use a dry swiffer pad to clean vinyl, that is, to remove dust/debris and will also remove any static charges. Use lighter fluid to clean oily finger prints, alcohol spills, whatever.


Elliptical needles are better for recording, but my Whitelabels that have spherical needles sound really good and could be used, its best to get the ellipticals if u want the best sound quality. I have another cart that is for audiophiles, and has an elliptical needle. That is what I use to record vinyl.

quote:

Originally posted by KiNeTiC ENeRgY use a dry swiffer pad to clean vinyl, that is, to remove dust/debris and will also remove any static charges. Use lighter fluid to clean oily finger prints, alcohol spills, whatever.

what happens if I use warm water?

i'm kinda in the same boat as you. i actually got a turntable because i wanted to use it to transfer vinyl to my computer. i went and bought good stuff so i wouldn't lose too much sound quality, but would still keep the prices reasonable.
i got a technics sl1210 mk5
grado dj200i cartridge
then i use my xone:92 for preamping the signal. from there it goes balanced to my alesis io|2 sound card. i record and save as wav.

and yes, the cartridge makes a huge difference in the sound you get from your vinyl (the most i'd say). i ended up with the grado dj200i after this cartridge comparison one guy did on a finnish forum. the grado was by far the best sounding needle he had ever used.

the turntable you use will also affect the sound. the guy who did the needle test tested the grado on technics and some stanton (i think) and the sound sample from the technics TT sounded better (can't remember how much though).

also having a good preamp is important. dunno if your sound card has one and if it does is it any good.

as for cleaning, i recommend you get a vacuum cleaner if you really want the shit that causes crackles and surface noise out, the stuff that's not visible, but deep inside the grooves. i'm gonna buy a vacuum cleaner in the future and i'll report back on how it works. but from what i've read, it is the best way the clean your vinyl. most vacuum cleaners are expensive as fuck though. i'm most likely gonna get the kab ev-1 http://www.kabusa.com/ev1.htm

normal carbon fiber brush will only get rid of most of the visible stuff. using cleaning products that you leave on the record aren't gonna get the dirt off, they'll just move it around (might bring particles to the surface or might not) or dilute it (the grease from the fingerprints won't evaporate with the lighter fluid or whatever you use, but just spread it more evenly on the record so it's not visible anymore). also fluids that you leave on the record to dry will leave every compound in them that won't evaporate on the record. everything that's dissolved in tap water (quite a lot of stuff), detergents etc. depending on what you use to clean your records. that's why i personally think that a vacuum cleaner really is superior to other cleaning methods.

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I used to swear by Gruv Glide. One great thing is that it keeps your vinyl static free so you aren't sucking up all the dust in the room when you spin your records.

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quote:

Originally posted by blacknoizybox what happens if I use warm water?

nothing, other than maybe ruining the label if u get some on it.

quote:

Originally posted by skip i'm most likely gonna get the kab ev-1 http://www.kabusa.com/ev1.htm

looks gay
i think I'll stick to warm water, maybe distiled water and a little dish-washing liquid like Fairy, neh?..

quote:

Originally posted by blacknoizybox looks gay i think I'll stick to warm water, maybe distiled water and a little dish-washing liquid like Fairy, neh?..

why would you care if it looks gay if it does the job?

stick with warm water and fairy if you want to have fairy and all the dissolved compounds of tap water in your records. i know i don't.

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what about Stanton VC-1. anyone tried it?

whatever happened to good ol record brushes?

removes static AND dust

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quote:

Originally posted by Tony Morello whatever happened to good ol record brushes? removes static AND dust

and oily fingerprints?

then you use lighter fluid

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