Topic: Any vinyl junkies out there....?

[Enemy]

I need some help with cleaning vinyls.

Bought a couple of Floyd records and were described as near mint on sleeve.

Looked fine but crackle like fuckers.

Any cleaning tips?

We use something like this: http://www.chemical-records.co.uk/sc/servlet/Info?Track=APV015 for our vinyl but only to get off dirt/dust etc.

[djphal]

Anyone want to buy some vinyls?

Loads of 7" 70's, 80's pop
12"
Trance
Scouse house
White labels/ mashups
House

[Lenin.]

Anyone know the best place to sell a couple of original Led Zeppelin LPs in Liverpool? Is Hairy Records still going?

[Nick110581]

Sold my player and investing a new one.

Has anyone got a Dual 505?

[Sir Capon of Debaser]

Just saw this
Start at 3.13

Liquid filled record
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/qtOtNKHbBNY?version=3&amp;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/qtOtNKHbBNY?version=3&amp;</a>

Jack White - Sixteen Saltines
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/DsixWMdScUI?version=3&amp;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/DsixWMdScUI?version=3&amp;</a>

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jack-White-TMR-Third-Man-Records-Sixteen-Saltines-Liquid-Filled-Vinyl-LP-Single-/110890809538?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item19d19b78c2

http://www.discogs.com/Jack-White-Sixteen-Saltines-Liquid-Filled-12/release/3556751

[eAyeAddio]

I need some help with cleaning vinyls.
Bought a couple of Floyd records and were described as near mint on sleeve.
Looked fine but crackle like fuckers.
Any cleaning tips?

No amount of cleaning will cure crackles which are there through wear and rough handling / poor quality equipment.

The absolute best method of cleaning records is the Keith Monks method but if you only have a couple of records it would not be economical to buy one of these wet cleaning machines.

I would suggest you use a cleaning service which uses a Keith Monks machine.
The cost is £2 per album and here is the contact, together with a description of the method which you might find interesting:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Record-Cleaning-Service-Using-Keith-Monks-Machine-/160661571666?pt=UK_Home_Garden_CD_DVDStorage_SM&hash=item25682d0852

PS  EDIT   Only just noticed that this question was asked a year ago, but instead of deleting my reply,  I'll leave it just in case anyone else finds it useful.

[alonsoisared]

Hi all,

Just recently started collecting vinyl the last few months, but only have a rubbish old one with built in speakers and a needle that my mum tells me will ruin my records. Looking to get a new player and a decent set of speakers to go with it, I have no idea where to start, this for me with all respect to the oldies is like buying a computer to the older generation!

Any advice would be appreciated, I don't want to be spending hundreds and hundreds of pounds but I would like to get something that will sound really good and won't damage my records. I guess those two things don't go together too easily so i'd say if I save up, I could probably afford around the 200 quid mark for a player and speakers.

If I really need to go higher than that in anyones opinion then it just means saving up a bit longer really, but I don't need the absolute top of the range basically. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Sir Capon of Debaser]

Hi all,

Just recently started collecting vinyl the last few months, but only have a rubbish old one with built in speakers and a needle that my mum tells me will ruin my records. Looking to get a new player and a decent set of speakers to go with it, I have no idea where to start, this for me with all respect to the oldies is like buying a computer to the older generation!

Any advice would be appreciated, I don't want to be spending hundreds and hundreds of pounds but I would like to get something that will sound really good and won't damage my records. I guess those two things don't go together too easily so i'd say if I save up, I could probably afford around the 200 quid mark for a player and speakers.

If I really need to go higher than that in anyones opinion then it just means saving up a bit longer really, but I don't need the absolute top of the range basically. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Alright mate.

Get yourself a direct drive tt and something simple like a stanton 500 or ortofon cartridge/stylus

heres 1 that comes with stylus for under £200.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stanton-T-62-T62-Direct-Drive-Turntable-Technics-1200-1210-Record-Deck-/290771295885?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Turntables&hash=item43b351de8d

Have a look round though,cos you can get usb ones that you can plug into your pc

[alonsoisared]

Alright mate.

Get yourself a direct drive tt and something simple like a stanton 500 or ortofon cartridge/stylus

heres 1 that comes with stylus for under £200.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stanton-T-62-T62-Direct-Drive-Turntable-Technics-1200-1210-Record-Deck-/290771295885?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Turntables&hash=item43b351de8d

Have a look round though,cos you can get usb ones that you can plug into your pc

Hi Mate,

Sorry for the delayed response, appreciate your reply there. As I said I know absolutely nothing about all this so any suggestions as a starting point are great for me. That one looks good and is pretty reasonably priced, i'll probably pop into a shop for a bit of advice as well but i'll certainly bear that in mind, thanks.

