A few ways to not really clean a record

Trying a few different vinyl record cleaning solutions - including pressure-washing a particularly troublesome disc.
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[@Techmoan]

A few people asked if the record cleaner spray and micro fibre cloth I used at the end of the video on the normal record removed the noise. Unfortunately not. This spray/cloth was also how I’d attempted to clean the Trimicron record in the past before giving the other ideas you saw demonstrated a try. There are some links to the products in the video description text box.

[@CJT80]

@Techmoan this video reminds me of a product my Dad purchased (he loves listening to Vinyl ) - audiodesksysteme.de/en/vinyl-cleaner-pro (£2500 + )

[@JonVonBasslake]

Could the crackle be in part due to there being dirt or something being stuck on the stylus itself? Or even due to the quality of the stylus? I kinda doubt that latter one, since i would imagine that you'd have gotten a decent enough new needle/stylus for your player ages ago if you thought that would be a problem...

[@yiancar]

Could you perhaps try the ultrasonic cleaner method? Seems like it would really force the cleaning liquid to go into the tight grooves.

[@TheAbsorbant]

Crackle can also be tiny scratches, they're kind of hard to wash off. For a professional method that actually works, I'd recommend the Okki Nokki machines.

[@colinantink9094]

John Bratus that’s how I clean them in my workshop when making lp clocks. For the love of god. Use an oil free compressor. Also. Any mechanical cleaning I’ve tried has always managed to scratch the record.

[@deusexaethera]

The problem is plain to see. That record is covered with microscopic grooves and bumps. Give it a good polish with a Dremel and some polishing compound and it will be much quieter.

[@basberger5921]

👍👍👍😂😂😂

[@GAIUSJAKE]

Lol

[@drumsmoker731]

Or simply use sandpaper, if you don't own a Dremel 😜

[@Reno_Slim]

Yeah, knock down those ridges.

[@mrbisshie]

I use a belt sander with 12 grit sandpaper on my records, fixes them all up!

[@dcflake5645]

Your neighbours must wonder what the hell you are doing sometimes. Is he playing with the puppets again? No he's pressure washing a record.

[@circattle]

I actually lol'd at the pressure washing

[@magreger]

Lol

[@i64fanatic]

Just picturing that, hahaha!

[@dorfschmidt4833]

He may be working at the ministry of silly walks too.

[@ziomalisty]

And why is he moaning at old tech...

[@dorkultra]

only Techmoan would have a sink that is perfectly shaped to clean a record lol

[@deusexaethera]

That was a mixing bowl full of water.

[@dorkultra]

@@deusexaethera 11:40 not seeing a mixing bowl

[@deusexaethera]

@@dorkultra: Hmm. My bad. I guess I saw a mixing-bowl-shaped sink and processed it as a mixing bowl.

[@pywaketpilot]

@@deusexaethera Round sinks are quite common in Europe and the UK. It uses less water to fill them up, and many of the things you want to wash are circular.

[@deusexaethera]

@@pywaketpilot: That is true, but rectangular sinks can hold larger items. I use my kitchen sink to wash all sorts of things that have nothing to do with cooking.

[@PumpkinPails]

This man woke up one day and decided he needed to power wash a Beethoven record. What an absolute delight and legend this man is.

[@mfaizsyahmi]

> Somebody suggested pressure washing > It's the 8-bit guy I'm not even surprised. Maybe the feature is region-locked to Dallas, TX.

[@SidebandSamurai]

I thought the grooves would be pressure washed away leaving a blank disk (LoL)

[@SK_2521]

Strange that 8 bit guy didn't suggest retrobrighting the record Pour some peroxide on it!

[@Trispefear]

Sergey Kosnikov nah 8bitguy automatically grabs some alcohol

[@Sakamoto196]

@@Trispefear baking soda

[@BBC600]

He's actually from Kennedale Texas!

[@williamgottlieb8723]

Just limit your record playing to the morning at breakfast time, when you are eating your Rice Krispies, and you won't notice!

[@grizzlyaddams3606]

When I put my vynil on...

[@planetX15]

@@grizzlyaddams3606 vinyl*

[@boxman139]

Instructions unclear, I am now eating my LP and my turntable is full of milk.

[@robc4191]

@@boxman139 how'd that work out for you?

[@boxman139]

@@robc4191 not good man not good. I now know what electrocuted milk smells like.

[@adelaiideAngel]

1:58 didnt trust that first product when i saw they spelled "Cleaning" as "Cleanig"

[@rosemanu28]

Laugh out loud hahaha

[@KRhythm2013]

I saw that too

[@Fuzy2K]

Maybe it's a German word like 'lustig' :P

[@mark902]

maybe they had a cold...

[@SteveBrace]

An acetone bath for 24 hours will reduce crackles and scratches to zero... However this is because you will have nothing to play :D

[@LordSandwichII]

It's only side effect is also reducing the music to zero. XD

[@Chocolatchips]

When the weather is warm and clear, I just solar clean my LPs on the hood of my vehicle. I'll try adding some acetone next time, though! Thanks for the tip!

[@Chocolatchips]

As an alternative to cleaning, LPs can also be re-capped. Re-capping kits are available on eBay. They're one-size-fits-all, so just pick the one with the most 'caps'. Easy-peasy!

