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Record Cleaning Machines
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Hi folks,
I have a collection of about 50 LPs from the 1970s and 1980s which I
would like to transcribe to CD-R. Most of them are in surprisingly good nick
but a few of them - despite my best efforts with isopropyl-based solutions -
stubbornly continue to exhibit more pops and clicks than a Geiger counter in
a microwave oven. So I was thinking about buying a Record Cleaning Machine
for both the "difficult" disks and the ones that are OK but would
undoubtedly still benefit from a proper cleansing job. So I would really
appreciate some advice here...
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A friend of mine bought a record cleaning machine and was very dissapointed
by the results.
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Well I did wonder if these machines are really the "miracle cure" a lot
of audiophile reviews claim they are...
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The problem is that any grit that has been 'stuck' in the groove and played
may well have damaged the vinyl when the stylus hammered the grit. Hence
removing it simply exposes the damage which still produces a click.
I think it is the case that some shops have cleaning machines. If so, try
and find one and use it to clean one or two discs and see if this makes
much difference.
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The bottom line must be that a clean disc is better than a dirty one, no
matter what...??
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To some extent. But I've a feeling it may depend on the type of dirt. If a
hard small particle has been sort of pushed into the wall removing it may
actually make a more audible click.
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Possibly and it's probably fair to say that once dust/grit has been melted
into the groove walls it's beyond redemption, but sometimes a disc can be
*silver with dust* and although it may still pop a bit on the first couple
of playings after cleaning, I find they soon settle down. Frequently,
records from charity shops are actually mouldy even if virtually unplayed -
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Indeed - and I can accept that some of my LPs may be beyond practicable
salvation. But even for records that have a relatively low level of
clicks/pops (and, of course, general surface noise), I fully expect to
further "restore" the digital transcription via "WAV repair" software - and
that's perfectly fine.
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I'm not having any luck finding such shops here, unfortunately. Indeed
Loricraft have just contacted me to say they have no dealers at all in the
north :-(
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these always benefit from a clean to get rid of the smell. if nothing else!
(I have cleaned *thousands* of records now!)
There are many factors that make for noisy vinyl - cleanliness of the record
alone isn't the whole answer and no record cleaner is ever going to repair
scratches....
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The VPI machines seem to get good write-ups but I understand they can
literally deafen you if you stand next to them... that would certainly be no
good for me (well, actually, my neighbours!). The "Matrix" range from
ClearAudio is said to be "quiet" but I understand it's actually almost as
noisy as the VPIs. Other than its price, the Loricraft PRC3 seems ideal,
though I note its even more expensive brother, the PRC4, offers
bi-directional cleaning. Is it worth lashing out the extra for this?...
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If you can run a vacuum clean on your carpets without the neighbors
complaining then you can run a vacuum record cleaner. They aren't
much louder and the noise is from exactly the same principle.
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OK, many thanks. Another reason why I need to see & hear one in action
before I decide whether I'm going to buy one. If the VPI machines are no
noisier than a domestic vacuum cleaner, then that's perfectly tolerable. As
I said, some reviews have advised people to wear ear defenders while using
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The Moth RCM (which I have) uses a vacuum cleaner motor but it is far
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Woah - the granddaddy of them all!
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noisier than a vacuum cleaner - due to being closer to your ears than a
vacuum cleaner normally is, if nothing else.! I would certainly advise ear
defenders if you were going to do a lot or if you were going to listen to
them immediately after cleaning them!!
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Good point. And I guess that with a vacuum cleaner, the carpet will soak
up a lot of the noise.
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That all said, there is nothing like a nice, clean, *shiny liquorice*
record - enhances the whole experience of vinyl and is well worth the
effort/inconvenience in my book!!
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But was it worth the money....? :-)
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Beyond doubt! (A sine qua non in my book!!)
I guess the cost per record for me is in the order of 10p each so far. When
you can find a shop that actually *will* do them, it's usually about 1.50 ea
and a maximum of 10 at a time. (It really is mind-numbingly boring after 3
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That's a bargain when I consider how much time it could save me in terms
of attempting (probably unsuccessfully) to to a post-transcription "digital
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The cleaning of a record won't necessarily remove all the artifacts that
some people don't want with vinyl. I never use 'digital clean-up' methods
myself, in fact I usually do absolutely nothing with a transcription - what
doesn't bother me with a record isn't going to bother me with the
'digitised' version!! I might take a loud pop out here and there, but always
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Well I've had 20 years of the "luxury" of CDs! When I started getting my
old LPs out of the loft a few months back, I found it quite a shock
listening to them in terms of surface noise alone - even the pristine ones.
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'by hand' in Sound Forge!
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Indeed - I do all my clean-ups by hand - automated methods never work
satisfactorily.
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clean-up".
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or 4 of them!) I mix my own juice (DW and Isoprop at 4:1) which works out
about 70p/lt - (from 25lt and 5 lt containers respectively) - not the 15
quid a litre that *someone* might charge!!
Anyway, I wouldn't be without mine - despite that it's fallen to bits once,
been fixed by Mr Moth (Mike Harris) himself and looks like it's going to
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Well "granddaddies" reserve the right to be a bit decrepit!
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It's not a big thing, but it is awkward - the 'turntable' goes a bit wobbly
and tries to 'cam' itself off the drive shaft!
The problem stems from the whole thing being just a little bit *too
powerful* - the vacuum is so fierce the record clamp has to be screwed on
very tight to prevent the record being 'seized' (I use paper washers to
preserve the labels), screwing it up so tight places a lot of strain on the
grubscrew, which starts to slip:
So you tighten it up and it cuts just a little deeper....!!
;-)
Remember though - this is after *thousands* of records and my impatient,
hamfisted 'wringing it against the rotation' method to do up and undo the
(screw on) clamp!
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need fixing again!
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these machines!?!
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Some machines can clean both sides of the record at the same time but
I'm not terribly bothered about that. Indeed the amount of time needed to
clean just one side is of no matter to me, whether it takes one minute or
ten.
Perhaps a basic "Nitty Gritty" machine would suit me - though, as I say,
anything that's overwhelmingly noisy is not an option.
At the moment either of tehe Loricraft machines seem to offer the best
service. Yes, I know they're very expensive but I guess once I've doen my
own collection, I could start up my own little cleaning service to offset
the cost!
Of course the best thing for me to do is to see some of these machines
demonstrated... but I don't know of dealers here in the North West of
England who sell them....? Alternatively are there any little companies that
offer their own record cleaning service?
Many thanks in advance for any advice!
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