Sorry for the stupid question but is there any difference in quality between a record player that is good for actual DJing and one for simply listening to records? I only ask because i'd only want one to listen to my little collection on, whereas the one you posted seems to be aimed at people who are into the hi-tech kind of stuff.

Cheers.

[Not Bob]

Good question. I have a rather cheap record player, but plugged into a half decent audio system it sounds stellar.

[gazzalfc]

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2013/03/25/historic-liverpool-record-shop-the-vinyl-emporium-closes-its-doors-100252-33051856/

ONE of Liverpool’s oldest record shops has closed its doors.

The Vinyl Emporium – formerly Hairy Records – on Bold Street shut up shop after what the owners described as “circumstances concerning the property beyond our control”.

Fans of the independent record shop included Dave McCabe, from The Zutons, Noel Gallagher and even Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino, who said: “I found this great little record shop in Liverpool, Hairy Records.

“There’s one record I’ve been hunting for worldwide for years, and they had it. I was on fire.”

Hairy Records was taken over by regular customer Spike Beecham when the previous owner died. But this week the shop has been closed and a post on its official Facebook site reads: “As many of you are aware, Hairy Records was a haven for vinyl junkies in Liverpool and all around the world. We at The Vinyl Emporium were happy to keep that tradition going and loved every minute that we did just that. However, the truth is even though we were doing alright financially, circumstances concerning the property were beyond our control. This meant that we had to make the difficult decision of quitting whilst we were ahead.”

It continued: “The closing of any independent store is a sad day and a reminder of just how important it is to keep supporting them. When you believe the records on your shelves have their own unique tale to tell – not just about the music contained on it but the story of how it got there in the first place – then hopefully you will understand what an honour it has been to take on the legacy of one of the oldest record stores in the country. We haven’t made a final decision on what we will do over the coming months, but when we do we will let you know.”

Wirral MP Alison McGovern spent her formative years – and pocket money – at Hairy Records.

She said: “Before I headed off to university back in the 90s, I frequented Hairy Records, in Bold Street. There was something about spending an hour or so flicking through the racks downstairs looking for that hidden gem, surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of records. While much has been gained with the digital music revolution, I hope there will still be a place for music in the flesh that you can buy in a shop and hold in your hands.”

[SamAteTheRedAcid]

Sad news that. Hairy was where I built up my own collection. All the third and fourth best LPs by people for £4-6. Also got my mate an original issue of Beggars Banquet there for his birthday. Thought it was dead special and rare and when I went in the next week they had another exactly the same! Used to love it in there.

Hadn't been in for years though, my record player broke in about 2004 and I didn't get it fixed for about 4 years, the next time I went in the fella seemed proper pissed off at me for not having kept up my patronage!

[SamAteTheRedAcid]

Oh, just stumbled across this on Richer Sounds...

http://www.richersounds.com/product/turntables/ion/profile-pro/ion-profile-pro

£30 nicker. Bargain, it's the one I paid 60 for a few years back, always done the job alright for me, I'm not a proper audiophile or anything but I'm well versed in sound having recorded my own bands etc. and never had a problem with hooking it up to my stereo and getting good sounds, even from scratched to buggery 45s.

A particular fave of mine at the mo is a 4 track Everly Brothers EP with Cathy's Clown, Crying In The Rain, Bye Bye love and All I have to do is dream. What a bargain for 99p, fuck iTunes, that's value.

[kennedy81]

Hi Mate,

Sorry for the delayed response, appreciate your reply there. As I said I know absolutely nothing about all this so any suggestions as a starting point are great for me. That one looks good and is pretty reasonably priced, i'll probably pop into a shop for a bit of advice as well but i'll certainly bear that in mind, thanks.

Sorry for the stupid question but is there any difference in quality between a record player that is good for actual DJing and one for simply listening to records? I only ask because i'd only want one to listen to my little collection on, whereas the one you posted seems to be aimed at people who are into the hi-tech kind of stuff.

