Why Doesn't Disc Doctor.....

[Lexmark3200]

....really get my LPs noise free? I mean, I followed all the instructions, using the supplied brushes, doing the whole shebang, and still, my LPs (some of which I have accepted are permanently scarred and damaged because previous owners didnt know how to care for these things when I purchased them second-hand) are crackly and popping under the cartridge and needle of my Technics table.....its really heartbreaking because I love transferring much of my classic rock vinyl onto CD-R in compilation mix form, but the resulting played back CD-R in the car is full of background noise, pops, and clicks....very annoying.

Man, some of my aforementioned classic rock vinyl that was bought second hand is in BAD shape and they are really, really good finds....what comes to mind is Jethro Tull's "Aqualung," the Chicago album with "25 Or 6 to 4" on it, Billy Joel's "Glass Houses"....no matter what I dump on these LPs, the crackles DO NOT dissapear....

Can someone give me the correct process of using the Disc Doctor fluid? Should I just dump some solution on the brush, scrub the record, rinse the record, and dry with a paper towel and wave the LP in the air to finally air dry (as I believe Tommy suggested in another post)? Should this do it?

How about the Dawn dishwashing soap method....any great success with this?

[DMK]

....really get my LPs noise free? I mean, I followed all the instructions, using the supplied brushes, doing the whole shebang, and still, my LPs (some of which I have accepted are permanently scarred and damaged because previous owners didnt know how to care for these things when I purchased them second-hand) are crackly and popping under the cartridge and needle of my Technics table.....its really heartbreaking because I love transferring much of my classic rock vinyl onto CD-R in compilation mix form, but the resulting played back CD-R in the car is full of background noise, pops, and clicks....very annoying.

Man, some of my aforementioned classic rock vinyl that was bought second hand is in BAD shape and they are really, really good finds....what comes to mind is Jethro Tull's "Aqualung," the Chicago album with "25 Or 6 to 4" on it, Billy Joel's "Glass Houses"....no matter what I dump on these LPs, the crackles DO NOT dissapear....

Can someone give me the correct process of using the Disc Doctor fluid? Should I just dump some solution on the brush, scrub the record, rinse the record, and dry with a paper towel and wave the LP in the air to finally air dry (as I believe Tommy suggested in another post)? Should this do it?

How about the Dawn dishwashing soap method....any great success with this?

Even vacuum cleaning machines don't usually do much for clicks and pops, which are usually caused not by something added to the vinyl that can be cleaned away but are caused by something missing i.e a teeny weeny piece of the vinyl itself has been chipped away, probably by dirt that wasn't cleaned off properly by the first owner. A good cleaning regimen is more preventive than restorative. However, it does remove a lot of the fuzzy sound that I can only call "static sound". It does tend to make vinyl quieter but it won't do anything for clicks, pops, skips, etc. Best to keep those off to begin with.

Now for the good news: the three pieces of vinyl you mentioned are ones that I've seen hundreds of times in used record shops, often for $1! You shouldn't have any trouble replacing them for cheap and with vinyl that is in good shape. I just bought the Aqualung for $2 and it's pristine. Then use your Disc Doctor and it'll stay pristine for years. Good luck!

[Lexmark3200]

Even vacuum cleaning machines don't usually do much for clicks and pops, which are usually caused not by something added to the vinyl that can be cleaned away but are caused by something missing i.e a teeny weeny piece of the vinyl itself has been chipped away, probably by dirt that wasn't cleaned off properly by the first owner. A good cleaning regimen is more preventive than restorative. However, it does remove a lot of the fuzzy sound that I can only call "static sound". It does tend to make vinyl quieter but it won't do anything for clicks, pops, skips, etc. Best to keep those off to begin with.

Now for the good news: the three pieces of vinyl you mentioned are ones that I've seen hundreds of times in used record shops, often for $1! You shouldn't have any trouble replacing them for cheap and with vinyl that is in good shape. I just bought the Aqualung for $2 and it's pristine. Then use your Disc Doctor and it'll stay pristine for years. Good luck!

Thank You Much, DMK....

While I do not think I am enough of a vinyl freak (and I used to be a HUGE one when I had a DJ business years ago----I have hundreds of LPs and 12" singles in MANY milk crates in my apartment) to go out and try to replace these albums, I will take what you said under consideration....

In trying to clean up the albums I do have, is there something else you can recommend, cleanser-wise, outside of a vacuum machine or the like? How exactly should Disc Doctor work?

[nobody]

I use the Dsc Dctor stuff and can mention a couple things that may be helpful. First off, you really have to make sure you rinse well. The first few times I used the stuff, I didn't take mush time rinsing and had some gunk left on the records that crackled. Now, I probably spend more time rinsing than cleaning. It does make a difference. I don't have a vacum and work the methosd in the instructions with a little extra attention to the rinse stage and get good results. I've cleaned up some pretty grungy records with the stuff and many of them play wonderfully now.