[@miguelbarahona6636]

You´ll play The Sounds of Silence.

[@BixbyConsequence]

I had a wonderful classic '78 album and tried to "fix" it with anti-staic spray. Melted the lacquer!! :(

[@mrmimeisfunny]

Attempting to Powerwash a record is such an 8 Bit Guy thing to do. Next time he might tell you to Retrobright it or to try Baking Soda.

[@Panzercommander121]

But I thought alchohol was his go to product...

[@JamisCasusa]

Or applying a bit of compressed air or deoxit

[@wobedraggled]

People have made resin copies of records, I can see that pulling everything off...or destroying it, find a crud disc and roll the dice

[@juanmendes1299]

you forgot windex or some other bad spray thing(the murican lazy way, use a expensive ineffective spray product )

[@gdoodle]

mrmimeisfunny Run it over with the Hoover a few times, mate.

[@magreger]

Nice update to the original video. Seeing a record power washed and scrubbed in the sink was fun and amusing.

[@writerpatrick]

It's considered one of the best techniques. But it really only makes a difference with really dirty records.

[@TheSpliceofLife]

I was horrified...

[@magreger]

@@TheSpliceofLife I though for sure the label was going to get wet.

[@Fluteboy]

The sink wash did very well for it - as long as we shell out for those clamps. I am rather tempted to order the clamps.

[@thany3]

@@TheSpliceofLife Vinyl is pretty hard material. And apparently doesn't wear out from a pressure washer. It is certainly harder than a sponge, so it won't scratch in the sink.

[@rz12331]

I've heard that pops and crackles also result from the decay of the record itself: some records were made using low quality vinyl mixtures that contained abrasives which broke down and created microscopic cracks in the grooves.

[@trashtrash2169]

Sand down your records to remove grooves. That is how you achieve smooth.

[@alterbennet5420]

I thought that was with shellac

[@EmberTheFoxyFox]

​@@trashtrash2169 Do the same with your car tyres for better surface area, f1 has smooth tyres so why don't you

[@trashtrash2169]

@@EmberTheFoxyFox That actually makes a ton of sense. The extra contact might really help with the icy roads where I am.

[@thelifeofjools8384]

28 years as a DJ ... mostly used an ultra fine brush, whilst the record spun on the deck. Gotta say the best results were from a sink full of warm water, and a squirt of fairy liquid :) sad but true. There is a difference of course between the wide groove 12 inch vs the album. I got better results cleaning the 12" disc. All the best.....J

[@prismstudios001]

The life of Jools I have to liquify a fairy? Seems a bit brutal just to clean a record.

[@ruadeil_zabelin]

We had loads of 12" and we ended up putting them in the dishwasher with just water on the lowest temperature. We didn't care too much about the labels but most of them were still fine afterwards.

[@Toastkeonig]

@@prismstudios001 ​ @Kayak Fan ​@Rick Liebe Fairy is a brand of dish soap

[@RasheedKhan-he6xx]

Pretty much the same. Carbon filament anti-static brush before each play, before lowering the cartridge and again after just before putting away. Sometimes use a hand bulb airblower from my camera kit. Always keep it in the paper sleeve, don't be lazy and have it lying around or stacked on each other. Keep sleeve away from dusty environment unless in secondary plastic jacket. Keep needle clean. Tiny drop of WD40 helps. In the end records just don't get that dirty. And for the ones that do, yup wash in sink. Even better with Dove facewash as it very slightly lubricates so new dust doesn't stick as much and and fancy it might help keep the plastic from drying out and getting brittle.

[@Telssa1]

@@RasheedKhan-he6xx I've lately been using the carbon fibre brush BEFORE I put the record on the turntable, AND doing that in my stockinged feet to discharge static, finally one last normal sweep (towards the centre of the record) while on the platter. Also, I put the turntable cover down while playing. Against all expectations, it has made a difference.

[@johnlovesbridge]

Some of the crackles were exactly the same in the before and after. That suggests record damage, or the product doing nothing. I think it's damage.

[@julosx]

Methinks these record treatment should have been made way before. Now it's just too late, the damage is done and nothing can help it. The stylus by bumping many times onto dust particles has in a way re-grooved the disc.

[@appsjuragan7611]

I am on same boat.

[@kasewiesel]

John Richard Deacon

[@MarkPMus]

I agree, and I commented as such a moment ago. Very clean, but very damaged. Dust and particles will shift, but 6g of tracking force from a 1950’s record player with a sapphire stylus will cause damage.

[@terrybyford3605]

@@MarkPMus I've expanded your comment in my post above. (I spotted my typo "here" instead of "hear" early on but hit send before I remembered. A senior moment".)

[@Liam3072]

It seems to me your techniques are actually doing their cleaning job fine: they were full of dust, and then you looked again with the microscope and the dust was gone. So their job, in and off itself, is done correctly. That the vinyl still crackles, with no dust left, simply means the cracks didn't come from the dust to begin with.

[@MarvelDcImage]

Needle to surface friction is the source of the noise.

[@Arrrbol]

Old records that have been played a lot when dusty usually end up crackling permanently.

[@daveslyker4431]

Playing on dirt records grinds the dust into the grooves.

