Spring cleaning - and tech stuff

[maarten]

Ok, maybe the topic is not so inspiring. Or it might be a HUGE can of worms. But here goes...



A. How to clean records? Not static or scratches, but just dirt/fingers/dust etc. I have heard about alcohol or even Windex and other stuff. What to use? How much? How long? How to remove/dry the cleaner off the vinyl?



B. Equipment - What should we be using? My HiFi is old and tired - all JVC and more than 20 years old!!! So which record player, cassette recorder, amplifier? How about the needle (is that a stylus?) that I should use? How about MD players with USB exit (I have some MD's that I would like to transfer to CD)? What about head-set's, given that I like my bass low and deep (but not distorting), my highs nice and sharp, and my middle section nice and warm? Finally - what's the deal with these sets that have two CD players built in with a mixing console and a BPM counter - the electronic DJ? I am still thinking about creating a little studio/music sanctuary in my next house (6-8 months from now) so I should probably start planning...



Come on Graham and others - what's the deal?



_________________

"ON THE BEAT"

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: maarten on 2002-04-15 02:50 ]</font>

[DJ P]

Hello Maarten, in regards to cleaning vinyl think of vinyl as a pair of 'plastic lense' eyeglasses. Glass lenses can be cleaned with paper towels and sometimes depending on the type of soil on them, it can be done 'dry'. Vinyl records are like 'plastic' eyeglass lenses-the 'soil/dirt' must be 'floated' in a liquid during the cleaning process or the 'soil/dirt' will scratch the lenses (or your vinyl record or you cd). I use either a comerical record cleaning fluid, or a 'spray' of water and a soft cloth. If you clean cd's remember to 'wipe' from the center to the outer edge. Do not clean cds in a 'circlular' motion! On cd mixers I own a Numark 'CD-1' mixer which has two 'pitch controled' cd players, a built in 'BPM' counter and a mixer. It's a useful tool as it allows me to have: Two Technic's 1200 Turntables, Two CD players, A Technic's cassette player/recorder (to be able to mix out of a 'mix tape' from the 'Disco Days) and my stereo to hear the mixes. Search around the web (as I did) and you will find many DJ catalogs that will provide EVERYTHING (from equiptment: mixers, cd players, turntables, equiptment stands, wiring, light shows, vinyl records and vinyl cleaning supplies. I have my Numark CD-1 hooked up to a old (about 6 years old) 'cheapo' JC Penny's stereo. I am hearing impaired (yep from years of woking in DJ booths RIGHT ON the dance floors) so I don't notice any 'nuances' in the sound quality while I am mixing/recording. When I finish the mix and check the quality of it I play it directly from the tape deck itself and adjust the volume through the controls on my head phones. If you have any further questions feel free to contact me at DJPhillipK@AOL.com. Wish you all the best in finding what you need, Phillip K. Steele



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: DJ Phil on 2002-04-15 18:16 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: DJ Phil on 2002-04-15 18:17 ]</font>

[maarten]

Phil - thanks so much for your reply. Water! Why difficult when it can be done easy. I presume that soft is the operative word for the cloth!



I have never cleaned a CD - should I? I use them very carefully and they don't leave my home so they should be save...

[DJ P]

Hi Maarten, if you store and handle cd's correctly there is no need to clean them. Yes 'soft' means 'cloth'. Paper products have wood pulp in them and have a tendency to scratch plastic. Back to the cd's. Cd's are a 'optical' computer program that is read by a laser. If the clear protective coating of the cd gets soiled or scratched the laser cannot read the 'next' part of the program (thus the 'skipping' or 'stuttering' that happens with some cd's) and play the song correctly. Some players have what is known as a 'sampling rate' (which is basically the cd player 'samples' a sound it has already played and plays it again while it searches (or attempts too) past the scratch or soil on the cd. On needles, I use the 'Stanton' brand of stylus. I buy their 'Disco 3pack' and have had no problem with them. Some folks say that these needles (the Stanton's) can 'ruin' your vinyl. I disagree with them as I have used the Stanton's in niteclubs and on my home system for years!! The main thing that damages vinyl is the 'tracking force' (or the weight of the stylus that is being applied to the vinyl). I have my home turntables set to 1.5 grams (I hope that is correct) on my Technic's. In the clubs I had to set it at 3.0 because of the vibrations caused by an 'Earthquake' sound system. My own vinyl that I played in the clubs is still in excellent shape. I think them most damage is caused by dj's doing to much 'cuing' of records and the dreaded 'scratching' (sorry folks, I just cannot stand 'scratching'-I never danced a 'Latin Hustle' to anything that was 'scratched'). Hope the info helps, Phil

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: DJ Phil on 2002-04-16 08:37 ]</font>

[Graham_Start]

On 2002-04-15 02:48, maarten wrote:



A. How to clean records? Not static or scratches, but just dirt/fingers/dust etc. I have heard about alcohol or even Windex and other stuff. What to use? How much? How long? How to remove/dry the cleaner off the vinyl?