Second thing is, no matter what you do to clean a record, if it is damaged or scratched, no amount of cleaning is going to help. You can't clean out a scratch. I pick up old records in thrift stores and such from time to time, but I always pay attention to the record's condition. Years of grime and muck covering them, fine you can clean off dirt and grime. Scratched, forget it, nothing you can do about scratched up vinyl. The worst ones are the groove damaged ones that look perfect but have noise throughout. I've got a couple Ray Charles records that look mint but play terribly because of this. Drives me crazy, but it happens.

Finally, some leval of noise will often be unavoidable when listening to vinyl. If you pick up a new record, clean it and care for it carefully, this can be so little that it is barely noticeable without straining to hear it, maybe an occasional click once on a record or such. I've had many people stunned at how little noise they hear when I'm playing vinyl. However, if you are very picky about hearing pops or other noises, you're fighting a loosing battle trying to ensure that all you vinyl is dead quiet.

[Lexmark3200]

I use the Dsc Dctor stuff and can mention a couple things that may be helpful. First off, you really have to make sure you rinse well. The first few times I used the stuff, I didn't take mush time rinsing and had some gunk left on the records that crackled. Now, I probably spend more time rinsing than cleaning. It does make a difference. I don't have a vacum and work the methosd in the instructions with a little extra attention to the rinse stage and get good results. I've cleaned up some pretty grungy records with the stuff and many of them play wonderfully now.

Second thing is, no matter what you do to clean a record, if it is damaged or scratched, no amount of cleaning is going to help. You can't clean out a scratch. I pick up old records in thrift stores and such from time to time, but I always pay attention to the record's condition. Years of grime and muck covering them, fine you can clean off dirt and grime. Scratched, forget it, nothing you can do about scratched up vinyl. The worst ones are the groove damaged ones that look perfect but have noise throughout. I've got a couple Ray Charles records that look mint but play terribly because of this. Drives me crazy, but it happens.

Finally, some leval of noise will often be unavoidable when listening to vinyl. If you pick up a new record, clean it and care for it carefully, this can be so little that it is barely noticeable without straining to hear it, maybe an occasional click once on a record or such. I've had many people stunned at how little noise they hear when I'm playing vinyl. However, if you are very picky about hearing pops or other noises, you're fighting a loosing battle trying to ensure that all you vinyl is dead quiet.

I understand this, Nobody....thank you....I wasnt really expecting dead silent LPs, its just that some of the albums I have that are in more than decent shape STILL exhibit that noise DMK described above ---- like a fuzzy kind of sound that lets anyone immediately know there is a record under that needle....no matter how I scrub with Disc Doctor, there is still a staticy surface noise that remains on these LPs, and that is transferring to the CD-Rs I make and it sounds horrible....now I know the solutions for this that may be suggested....invest in expensive mechanical cleaning devices, replace these LPs, dont record these LPs onto a standalone CD recorder but instead use a computer program that takes out the clicks and pops from vinyl.....perhaps even change my cart....but I am beginning to wonder if the problem lies with my Audio Technica cart and not the Disc Doctor.....could a worn cart give static problems?

And you seem to know what you are talking about regarding Disc Doctor; what is the procedure for applying this stuff and rinsing?

[nobody]

I just lay the record out on a towel, grab my diluted disc doctor solution bottle and a bowl of distilled or purified water (I've seen people argue which is best, but really I don't see much if any difference either way. I'm not that anal), and some paper towels.

Get the LP damp with the water and the rinse brush, squirt a few drops of solution on the scrub brush, scrub around with the grooves for a bit, usually woring in thirds and scrubbing a half dozen or so times on each third. Wipe the scrub brush with a paper towel, then use it to soak up the excess bubbles. On really dirty ones, it sometimes helps to let the solution soak in for a couple minutes.

Then, wet the rinse brush and do the same type of scrubbing you di with solution with distilled water. Make sure you use plenty of water and don't stop until you get absolutely no bubbling on the record surface.

Then, just wipe quickly with a clean paper towel and dry the rest of the way in a dish rack.

That generally takes care of everything. I have had occasional grease spots and such that took a second cleaning. Then, I go ahead and use the solution full strength instead of the normal 2 to 1 mix of solution and water I generally use. One good tip I got was to stick a nickel in the gap near the brush on one of your brushes so you always know which one is your scrub and which one is your rinse brush.

Sounds to me like those records have groove damage, usually coming from getting played with a worn stylus. Those Ray Charles records I mentioned look flawless, but play like crap, sounds like what you've got. If so, nothing you can do outside of software that filters stuff out, which has a nasty tendency to mess up the sound when used heavily enough to do much on realy noisy records. I use a stand alone CD recorder for vinyl, and you can then transfer the files to your computer to filter as much as you want. I do so when the record is just otherwise hopeless. My soundtrack of Easy Rider was way trashed and this helped it become at least listenable.

