New Record Routine for Hipsters

Discussion in 'Music and Recordings (vinyl , 8-track, etc.)' started by JoshMorr, Sep 3, 2016.

  1. JoshMorr

    JoshMorr Friend

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Oct 4, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,066
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Portland, ME
    Hey guys - looking for some advice from you more experienced nut jobs. What is your routine when you get home after purchasing a new record? Inspect / clean the record? Throw away the paper record liner? I'm genuinely curious as I am still newer to the hobby.

    Thanks!
     
  2. Chris F

    Chris F Boyz 4 Now Fanatic - Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    805
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    I always clean them first (Ultrasonic) to get off any residue. If the supplied bag is good (Mofi) I keep it else I use a diskeeper ultimate inner with a 5mm outer.

    Then play and enjoy :)

    I do inspect them but I wont send anything back (I'm in Canada) unless it's really FUBAR. Off center press and mild edge warp are pretty common with modern vinyl. Most audiophile presses from top plants (AP, Pallas, Optimal etc...) are good to great but of course you are paying a premium so you would hope they don't suck.

    Edit: Totally forgot about discogs! Good call @Merrick I find discogs really useful for keeping track of stuff. I think I have about half my records tagged there. If you get into it right from the start you can use it to catalog your entire collection. I also add a lot of vintage Latin stuff from South America since that's my genre.
     
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2016
  3. Mr.Sneis

    Mr.Sneis Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,321
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    I am on the OCD side of things I think.

    Use a razor blade to slice open the shrink along the opening only

    Puff out the sides of the inner sleeve when pulling out the record so that it doesn't rub any paper stuff.

    Play the record, when done, dust it with a discwasher brush from the 70's.

    Put record jacket into a plastic outer sleeve

    Put record into a anti static sleeve (they are not really anti static), place the anti static sleeve on the backside of the jacket

    Repeat for the other 3 records you didn't plan to buy that day
     
  4. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jan 6, 2016
    Likes Received:
    12,568
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Open, inspect, quick clean if it looks okay, wet clean with vac if it doesn't. Play. Replace inner sleeve with a poly sleeve if necessary. Place into outer sleeve, with record outside of the jacket. Add to collection, and update Discogs. :)
     
  5. ibzrg1570

    ibzrg1570 Facebook Friend

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Mar 24, 2016
    Likes Received:
    200
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Location:
    San Francisco, CA
    Maybe I'm a bit more neurotic than others, but I started buying blank jackets to store my sleeved records. I keep the discs on the outside of the original sleeve to prevent seam splits, but without the additional cardboard, they can make contact with other records on the shelf if they're packed a bit tight and as my collection has grown I've seen marks on the outer sleeves. Not sure if it makes a huge difference for the discs themselves long term, but I'd rather be safe. So I now have my records in Diskeeper inner sleeves and white die-cut jackets with center holes so I can see the album name, and the album sleeve sandwiched in between if there are multiple discs, all inside a double album outer sleeve. It gets very expensive to store, but nobody gets into the hobby to save money.
     
  6. eastboundofnowhere

    eastboundofnowhere Facebook Friend

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2016
    Likes Received:
    202
    Trophy Points:
    43
    1) I usually order several at a time, so the most important step is to distract my wife and carefully add them to the collection without her realizing it.
    2) Open with thumbnail, scissors, knife, beer bottle cap, or in one case the dog's untrimmed nail.
    3) If static is obvious; zap with anti static gun.
    4) play record.

    In all seriousness, I have read that it is important to clean new records before you play them in order to remove manufacturing residue. I am not going to say this is or isn't true, but I don't clean new records before playing them. Maybe I should. If they get visibly dirty, I clean them, but I have gotten more unwanted distortion from improper setup (before I learned to set up a cartridge correctly) than I have from debris.

    Only oddity is that I am a believer in the Milty Anti-Static Gun…just don't use it like a water gun like in most of the "youtube" videos. Secret is to slowly pull the trigger and release not to rapidly squeeze it like it is a 1911 and you are fighting off an invasion.
     
  7. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2016
    Likes Received:
    8,193
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    First I'll inspect the record, just to make sure there's nothing egregiously wrong with it. I've had a few, over the years, that had a patch of highly visible gunk on them that didn't come off with cleaning and that would make me fear for the survival of the cartridge.

    Then it gets a once-over with a simple carbon fiber brush.

    (At this point, used records might get an enzyme bath; I may start doing that with new pressings as well, but haven't just yet).

    Next it gets a spin on the VPI 16.5 RCM (I'm still narrowing down what solution I like, but have settled on a goat-hair brush).

    Zap it with the Milty Zero-Stat.

    Then it's onto to the turntable, where it gets a pass with the Hunt EDA Mk6 brush, and then played. This first play-through is to check for issues that would warrant a return. And because I think playing the thing is a fairly effective way to deep "clean" it, once the LP is free of any major contaminants at least. It's been very rare that I find an issue that requires a return in the last few years. When I was first into vinyl I'd get about 1 in 4 LPs that had major issues; I think I've had one LP in the last 50 that had an issue that was distracting.