For most records, rinsing with warm water and a bit of mild dish detergent will do fine. The trick is to get the water off the record before it dries, either by using a special vacuuming device, or a soft absorbent cloth. Ideally, one should use distilled water, as tap water is full of contaminants (especially in Japan, or so I'm told... "there's no difference between the shower and the swimming pool!").



For records with major amounts of ground-in and dried-up dirt, coating the disc with a mix of distilled water and alcohol will loosen the grime as the record plays. However, this should only be done in extreme cases, as the liquid and gunk can damage your stylus. Also, you must rinse of the water/alcohol solution before it dries, or all the crud will sink back into the groove, and you'll be worse off than before.

B. Equipment - What should we be using?

In regards to vinyl, this really depends on whether you want a setup for mixing/DJing, or one that provides the best sound for listening. Unfortunately, the ideal equipment is basically the opposite for each purpose.

So which record player,

If you want a DJ setup, the Technics 1200s have been the standard for decades, and for good reason. They're built like tanks, have rock-solid pitch control, and a strong direct-drive motor that doesn't add a lot of noise to the signal. I'm told that Numark make some good decks too, but I'm really not familiar with this sort of equipment.



If you want a setup to give you the best sound quality, this is where things get tricky. Outside of DJ gear, it seems that the only turntables you can get are cheap, crappy ones, or specialty high-end ones that cost absurd amounts of money. Dual made some reasonably affordable half-decent units, but I think they've gone out of business, and I suspect they'd be quite hard to get in Japan anyway. Denon made excellent turntables and cartridges, but they've stopped producing them. If you can still find them there, I'd say that would be your best bet. Their amps are quite good too.

cassette recorder,

Decent cassette decks are no longer being manufactured. You can only get the cheap and crappy kinds now... which is just as well, since cassettes suck hard in the first place.

amplifier?

I'm not an expert in this area... just make sure you get one that has a phono input. CD/MD players, VCRs, DVDs, cassette decks, etc., can all use the same inputs, but a turntable must have a phono stage... unless it's one of the more recent ones that have it built-in, but these are few and far between (and they don't usually sound that good anyway).

How about the needle (is that a stylus?) that I should use?

Yes, although there's also the matter of the cartridge as well. Again, what to get depends on whether you're doing mixing or pure listening. DJ cartridges are rugged, durable, loud, and designed to withstand backcueing and other abuse. And most of them are relatively cheap, too. The only problem is that most of them pick up very little detail. Hi-fi cartridges vary enormously in price and performance, and you generally get what you pay for. You want an elliptical or fine line stylus. Some good brands that are priced at sub-stratospheric levels are Grado (Hi-fi), Shure (Hi-fi and DJ), and Ortofon (Hi-fi and DJ, probably make more different kinds of cartridges than any other company now). I've been told that Denon made excellent ones as well, but again, they've given up on the vinyl business.



I like Ortofons, the OM-20 is what I've got right now, though I'm looking to get something a bit better. Another thing to keep in mind is if your new turntable uses P-mount ("T4P") cartridges. P-mount cartridges are usually found on Japanese consumer units from the end of the vinyl era. They're dead simple to set up -- just slide them in, turn the screw, and adjust the tracking force. No need for alignment protractors and endless tweaking. They would've been great if they'd been invented 30 years ago. As it is, most cartridges are still standard mount -- especially decent ones!

How about MD players with USB exit (I have some MD's that I would like to transfer to CD)?

Most MD players with USB can only go from PC to MD, and not vice-versa. If you have a deck with digital outputs and a sound card with digital inputs, a good option is to get something that converts TOSlink to SPDIF (or whatever type your compenents have).

What about head-set's, given that I like my bass low and deep (but not distorting), my highs nice and sharp, and my middle section nice and warm?

For portable audio, I still love Sony's in-the-ear headphones, uncomfortable as they may be. Nothing else gives you the bass and clarity that these things do. For larger and

more comfortable wearing, I have Fostex T-20s. These are what I use to do all my audio restoration. However, I have little experience in this area, so perhaps those more knowledgeable can comment...

Finally - what's the deal with these sets that have two CD players built in with a mixing console and a BPM counter - the electronic DJ?

You've got questions, I've got blank stares I have zero experience with these... uh, NickNack, can you share any wisdom on these things?

[maarten]

Thank you all for your replies - spring is here, let the cleaning begin. And I will start setting some money aside for the tech stuff. If I am lucky I'll be able to buy it in Hong Kong or Sydney which should mean some bargain prices.