[@Android811]

Liam3072 is correct that crackle is from static. He adds a load of static when he dries his records with that cloth. Dry them with a chamois or some other anti static cloth.

[@elfakyn]

@@Android811 if that was the case then the cracks would not be in the exact same position in the record every time

[@DokkaChapman]

When I started buying vinyl in my teen years the guy who's store I would shop at used to clean my purchases for no extra cost with an amazing machine that was like a cross between a record player & a vacuum cleaner. He'd pop some liquid on the side that needed cleaning and then switch the device on. It was about a minute per side and was pretty loud, but you could instantly tell the difference.

[@rookmaster7502]

What I've learned from this video: Don't expect miraculous results after cleaning a record, whatever method you choose.

[@Digginjim]

At the end of the day, if the record is old, used and groove worn, there's only so much you can do. Having said that I have a vacuum based cleaning machine. It's improved some older records by half a grade to a grade in some cases...

[@erictheberry]

I love how the box says, "Cleanig Pack". Quite a professional product 😂

[@DrCassette]

I have never had very good success removing the kind of high frequency crackle heard in this video. I've tried water and soap, the Disco Antistat cleaner bath and the Okki Nokki record cleaning machine. The crackle became less, but never disappeared which leads me to believe this may be caused by worn out or damaged grooves. Imagine the noise is not caused by a piece of dirt in the goove but by a piece of vinyl missing from the walls of the groove.

[@circattle]

As we have seen in videos passim, Disc 2 has been played by decades old equipment with over 9g tracking force. That dirt is in there forever.

[@DrCassette]

@@circattle Again, this is probably not dirt: The 9 grams of tracking force caused excessive wear on the grooves and this caused the crackle noise to appear.

[@swunt10]

@@DrCassette vinyl doesn't wear. that's a myth. but some records are crackly right from the pressing plant and some get dirt backed in them by the needle. the friction of the needle creates heat and that can bake dirt in like nothing else. only an ultrasonic cleaner can help then.

[@abitrubbish]

@@swunt10 Of course vinyl will wear. A stylus will wear, and that's considerably harder than the record. Records that I used to scratch/beat juggle with when I was a DJ showed obvious wear on the sections that were scratched with, or repeatedly played (more than the other sections) when beat juggling . I realise that this is an extreme example, but vinyl definitely wears, even with "normal" playing and sensible tracking force.

[@DrCassette]

@@swunt10 Under normal conditions there indeed is next to no wear at all. But here is an example of what can happen: I once had a Telefunken Mister Hit portable record player that had a bad stylus. Not knowing this, I played a record. After a few minutes I noticed the section of the record that had been played looked different from the rest of the record. The way the grooves reflected the light in the played section had changed. Playing the record on a known good record player, the section previously played by the Mister Hit was crackling and sounded dull. I have since thrown out both the Mister Hit and the record, so I can't demonstrate what had happened.

[@antidecepticon]

When I want my record clean I usually find myself at the courthouse. I either pay them off, or with Many hours of effort and dinners and fake emotions.

[@antidecepticon]

@dan cussin I have never been arrested. I have talked to the police many times . I believe that If you are doing ileagel stuff, dress business casual. The police are weary to fuck with people that look like they have money because they are more likely to retaliate in a leagel manner. Always look good and not like those Rapper fools and it will go a long way. A whore has a costume and that gives her the attention of a certain people. So dont dress like a criminal, no tats, no timberlands, no chains. and you will slip through the cracks.

[@honestabe5153]

Nice

[@zushiomaru]

u mean clearing the samples, good idea, De la soul ;)

[@cravinbob]

Your comment is going on your permanent record, good luck having a happy life now pal.!

[@antoniogonzales3476]

I just buy the record in CD format, works every time.

[@splendidcakes]

Heathen! 😁

[@diwiak]

Vinyl records will outlive you, optical disc probably not

[@coltonpetersen3065]

in before one tiny scratch makes it literally unplayable

[@John_Ridley]

I'm not a purist but I recently dug my record player out and hooked it up. I don't claim vinyl sounds better but the cadence of getting up every 20 minutes to flip the album over while reading is nice. Also I can go to the thrift store and buy about 20 hours of music for about a dollar.

[@bugradio]

When I hear pops like that, I tend to think they're tiny scratches more often than dirt/dust. You should try this: An old school hip-hop DJ at my radio station showed me years ago, if your record is noisy like that, put down some water and let the stylus ride in a ring of liquid. It eats up all of those little pops, the difference is like night and day. When he told me this, I thought he was nuts, but it totally works. (At one point, people at the station were using a bottle of record cleaning fluid instead of water, but that ran out quick).

[@ericholub3289]

@@thesquee1838 , Yeah wet playing records is a bad idea all together. First off once that record is played wet it needs to always be played wet for the same sound. Second you are actually damaging both the record and the stylus by doing so. If you are going to do so I'd recommend using a specific cartridge for this and label that record as play wet.

[@nanchanger]

@@ivok9846 corrosion

[@nanchanger]

@@ivok9846 not the only thing that would get wet

[@nanchanger]

@@ivok9846 no, I don't...

[@David-ln8qh]

@@nanchanger Uh-huh

[@999troglodyte]

Sometimes it's just down to the vinyl... I have multiple Harvest/EMI Wire records that were made from recycled vinyl around 1978 and sound like excrement

[@tanelehala6422]

Condition: EX+?

