Polyphonic Spree's 'Salvage Enterprise' to Peter Gabriel's 'I/O'.

Personal Project Updates and AI Editors
About that time I wrote and published an App to the Apple App Store without knowing how to code