Cheers.

people generally use direct drive tt's for dj-ing (Technics 1210 etc) as they start/stop quicker and keep a more accurate regular speed, which you'd need for matching tempos.
for home listening, a belt-drive tt would probably do.
I'm open to correction there though.
as someone mentioned above, using a decent amp and speakers is going to have most impact on the actual sound.

ok just noticed I'm replying to a 3 month old post 

[kennedy81]

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2013/03/25/historic-liverpool-record-shop-the-vinyl-emporium-closes-its-doors-100252-33051856/

sad to read that.
record shops have been dropping like flies in recent years, though vinyl seems to be enjoying something of an upturn lately.
I suppose there's a new generation of people for whom it's kind of novel to buy vinyl, which is cool.

those shops cab be a really important hub of any local music scene, where people can meet, promote gigs, sell their own product etc.
one of my old fave haunts, Road Records in Dublin, closed their doors a couple of years ago and is sorely missed in that regard.
I think there's only 3 or 4 small shops left in Dublin now, along with Tower Records, which is still going somehow.

All-City Records seems to be doing ok though, and they've been putting out some excellent vinyl releases on their own label too, mostly beat/leftfield type stuff, which is great to see.
http://www.allcityrecordlabel.com/

[Fruity]

I have a ton of vinyl at home which I am finally thinking of digitising. I still have my old technics and mixer and also have my apple macbook pro. So what is the best way to get the vinyl onto my laptop and into mp3's or wav's?

I am a bit of a technophobe so nothing too technical. I have got some software I can access like logic and ableton but if I am honest I don't really know how to use it. So just want to know really is there an easy way to do it but still get good quality conversions?

[elbow]

I started buying vinyl just over a year ago after a 18 year break. Love it, love it, love it. Recent new and second hand releases include a Fela Kuti boxset, Meddle by Floyd, the new Sword album and The Rip Tide by Beirut. Also got a load of my old vinyl shipped over from Liverpool. The Real People album still sounds great!

I also got given a stack of old '45s, one of which was the debut single from AC/DC. Went for a fair chunk of change recently:

http://www.noise11.com/news/debut-acdc-single-passer-1000-on-ebay-20120108

Obviously the person who gave it to me has no idea what it's worth. I might sit on it for a while!

[Sir Capon of Debaser]

I have a ton of vinyl at home which I am finally thinking of digitising. I still have my old technics and mixer and also have my apple macbook pro. So what is the best way to get the vinyl onto my laptop and into mp3's or wav's?

I am a bit of a technophobe so nothing too technical. I have got some software I can access like logic and ableton but if I am honest I don't really know how to use it. So just want to know really is there an easy way to do it but still get good quality conversions?

Here ye go,cock chops 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Numark-Stereo-IO-USB-Audio-Recording-Interface-/281023885802?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Other&hash=item416e5431ea

Just connect ye mixer to the box and the box to ye pc

[Fruity]

Here ye go,cock chops 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Numark-Stereo-IO-USB-Audio-Recording-Interface-/281023885802?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Other&hash=item416e5431ea

Just connect ye mixer to the box and the box to ye pc

Thanks for that. Thats sounds pretty cool and pretty cheap actually. I did contact Digital Village a while back and they were offering me £100+ sound cards to do the job. Would there be a major difference in the quality of the sound recording by using a half decent soundcard compared to this or is it pretty much negligible. Is that a soundcard and if not what is the difference? Sorry to pick your brains!

[just Riggins?]

Had a look in Hairy before and after the new owners and was never too impressed by it. 

Selling off my record collection now anyway, far too expensive to keep up with and they're a pain to listen to.  I'll be honest, I never really got the whole 'it's more special on vinyl, sounds different' argument myself.  Maybe I'll collect again one day. 

[SamAteTheRedAcid]

they're a pain to listen to.  I'll be honest, I never really got the whole 'it's more special on vinyl, sounds different' argument myself.   

Ouch!

Neil Young once said, listening to digital is like having a shower with thousands
of tiny ice cubes, listening to vinyl is having the shower with water.

I find it far more painful to listen to poor quality MP3s with artifacts in the audio than the crackles on an old vinyl.

It's a special connection between you and the music. And the artwork. The timeless touch of a needle on wax.

I often get more tempted to delete my 250gb of computerised music than to rid myself of my records, as it just seems valueless. It take sup no space, but on iTunes I can't browse as well as you can on shelves, it's just not the same. I end up listening to everybody who begins with B or something, instead of being able to see the whole collection and pick one, as with that much listed in your iTunes you take ages to scroll through.

also, turning the record over means you get a better arc to a lot of albums - the way artists can divide their tracks gives better sequencing options - you can have the acoustic side and electric side, like Bringing It All Back Home, or you can have the Beginning/Afterward duality like Astral Weeks, which although brilliant in any format, is just so much better on vinyl as you have that little contemplative break before side 2. It can be a pain if you've a cat or a baby on your lap and you need to disturb them to switch sides, but I think it's worth it.