[@adotopp1865]

@@tanelehala6422 What do you mean?

[@tanelehala6422]

@@adotopp1865 EX+ in grading condition of items means "Better than excellent". In this context it could mean "excrement"

[@adotopp1865]

@@tanelehala6422 Thank You.

[@adotopp1865]

@@tanelehala6422 Excellent! Thank you (I'm sorry but that was a shit joke)

[@GeneralPurposeVehicl]

Actually, wood glue is made to go into tight spaces, so it may work on that Trimicron.

[@deusexaethera]

Wood glue is also designed to NEVER EVER LET GO, so I could see it grabbing hold of the record grooves and...well...never ever letting go.

[@GeorgeSorrell]

@@deusexaethera Wood glue does not bond particularly well to PVC

[@deusexaethera]

@@GeorgeSorrell: Perhaps not to a smooth surface, but a record has a very finely textured surface with lots of pits and grooves that the glue could latch onto. I would be very concerned about trying wood glue on any record I wanted to keep. It would only take a tiny amount of debris to ruin the sound forever.

[@volvo09]

Wood "glue" should disolve with a soak in water, and would be a recoverable mistake. Epoxy cures. (Most wood glues I've seen also say don't get wet for this reason).

[@OlliNiemitalo]

I tried PVA / wood glue on a vinyl and after drying overnight it was too brittle to peel off in one or even a countable number of pieces.

[@indianaevans]

I love the fact that your kitchen sink is perfectly shaped for this task. 😂👌🏻

[@GeertGoossens]

there is no such coincidence!

[@SenileOtaku]

That was the thing I noticed right off. Perfectly shaped sink for record washing.

[@Capturing-Memories]

I was thinking the exact same thing.

[@Milnoc]

I should get square dishes for my sink.

[@Capturing-Memories]

@@Milnoc And square records.

[@Kajico]

I wonder at what point it's no longer dust or mold and just actual damage to the grooves. There's got to be a bit of wear that would be affecting it wouldn't there?

[@olik136]

you might be on to something here- if a pressure washer can't get it clean- it is a lost cause- or it is actually clean and the sound defects are in the recording

[@FinnRenard]

That was my first thought. It's tiny scratches, not dirt.

[@PurpleCrow27]

That's exactly it. Light 'fluff' sounds are reduced but you can't 'easily' repair actual cuts and damage within each groove.

[@macswanton9622]

needs a better microscope

[@jmalmsten]

Would be nice to have two copies of the discs. Try to clean them off as good as possible, then combining the signal from both. Both in and out of phase... Why? Because if the crackle is there on both copies it's possibly be an issue with manufacturing or maybe even mastering of the disc. :)

[@maxq904]

Dear Techmoan, Most of those cleaning techniques work well, but practice is needed for perfect results. When washing records, wipe the record in an anti-clockwise direction, following the direction of the grooves. DO NOT SCRUB THEM like you were in your film as this can cause nasty surface damage. Same goes for the drying process (as important to get it right for good results), always dry in an anti-clockwise direction in a circular motion around the record until no more moisture is present (you can place the album on a clean towel & then dry each side with another, or do as I do & dry in a large towel, passing the record round & round steering wheel style). First play will always still sound noisey, but after a play or two & a quick clean of the stylus (with stylus fluid) it should sound perfect...if you have perfected your drying process... As for the goop technique, if you have to apply with your fingers, make sure you apply it as evenly as possible, avoiding ANY thin spots, this will prevent you leaving bits of goop in the grooves when you peel off. This advice comes from a lifetime of record collecting & in a professional capacity, as a mastering/cutting engineer (working as Cutsville). Digging the vids, specially the bonkers old format ones :-))) Best regards, Max "Cutsville" Quirk

[@livvy94]

Since you're a professional, I'm curious what your opinion is on this - my dad is friends with a guy who was a newspaper photographer in the 60s, and occasionally we talk about random stuff, including record collecting - he has a loooot of classical music on vinyl. Well, he said that the way he's always cleaned his records is with dishwashing liquid and normal tap water. He showed me with one of my records, applying a few drops of the dishwashing liquid, running it under the sink, and using a carbon-fiber record brush to make suds. (He assured me that the ink on record labels isn't water-soluble.) Then he rinsed it, patted it dry with a towel, and let it sit for a few minutes. It seemed to work!

[@andycohen1586]

We DID learn something... we learned that pops and fizzes are not necessarily caused by dirt.

[@GilesMUTUBE]

Try an ultrasonic bath. I made my own system to revolve the record while in the ultrasonic tank. Works better than anything else I have tried...

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

Demi water + L'Art du Son fluid and you're good.

[@GilesMUTUBE]

I use a mixture of distilled water and L’art du son fluid in the sonic bath. If you want to see what I made click here kzbin.info/www/bejne/opfag3hpm6yGfJo

[@Zveebo]

An ultrasonic bath at high altitude with vintage champagne does an acceptable job in my experience. However best to avoid the damage in the first place.