    Then it gets queued up again, another pass with the Hunt brush (I do this before every play), and I do my Needle Drop capture.

    Finally, it gets put into a fresh MoFi Master liner, and put back into the jacket, with the original liner but outside it (I used to put the MoFi liner inside the original liner, but that gets fiddly and tends to screw up both of them), and onto the shelf.

    I've never put the outer jackets in protective plastic. I probably should. But I like handling them directly and don't like the aesthetics of the plastic.

    Then I keep my current dozen favorites (which is a rotating thing), mounted on the wall. Probably not very good for the jackets, but I'm not buying these as an investment and I have no children to hand anything down to, so I'm going to enjoy them for me!
     
  8. drfindley

    drfindley Secretly lives in the Analog Room - Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,533
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Austin
    1) Record it in discogs (https://www.discogs.com/user/drfindley)
    2) Open the shrink with a utility knife
    3) Ultrasonic clean each
    4) Place in a MoFi inner sleeve unless theirs are good
    5) Put the jacket in an outer sleeve and put the sleeved records behind it
    6) Play!

    I've been acquiring records much faster than I listen, so it's more 1a) store on shelf and then 1b) open and listen.
     
  9. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,771
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    1) Rip shrink wrap off
    2) Take record from included dust sleeve and put on record player
    3) Play record
    4) Put record back into dust sleeve, and that back into album jacket

    I did this in the 70s and 80s, and I do this now. Nothing I have looks mint, but I don't care. Life's too short.
     
  10. blackships

    blackships Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2015
    Likes Received:
    130
    Trophy Points:
    43
    I'm kind of surprised more people here don't clean their records first. Everything I read a couple years ago recommended an initial cleaning to remove any manufacturing residue, which could get melted into the record because it heats up to the surface temperature of the sun under the needle. Supposedly it can damage your needle as well. Maybe that's just FUD from the people who make record cleaners.

    I started cleaning mine after buying a fancy audiophile record that had some bad distortion in a particular area. A quick cleaning at a local audio shop cleared that right up and I've run all my new records through a Spin Clean ever since. Maybe I should quit being so anal and just enjoy the damn things.
     
  11. drfindley

    drfindley Secretly lives in the Analog Room - Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,533
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Austin
    I used to do this, but I've realized I much prefer the more careful way. Mostly, I like seeing the stickers and nonsense the comes on a new album. Cleaning removes nonsense so things sound good. I also really hate paper sleeves the way they leave marks on all my records. I also find my records are much more accessible when I'm not trying to pull them in and out of jackets, many of which are super clampy.

    That said, I put a light over my turntables and I've now yet to see anything close to a perfect and flawless record.
     
  12. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,771
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    The light's OK. Just don't put stereo microscope over your TT. You'll go insane seeing the wear and tear from the stylus.
     
  13. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    14,051
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Most of my records are either inherited or 10 cent records my mother in law picked up from thrift stores in areas with no hipsters.

    My unboxing ritual is open the package, pull of the record, see if it's warped, check if it's dirty, clean it if it is then play it
     
  14. Mr.Sneis

    Mr.Sneis Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,321
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    Totally fud. I buy a lot of new and a lot of used, new records that have problems are always due to scratches or pressing issues, no amount of vacuum rcm will fix that. It's a shame how often a pressing is half decent but gets scratched in the packaging and transportation process.

    Used records with crud in them will gunk up a stylus in quick order and then proceed to deposit its crud onto other records if not taken care of immediately. The latter scenario a proper rcm and stylus cleaning is necessary.
     
  15. JoshMorr

    JoshMorr Friend

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Oct 4, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,066
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Portland, ME
    Wait, am I understanding this correctly? You guys are putting the actual record in a mofi sleeve, but outside the jacket? Sounds like it would be easier than stuffing everything into the jacket every time, but isn't the record a bit exposed?

    Edit: Like this?[​IMG]
     
  16. Mr.Sneis

    Mr.Sneis Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,321
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    20160913_165558.jpg
     
  17. JoshMorr

    JoshMorr Friend

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Oct 4, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,066
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Portland, ME
    Thanks @Mr.Sneis - A picture is worth a thousand words!
     
  18. Chris F

    Chris F Boyz 4 Now Fanatic - Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    805
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    The outer/inner thing is to prevent ring wear over the long term and also wear/tear on the seams of the jacket if you play the record a lot.

    Maybe weird but getting a record from the 50s or 60s that's in legit NM condition with a perfect thick cardboard sleeve all intact makes me super happy lol
     
  19. drfindley

    drfindley Secretly lives in the Analog Room - Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,533
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Austin
    This really is something special. I have a few of these myself.
     
  20. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

    Staff Member Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,067
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    1) unwrap record
    2) clean record with Record Doctor V
    3) play record
    4) put in new mofi inner sleeve
    5) put record in new Japanese 12in outer sleeve
    6) store in vinyl crates picked up from etsy
     

Share This Page