Maybe I'm just getting old though

[Lenin.]

Just bought Rolling Stones Black n Blue, It's Only Rock n Roll & Reverse Blues (double album bootleg) all for £15 from a shop on Warbreck Moor!

[Ginamos]

...
also, turning the record over means you get a better arc to a lot of albums - the way artists can divide their tracks gives better sequencing options - you can have the acoustic side and electric side, like Bringing It All Back Home, or you can have the Beginning/Afterward duality like Astral Weeks, which although brilliant in any format, is just so much better on vinyl as you have that little contemplative break before side 2. It can be a pain if you've a cat or a baby on your lap and you need to disturb them to switch sides, but I think it's worth it.


Maybe I'm just getting old though

Very true, each side of an album that was originally recorded for vinyl was programmed for best affect. Musicians recorded albums thinking about the format, side one/side two, the run off track.

[The Gulleysucker]

...Neil Young once said, listening to digital is like having a shower with thousands
of tiny ice cubes, listening to vinyl is having the shower with water.

or indeed...typical consumer digital audio compared to a good analog system is as fluorescent light is when compared to sunlight.
They have what at first seems a similar end product, in some respects like noise, digital initially appearing superior, but it's just not quite as sonically nice.

[kennedy81]

Thanks for that. Thats sounds pretty cool and pretty cheap actually. I did contact Digital Village a while back and they were offering me £100+ sound cards to do the job. Would there be a major difference in the quality of the sound recording by using a half decent soundcard compared to this or is it pretty much negligible. Is that a soundcard and if not what is the difference? Sorry to pick your brains!

that and a soundcard are essentially the same thing, they're both just audio interfaces, which convert an analog signal to a digital one.
it would do the job just fine.
you can get really high end, pro interfaces, but these days, even budget/consumer level ones like that one, have very good audio/digital conversion.

you could download a free audio editor like Audacity to record the audio into:

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

it's fairly simple to use and there's help here about how to use it to record your vinyl:

http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/tutorial_copying_tapes_lps_or_minidiscs_to_cd.html

[Sir Capon of Debaser]

Is that a soundcard and if not what is the difference? Sorry to pick your brains!

that and a soundcard are essentially the same thing, they're both just audio interfaces, which convert an analog signal to a digital one.
it would do the job just fine.
you can get really high end, pro interfaces, but these days, even budget/consumer level ones like that one, have very good audio/digital conversion.

Yeah mate,what K81 said!

If you have Ableton,I'd use that to edit the recording.Its boss for it! I use it to chop/slice samples etc for my MPC to save all the fucking around 

[redpanic]

Just stumbled across this thread I started 3 and a bit years ago...

The collection is now 5k plus lp's, serious bad habit, even the kids are banning me from crate digging in charity shops and the like.

Also upgraded the player to a Project RPM 9 and a valve amp.....love heart icon!

Great to see a lot of love for the wax.

This week has seen some lovely purchases - Neil Young Psychedelic Pill triple, Mudhoney - Vanishing Point, Nick Cave new one and John Grant on Pale Green Vinyl

Need to get counselling

[The Gulleysucker]

.......and a valve amp.....love heart icon!

What amp have you got then and what speakers are you using with it?

[redpanic]

Lovely Italian Nimis Synthesis with Art Stiletto monitors

[meff]

Just beginning the journey.

Got a portable player for Christmas off the better half with a copy of Word to the Wise Guy by The Mighty Wah. One I'd played it through I was in. Hook. Line. Sinker.

I'm now traipsing around all the charity shops in the area on a bi-weekly basis when my days off fall in the week.

Just come back today with some Springsteen, Bomb the Bass, REM, The The and an interesting Hi-Fi Sound Stereo Test Record (without the leaflet sadly).

Have been concentrating mainly on Tamla Motown and Northern Soul - I wish I'd known how expensive it would be before I started.

Best charity pickup thus far is XTC's Nonsuch which is as rare as hens' teeth by the looks of things.

The next headache is a buying a proper setup. I would love a full analogue setup built around a Pioneer SA9800 but they seem to be going for crazy money on eBay at the moment. One has just been listed on eBay and has gone up to £480 already

Woah there's an awful lot to go wrong on those old boat anchors.