[@StringerNews1]

I was thinking the same thing. Pressure washing is more likely to force the particles deeper into the grooves. I'd first set up some kind of "clean room" zone to filter out & control dust & lint, use a small vacuum to remove surface debris, then an ultrasonic bath to tease out the deeper stuff. A VPI-style vacuum to remove the solution from the grooves as a final step would be ideal.

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

@@GilesMUTUBE Giles spot on! have it go for 8 minutes at 45C and dry with an antistatic hairdryer. Plays dead quiet on MC!

[@CletusHunnicutt]

After growing up with parents that never put their records back in sleeves (every record they collected from the 1950s to the 1980s, so not many left to scavenge from them) and thirty years of my own collecting...my methods: 1. If you get a new or like new vinyl record, or any clean old record, do everything you can to never have to wash it in the first place. Handle it carefully and never allow the record to end up anywhere other than back in the sleeve, temporarily placed on top of its own inner sleeve or on the turntable. Close the turntable lid if you don't want to immediately put the record back into its sleeve. 2. If you get a vinyl record that's only mildly dirty, a little dust or fingerprints, leave it if there's no real audio problems. If there are a few spots that are a problem, wipe gently with a microfiber cloth (used to be just a soft cotton cloth back in the old days) and STRAIGHT alcohol. 3. If you get a filthy vinyl record full of dirt and fingerprints or the main culprit, decades of cigarette gunk, go at it with a roll of paper towels and straight alcohol, folding the paper towels into small alcohol saturated squares and follow the groove with just the right amount of pressure from your fingertips, replacing with a new square as needed until the record is cleaned. If there are big chunks of dirt or makeup or dried milk or...bodily fluids, it's probably best to just start with a sink of soapy water to rinse it away. 4. Shellac or styrene records: Forget the alcohol. Use a cloth dampened with water, avoiding the label for mildly dirty records (or a quick, not too damp wipe of the label if its dirty too). A sink of warm, soapy water for the extra dirty stuff, doing the best you can to avoid getting the label wet. Wipe as dry as possible and then allow to dry completely before playing or returning to their sleeves. 5. Store your collection as far away from a kitchen as possible, and, from a former smoker, DON'T SMOKE AROUND YOUR RECORDS! After that, repeat step one. Keeping them clean in the first place is the only way to keep a record sounding as best as possible. But no matter what you do, the faint clicks and pops are inevitable. Not even if you live in a sterile museum where the only ones handling the records wear white gloves. The clicks and pops are still unavoidable if you want to enjoy your records. Embrace the surface noise...but not gouged/worn grooves. That's another thing entirely.

[@petemeis234]

When I was in high school, in 1951, I had a record player that cost about $15 or so. It would play only 45's, and had an osmium needle. That did not last long, and the needle started jumping on the record. I put a pocket knife on the arm, held on by rubber bands, and that kept the arm on the record. It was sort of tough on the records, though, and they did not last as long as I wanted them to.

[@nanchanger]

We used to tape a penny on the arm

[@markpirateuk]

I recently got a job lot of really filthy 45's, using warm soapy water in a bowl with a dowel passed through the record's hole to allow it to spin in the water without the label getting wet. It worked pretty well, and in fact worked even better when the grooves were agitated with a soft brush. A lot less hassle than using glue!

[@LycanWitch]

rather than use the microfiber cloth to dry it, as a microfiber cloth still can deposit lint on a record, especially in/over the groves. The best solution to clean/dry the record is to give the record a rinse or bath as you did in soapy water, but rather than dry it off with a cloth or microfiber cloth, instead after the water bath, rinse or submerge the record with 100%, or as close as possible, isopropyl alcohol. 1. The alcohol will displace any water left on the record after a wash. 2. 100% or as close as possible isopropyl will evaporate off the surface of the record in seconds after the rinse/bath in the alcohol, so you can skip the microfiber step and not risk depositing fresh dust/micro-lint on the record from the cloth which will just land you back at square 1. In my opinion, this is pretty much the best step you can take to cleaning a record outside of purchasing an expensive ultrasonic cleaner and special solution. Also don't forget to give the tip of the record player's stylus a clean, as any lint/dust stuck on it can be wedged between the needle and the grooves which can become audible when they hit certain angles of the walls of the groove or are being dragged/pushed along through the grove by the stylus the dirt/lint are stuck to. Always a cringe moment when people show a zoom in of the record after it's been cleaned while it's spinning on the record player and there's visible lint/hair/chunks of dust stuck to the tip of the stylus being dragged/pushed along.

[@strangelysatisfying1085]

no way. Isopropal is totally unnecessary. it leaves a noisy residue. Not everything from isopropal evaporates. You are giving misinformation and isopropal is toxic. You dry a record and before playback use a microfiber brush to destatic and clean off lint. Lint does not 'settle' into grooves, it's too large. Maybe you clean vinyl on the playstation.. this is real life we are talking about. If you need to use isopropal , you can put it in a bottle with distilled water, 1 part iso to 20 parts distilled. Then you can use that when you need to destatic a record with your microfibre brush. use it sparingly and as little as possible. And another simpler thing that 'displaces water' is time. It evaporates if you missed a micro-millimeter.

