Irritating Sound

[airspray]

I have a record from 1976 which belongs to my favourite collection...
The problem is, that this specific record has a very irritating sound... when it reaches the high sounds it very grating...
I don't know what it is... the surface of the record is clean, there almost aren't any scuffs, but the sound is not good...
I read somewhere that smoke or other things can cause dirt that is unremovable with regular appliances (such as water, cloth etc.).
This is a seocnd handed record, and I don't know what was the enviroment where it was so everything is possible...

How do I 'deep' clean this record without using any special fluid (which I can't get for some reasons...)?
I heard that medical alcohol + water can help... can it?

It's really important for me so please answer as quick as possible.

Tal.

[Bernie]

From your description it sounds as though it's more than just a dirty record. Either the record was pressed poorly (fairly common) or your turntable's cartridge "may" be mistracking. Try adjusting the anti-skate +/- a few times and see if that clears up the sound. You may also want to seriously consider recalibrating tracking force or even swap cartridges temporarily.

Do thoroughly clean the record to make sure it's not the culprit. If you don't have access to record cleaning solution try a mild dishwashing liquid and rinse completely and blot dry. You can use medical grade alcohol, but it is very expensive and very harsh on records. Good luck.

[NickNack]

Hi airspray.

WELCOME TO THE BOARD

Bernie's right --- a poorly pressed record could be the culprit. I remember having to repurchase both a Streisand and a Roberta Flack album because of irritating sounds. They both contained high frequency 'squeals' which couldn't be eliminated by cleaning. Just grated on the ears something horrible. Nothing like playing "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" with the sound of something like fingernails on a blackboard. :x

[airspray]

I don't think it's a problem of the turntable's hardware...
Everything works great with other records...

So there are two options -
1. The record is deeply dirty.
2. The record was over-pressed...

If it is dirty what should I do?
Bernie - you said something about a dishwashing liquid...
I didn't realize which liquid exactly you meant...

I have in my house a medical alcohol (70% I think) but you said it's 'very harsh on records' - what did you mean?

Please make my day and tell me I can clean this extremely rare record...

[in-the-groove]

In addition to it possibly being a poorly mastered disc, it is also very possible since this is a used record that a previous owner played it on a turntable with a stylus that was very worn... that can literally shear off the microscopic peaks in louder passages. Once that kind of damage is done, no amount of cleaning will help.

Kevin

[BrunoRepublic]

It could be a number of things...

- Bad pressing. "non-fill" as it's called, is not visible to the naked eye, but characterized by a loud ripping sound hitting at random. Solution: none. The record is defective, and will have to be replaced.

- Cartridge mistracking. Sounds like a "smearing" of hi-hats, cymbals, and other sibilant sounds, also a buzzing on vocals and other sustained instruments. More pronounced on louder records, and at the end of each side. Solution -- get cartridge that tracks well. Something with a fineline or microridge stylus like a Shure V15VxMR or Audio Technica AT440ML. Don't use these carts for backcueing!

- Groove wear from previous cartridge mistracking. In this case the record is ruined; there's nothing you can do but replace it.

- Bad mastering. All copies pressed by the same plant would have the same problem; only solution is to find a different pressing, usually a foreign copy.

- Bad master tape. Some albums were recorded to very low standards. In these cases, every single copy will have this problem, so you just have to live with it.

What label is this record on, and where was it pressed?

[airspray]

It's ABBA\Arrival record, signed (!) under Atlantic label, pressed in Canada...

[BrunoRepublic]

Originally Posted by airspray

It's ABBA\Arrival record, signed (!) under Atlantic label, pressed in Canada...

WEA/Atlantic had half-decent standards in this country, so I think we can rule out bad mastering. Is it just the cover that's signed, or the record itself?

If it's just the cover, well... the record sold by the millions, so it shouldn't be too hard to replace.

[airspray]

both signed... :roll:

well, I WILL purchase another copy but I don't know why we put the 'dirt' option out of the list...
I just wanna be sure that it's not a dirt problem...
The problem is - I don't know how to deep clean it :(

[BrunoRepublic]

There's always the option of wet-playing it to see if that helps.

But in this case, you've got a record that is individually a collector's piece, but the actual music is widely available elsewhere. The value is in the signing, not the rarity of the actual disc.

I'd just hang the record on the wall and admire it, and listen to the CD instead....

[airspray]

Yeah, the wall is the final solution but I still wanna be sure that it's not the dirt.
What do you mean by wet playing? I never tried it before...
Wouldn't it damage the record\stylus\cartidge?

[BrunoRepublic]

Originally Posted by airspray

Yeah, the wall is the final solution but I still wanna be sure that it's not the dirt.
What do you mean by wet playing? I never tried it before...
Wouldn't it damage the record\stylus\cartidge?

Wet-playing is covering the record surface with distilled water and maybe a bit of rubbing alcohol. Sometimes this is the only way to get the grunge out. The trick is that you must rinse the record off again before the liquid dries, or all the sludge will sink back into the grooves.

And yes, it can damage the stylus and cartridge (but not the record), which is why I always pull out a lesser cartridge for this purpose.

I still don't think dirt is the cause of the problem, since dirt usually results in constant crackle and noise, not just in certain parts...