How about a Musical Fidelity B1? You should be able to pick a decent one up for under 200 quid. Absolutely spot-on integrated amp and one of the best of it's generation.

[Nick110581]

BUMP!

I love vinyl.

Had some amazing bits on today. Super Furries, Cash, Sufjan new one on clear vinyl, Ryan Adams new live boxset.

Oh man, I am going to be bankrupt!

[ericthered10]

BUMP!

I love vinyl.

Had some amazing bits on today. Super Furries, Cash, Sufjan new one on clear vinyl, Ryan Adams new live boxset.

Oh man, I am going to be bankrupt!

I got my girlfriend the new Sufjan on vinyl this weekend and man, I've never been so disappointed with the vinyl itself. Thinner and lighter (flimsier) than I've seen and had smudges all over one side. Never seen a new record come out of the package looking this shoddy.

[butchersdog]

I've been collecting vinyl for about five years. I bought a Clearaudio Emotion used off eBay, which i run through a Cambridge 640 phono stage. It knocks spots off my CD player, in a completely different league (Cambridge 640A, so I suppose you'd expect it to, but still, wasn't a dirt cheap CD player at the time by any means). MFSL pressings are particularly great, all from analogue masters as far as I know. I've got a Roy Orbison 'best of' on that label and it's like he's in the room with you.

[markedasred]

I'm an aul arse by the standards of many here. Been buying albums since I was 14 in the 1970's, I'm 51 now. I have about 10 000 lp's, and my stereo is mainly home built and /or heavily modified (idler table in home built plinth with modern arm, different carts for different types of records, valve phono stage built by an old German guy, passive pre amp in wooden case with 20 turns attenuator, twin mono power amp in to 60's floorstanding Kef speakers. It has not cost a lot but years of trial and error means it sounds good compared to most systems you hear, helped by me also tuning the room. For digital I use a Chinese knock off of a very expensive dac for my lossless files, and a sony transport goes in to that for cds. I listen to about 10 lps for every digital album, using digital for the music that had no vinyl release. I might also like a fanatic listen to several different pressings before deciding which I like best and then get rid of the others, so I have mixed sets of different artists and labels. It is not always the one with audiophile written on the sleeve that sounds best, nor is it always the original pressing.

[Nick110581]

I got my girlfriend the new Sufjan on vinyl this weekend and man, I've never been so disappointed with the vinyl itself. Thinner and lighter (flimsier) than I've seen and had smudges all over one side. Never seen a new record come out of the package looking this shoddy.

Is is the black pressing?

Been issues with it I think.

[Nick110581]

I'm an aul arse by the standards of many here. Been buying albums since I was 14 in the 1970's, I'm 51 now. I have about 10 000 lp's, and my stereo is mainly home built and /or heavily modified (idler table in home built plinth with modern arm, different carts for different types of records, valve phono stage built by an old German guy, passive pre amp in wooden case with 20 turns attenuator, twin mono power amp in to 60's floorstanding Kef speakers. It has not cost a lot but years of trial and error means it sounds good compared to most systems you hear, helped by me also tuning the room. For digital I use a Chinese knock off of a very expensive dac for my lossless files, and a sony transport goes in to that for cds. I listen to about 10 lps for every digital album, using digital for the music that had no vinyl release. I might also like a fanatic listen to several different pressings before deciding which I like best and then get rid of the others, so I have mixed sets of different artists and labels. It is not always the one with audiophile written on the sleeve that sounds best, nor is it always the original pressing.

10000 lps! Wow.

[ericthered10]

Is is the black pressing?

Been issues with it I think.

Yep, twas. Gonna give it a good clean and see where we're at then. Got the new Built to Spill while I was there and it sounds lovely.

[Nick110581]

Yep, twas. Gonna give it a good clean and see where we're at then. Got the new Built to Spill while I was there and it sounds lovely.

Return it to the shop. Just try again.

I read an article on the pressing and they basically admitted it wasn't up to scratch, which is not good.

My clear one sounds fine. You can get this on Discogs for about £22 so might be worth getting a refund.

[Chip Evans]

Yep, twas. Gonna give it a good clean and see where we're at then. Got the new Built to Spill while I was there and it sounds lovely.

How's the Built to Spill album?

[ericthered10]

Return it to the shop. Just try again.

I read an article on the pressing and they basically admitted it wasn't up to scratch, which is not good.

My clear one sounds fine. You can get this on Discogs for about £22 so might be worth getting a refund.

Cool, thanks for the info.