[@LycanWitch]

@@strangelysatisfying1085 only time isopropyl, aka rubbing alcohol leaves a residue is cause of the water content.. i.e. 70%, or those that are mixed with wintergreen (the green colored version). get pure 99% to 100%, the clear type, not the green one and it leaves no residue, and it's not toxic unless you're dumb enough to drink the contents of the bottle.. Isopropyl 99% can be bought from your local market and drugstores such as CVS, Rite-aid, etc, or order online from amazon: www.amazon.com/Swan-Isopropyl-Alcohol-percent-Pint/dp/B00ZCCYTWG?th=1 it's used for cleaning and for rubbing on your body, hence the common name "rubbing alcohol" (which should tell you immediately that it's non-toxic when used externally) and is commonly used for first aid and antiseptic uses (cleaning wounds/cuts). All the % determines is how pure it is.. 70% is 70% alcohol, 30% water. Anways, 99%+ iso alcohol is safe for use to clean virtually everything, including electronics due to it not being conductive and quick evaporation and displaces water trapped on/in electronics and promotes the 1% or less of water to evaporate along with it. It's literally what ultrasonic cleaners can use as the agent for cleaning. As for 99.5+% (aka 100%), you can acquire this from any beauty supply stores or also on amazon. you clearly have no clue what you are talking about or are genuinely confusing it with something else.

[@jamescarter3196]

It's true that lint on the surface of the record will get picked up by the needle, and can immediately turn a good record into sounding like a bad mp3. It's one of the most-frustrating things about records in my opinion-- clean the hell out of the grooves, and then surface lint is the villain. You do have to make sure your microfiber cloths are clean. However I've been using 'canned air' recently, the type for spraying dust out of electronics, and that works incredibly well for the final dust-off before setting the needle down.

[@LycanWitch]

​@molson12oz what a stupid reply.. why would anyone be cleaning electronics while it's plugged in or turned on? obviously unplug it and turn it off... Regardless of this, alcohol is safe for electronics (even while powered on), it doesn't conduct electricity. It's what professional electronic repair techs can use to clean boards with and in fact, it's also a technique that they use to find short circuits when a thermal camera is unavailable (and actually the best method prior to the availability of thermal cameras). While the device is powered on, pour alcohol over it, then as the hotter component that's overheating due to a short causes the alcohol to boil/evaporate quicker than on the rest of the board, that's how they find where the short is. So an "overheating ceramic resistor" isn't going to spontaneously ignite the alcohol unless it's at some component melting high temperature well above 750 degrees F, instead all that will happen is the alcohol will evaporate long before that ever happens. An overheating electronic component is not going to ignite iso alcohol, that's not how chemistry works.. Heat doesn't easily ignite Isopropyl Alcohol, open flames/sparks do but that's flash point, talking thousands of degrees. The ignition point of pure iso alcohol is 750 degrees F, an overheating ceramic capacitor doesn't reach anywhere near that, unless it was in a sealed box with no ventilation, but if that was the case, the plastics and pcb material would probably burn and ignite in those conditions, so you'd not be concerned with cleaning your electronics under those conditions, instead you'll be more concerned about calling the fire department. Need proof? Here's a demonstration of Louis Rossman using this pouring alcohol over electronics technique to find a short on an expensive Mac Pro laptop mother/logic board while it has power: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y5mTYpmEjdiVqLM Anyways, you guys really need to stop attempting to pretend you know what you're talking about when you clearly have zero clue what you're talking about, makes you look stupid. Iso Alcohol is a 100% perfectly reasonable and safe cleaning liquid to use on Vinyl records which I shouldn't have to say, but will say anyways, which doesn't have any electronics and would melt LONG before ever reaching anywhere near 750F.. *facepalms* p.s. iso alcohol doesn't burn invisible. it burns orange/blue. it's highly visible. Can find plenty of videos here on youtube of people burning it, doing experiments with it burning, and playing with fire for fun by just searching: isopropyl alcohol fire You'll clearly see immediately that it burns white/yellow/orange/blue, not invisible. You're clearly confusing rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) with methyl alcohol or methanol (used as race fuel). methyl Alcohol is not the same nor has the same properties of Isopropyl Alcohol, pure methyl alcohol has a very low ignition point and yes, that one does burn invisible, but it is not the same as Isopropyl alcohol which is safe enough that you probably have a bottle of it right sitting inside your bathroom's medicine cabinet.

[@LycanWitch]

@molson12oz nice try kid. got spanked by yo gramps. I suggest taking a chemistry class once you reach highschool, then maybe you'll learn all about alcohol and it's many different isotopes and realize that not all are the same. But to be honest you really don't need to take chemistry to know this, it's pretty much common sense. one type is used as rubbing alcohol/medical/cleaning use, one type is used as fuel or as a fuel additive, one type as a solvent, and one type is for drinking.

[@mceajc]

I'm starting to wonder if the noise and pops are due to dirt at all, and are due to physical wear and tear on the groove instead? I'm surprised that none of these methods made any significant difference. I would love to sync up some video with the playback, identify a particular pop and its location on the record, then do some proper microscopy to identify the source of the pop.

[@strangelysatisfying1085]

It can be multiple things. people who collect vinyl.. usually understand there's usually going to be some sort of noise.

[@adymode]

I also suspect this - if under magnification no contamination is visible, none will be audible either. I imagine playing a record should dislodge most micro particles, but cause permanent micro-scratches in the process.

[@SGW4K]

I think this is the likely answer.