[DMK]

[QUOTE=Lexmark3200]could a worn cart give static problems?QUOTE]

Absolutely! Worn cartridges are the biggest causes of record wear, with lack of cleaning being the second. Can you get your hands on a brand new LP or one that you know doesn't have surface noise. It'll be a good test of your cartridge. Don't play too much of it, though! Just enough to ascertain if it needs a new stylus.

I tried the Disc Doctor stuff and found it to create a sloppy mess but others swear by it so I'm deferring to them - Nobody, for instance. Sounds like he's got it under control.

[Lexmark3200]

[QUOTE=DMK]

could a worn cart give static problems?QUOTE]

Absolutely! Worn cartridges are the biggest causes of record wear, with lack of cleaning being the second. Can you get your hands on a brand new LP or one that you know doesn't have surface noise. It'll be a good test of your cartridge. Don't play too much of it, though! Just enough to ascertain if it needs a new stylus.

I tried the Disc Doctor stuff and found it to create a sloppy mess but others swear by it so I'm deferring to them - Nobody, for instance. Sounds like he's got it under control.

DMK,

Thanks again.....I will try and do as you suggested, to get a hand on some new LPs if I can; I am just not sure if the stylus and/or cart needs to be changed....it has been on my table for years now, so I hope I dont get flamed from vinyl junkies for that....Im guessing the Audio Technica needs to be changed?

I found the same with the Disc Doctor; seems all I ever got out of it was a big waste of time in some respects with all the work necessary to clean one LP.....laying the record on the towel, scrubbing it down, rinsing and rinsing again and rinsing again and.....

In the end, the crackles really didnt dissapear for all the money and time I spent.....but as you mentioned, seems folks like Nobody are having success with it.....

[Lexmark3200]

I just lay the record out on a towel, grab my diluted disc doctor solution bottle and a bowl of distilled or purified water (I've seen people argue which is best, but really I don't see much if any difference either way. I'm not that anal), and some paper towels.

Get the LP damp with the water and the rinse brush, squirt a few drops of solution on the scrub brush, scrub around with the grooves for a bit, usually woring in thirds and scrubbing a half dozen or so times on each third. Wipe the scrub brush with a paper towel, then use it to soak up the excess bubbles. On really dirty ones, it sometimes helps to let the solution soak in for a couple minutes.

Then, wet the rinse brush and do the same type of scrubbing you di with solution with distilled water. Make sure you use plenty of water and don't stop until you get absolutely no bubbling on the record surface.

Then, just wipe quickly with a clean paper towel and dry the rest of the way in a dish rack.

That generally takes care of everything. I have had occasional grease spots and such that took a second cleaning. Then, I go ahead and use the solution full strength instead of the normal 2 to 1 mix of solution and water I generally use. One good tip I got was to stick a nickel in the gap near the brush on one of your brushes so you always know which one is your scrub and which one is your rinse brush.

Sounds to me like those records have groove damage, usually coming from getting played with a worn stylus. Those Ray Charles records I mentioned look flawless, but play like crap, sounds like what you've got. If so, nothing you can do outside of software that filters stuff out, which has a nasty tendency to mess up the sound when used heavily enough to do much on realy noisy records. I use a stand alone CD recorder for vinyl, and you can then transfer the files to your computer to filter as much as you want. I do so when the record is just otherwise hopeless. My soundtrack of Easy Rider was way trashed and this helped it become at least listenable.

Thanks Again Nobody...

I will have to try once more....if I have the stamina...to attempt the Disc Doctor procedure, as per your instructions. I will let you know my results.

[Chas Underhay]

I clean up old LPs as follows:-

1. Find a vessel in which you can totally emerse the record. I use a very shallow glass dish about 14" in dia. (It belongs to Her indoors and when not in use it resides on the dresser, no storage problems)

2. Make up a solution of cold water (tap) with a couple of drops of washing-up and a couple of drops of methylated spirit and fill the vessel.

3. Emerse the record in the solution for at least 1 hour.

4. Remove the record and rinse it thoroughly under a tap. (Unless you store and play your records in clean room conditions, oh and discard the particle shedding cardboard sleeves, purified water offers no real advantage. Oh and by the way purified water will not stay purified for long being kept in a plastic container.)

5. Dry it gently with a clean bath towel (preferably the wife's newest and best one to demonstrate just how important your record is)

6. After washing and drying, immediately put the record on your turntable and dry it even more with your carbon fibre brush.

7. Play the record, listen to the snap crackle and pop, feel dissapointed then look at your stylus and observe the build up of sh1t that wasn't there when you put the record on.

8. Clean your stylus and play the record again and then tell me what you hear.

In the case of a really dirty record it can be worth repeating the exercise.