[@kojsbarv]

@@strangelysatisfying1085 I always though it was due too electo static build up.

[@redsyrup1138]

Ditto, A piece of dust or dead skin is more likely to get kicked out of the groove by the needle when making contact. It's more likely that micro spot has been nicked or damaged somehow. Probably by having something in there or a hair and the needle hitting scraping the groove.

[@squidtickler3128]

A different approach would be to clean the stylus.

[@brucebruceish]

THIS! While I get the videos purpose is to cover vinyl cleaning, but I kept thinking "would cleaning the stylus or trying a different turntable help?" I'm sure they'll be a followup video!

[@CorporalClegg1000]

Or not using an el-cheapo record player?

[@rollercoastermaniac2]

@@CorporalClegg1000 "el cheapo" these are worth like 400-1000 dollars now lol

[@deusexaethera]

Cleaning the stylus will improve playback fidelity, but it won't get rid of pops and clicks. Those are caused by dirt or damage on the record.

[@brout80]

@@deusexaethera It's also caused by static.

[@saltech3444]

I have been into vinyl records for about a year and a half now; and I have not yet bought a record cleaning machine - not even one of those Spin Clean things. I could probably afford one now; but my manual technique, which I am refining all the time, has given me salutary results: A. DRY BRUSHING, which should precede wet cleaning, to remove as much of the loose "highland" dust as possible and prevent it descending to the grooves: 1. Prepare cleaning fluid: 80 parts distilled water to 20 parts 100% isopropyl alcohol. 2. Put a rubber mat on turntable. Turn turntable up to 45 rpm (or 78 rpm if available). Take record out of old inner sleeve. (Always handle record with a microfibre cloth. It saves on wrist gymnastics). Use an arc lighter or similar to de-static surface of the record. Place record on platter. Turn on turntable. 3. Spray carbon fibre brush with distilled water. (This addresses a common paranoia about carbon fibre brushes - that they simply move dust around without lifting it. Trust me, the damp brush will lift it). Brush the surface of the record in the following manner - place at this angle: \ to the radius of the record. 4. Passively gather up dust for a couple of rotations; then brush the record in a series of back-and-forth movements PARALLEL to the grooves; then gather dust passively again, before pushing the brush quite firmly PERPENDICULAR to the grooves, towards the label. Lift brush off surface and examine brush for dust. Flick dust off the brush using the dust-flicker in the handle. Repeat until no further dust is lifted from surface. (Note that the parallel brushing should be confined to brushes that are not worn, since hairs will tend to shed if brush is worn). 5. Lift record off platter. While record is raised, use carbon brush to brush platter mat. Check brush for platter-dust and flick dust off hairs.Turn record to side B and place on platter. (Note that platter brushing requires using a rubber mat or similar, not felt. If you do not brush the platter mat, you will potentially transfer dust between sides, as you can see from the surprising amount of dust lifted from the mat between sides). Repeat cleaning of Side B as per step 4. B. WET CLEANING, whose purpose is to soak groove dust in an isopropanol solution, remove (an admittedly small amount of) this wet dust from the grooves on to a cloth, and to loosen up any remaining groove dust into a slurry for later removal. 6. Set up a work surface - namely, an LP box set with a terry-towel microfibre cloth on top. Place drybrushed record on the cloth. Place a plastic disc on the label to protect it. Spray Side A with the cleaning fluid. Let the fluid soak in; then run finger, covered in microfibre glasses cloth, along the grooves in a concentric spiral outwards to inwards. Bear down quite hard on the grooves at this point. Concentric spirals should be both clockwise and anticlockwise, and reverse directions frequently to encourage dust to come out. Check cloth periodically for residue and shift cloth around to make sure clean spots of cloth are used. Repeat on Side B. 7. You now have a record with damp loose slurry of dirt in grooves, of which a certain amount has been taken away on to the cloth, and the remainder is still in the grooves. Go to the shower. Grasping the disc with a microfibre cloth, flush the grooves quite thoroughly with high pressure cold tapwater. Repeat on Side B. Try to avoid wetting label. This is a substitute for vacuuming the surface of the record, and is intended to flush as much dirt out of the grooves as possible. 8. Your record is now cleaner than before, but a slurry of dirt remains in the grooves. It is also covered with tap water, which will leave a residue. Cover the label again with the plastic disc. Spray distilled water all over the surface very thoroughly, until it saturates and the water starts trickling off the lower edge into a convenient rubbish bin. Repeat on Side B. Your record is now wet with distilled water, which will leave no residue. 9. Air dry until surface is dry. For this use an all-plastic dish drainer, easily obtained from a large hardware shop. 10. When dry, your record now has a certain amount of loose, damp dirt still residing within the grooves. Place record on platter again. Increase weight on tonearm up to 4.15 grams (in my case, the maximum weight possible). Play the record with the weighted stylus three times. Use carbon fibre brush as per step 4. Inspect the brush for dirt and repeat until no visible dirt is lifted. Repeat for Side B. Your record is now clean.

[@benjamindminor7552]

I must be a weirdo because the whole reason I love listing to my vinyl is the cracks and pops, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy like sitting in front of a open fire.

[@wetjerry8201]

I have a vinyl player an love the cracks and bumps. It makes the sound more authentic and vintage sounding, kind of like an old radio.

[@ewigerschuler3982]

digusteng

[@mcmullen_photo]

Well, since nothing seems to take them out I guess you're golden. :D

[@jazzman1626]

I used to think all records had crackles and pops but when I learned that they ideally shouldn’t have any, It stated to really irritate me. The best two things I bought for my turntable is an Okki Nokki record cleaning machine and an Acrylic Platter to replace the metal one my turntable came with. With the metal platter, every time I removed a record from the turntable, it would crackle with static. Since I got the Acrylic Platter, I don’t hear a single sound as I lift off the record. The Okki Nokki does a fantastic job of cleaning the records too. It’s sheer bliss having absolute silence between tracks and in quiet passages of music.

[@garyshepard7881]

Yep...weirdo.

[@bazza5699]

can't beat waking up to a new techmoan video :) :) did anyone else think the box contained two big candles when you first opened it!? lolol love the idea of pressure washing, have you thought about sandblasting..lol great video :)

[@eclexian]

I recall being told in the late 1970s, that when a vinyl record is played, any specks of dust on it actually get welded to the sides of the grooves by the passing stylus. If that’s true, no amount of non-solvent cleaning could make up for that. And I suspect that a solvent strong enough to remove such particles would also damage the vinyl itself.

[@sanicthehedgehog6896]

How would dust be welded to plastic, it can get stuck on there, but it could still be removed, I think you need to get some type of brain scan dude

[@HildeTheOkayish]

@@sanicthehedgehog6896 No reason to be so harsh. He just relayed some information he was told. It may be wrong but that doesn't mean you have to be a dick about it.

[@N3k0-Arc]

​@@sanicthehedgehog6896 damn...who hurt you?

[@NackDSP]

People don't realize that dust is often plastic fibers from clothing breaking down. So yeah, a plastic fiber will get welded onto a plastic record. Nope, it isn't going to wash off. Loving my digital audio.

[@eleithias]

Another great video, thank you for your great content you're one of my go to sources for old audio tech and I love that you always give a straight honest answer, its trustworthy. I hope this doesn't come across wrong but this video helped me not worry as much as my records have some static and pops, and I never seem to be able to get them down past a certain level. You probably saved a bit of money buying and trying all sorts of cleaning gadgets thinking I'm missing out on audio bliss or mistreating my records. Thanks!

[@numbers9to0]

Wow, looks like that Recopack didn't change the box design since the 70ies/80ies.

[@Zveebo]

I avoid this issue in the first place by only playing the record once when in mint condition, and then immediately vacuum sealing the record and sleeve and storing in a nitrogen-filled controlled temperature vault. I record the initial playback onto MiniDisc for future playback, thereby preserving the superior pristine vinyl sound.

[@ronnyb5890]

great solution,same here,one flaw tough,when you tranfer the sound of a record into any form of digital you lose some of that superior pristine vinyl sound,because of compression,even with lossless codecs,the dynamics are preserved,exept low range,a lot of record low range is filtered away,thats why,a long time ago,you could buy a component as an ad on for CD that restored the sub-bass again,either way,a great solution to spare your records for a long time,and still enjoying the music

[@VGScreens]

I hope you save a master backup copy of each MiniDisc in case one gets damaged in use.

[@Zveebo]

@@VGScreens It's a good point - I'm always very aware of the potential for the laser causing wear and tear on the MiniDisc, so one of the first things I do is to back up a master copy to type IV compact cassette which are stored off-site for preservation purposes.

[@Zveebo]

​@@johnsweda2999 Don't worry, John, I take precautions, The record is only ever taken out of its packaging in my sealed and air-filtered clean room, and I wear appropriate protective clothing while doing so in order to prevent contamination.

[@roderickwhitehead]

@@VGScreens - His digital masters are stored under a blanket of argon within a magnetically-shielded cage located deep inside a salt mine.

[@johncarpenter624]

After the sink cleaning, I heard an improvement.

[@eclexian]

Yes, I thought that as well.

[@leese16davies84]

been enjoying your programs lately, i've searched a lot over the years about cleaning vinyl and a lot of people say to use a small amount of dishwasher rinse aid to help break down the surface tension of the water so it can get in the grooves. i have paid up to £5 per record to have professionally cleaned but still did not notice much difference from just giving a wipe like you in the end. have a good day buddy.

[@XavierAncarno]

You should also clean the stylus... it’s probably coated with dust, skin particules... etc

[@ajg8600]

Im sure he does... his whole job is to do this kinda stuff.

[@mercoid]

AJ G ...Yes but Xavier has a point. Such reassurances should be stated in the video for sake of being thorough.

[@kandigloss6438]

@@mercoid oh come on now.

[@jamescarter3196]

@@kandigloss6438 "oh come on now" don't give good advice? "oh come on now" don't be specific or give good instructions? What kind of point did you think you were making? You sound like the kind of person who needs everything spelled out, since you can't spell it out yourself.

[@strangelysatisfying1085]

it's odd, that's what many people do last. It's the most critical area.

[@snaplash]

This is the one reason I felt CD's were FAR better than records when they arrived. Even if you do manage to clean a record perfectly, it isn't going to remain so unless you keep and play it in a Class 1 clean room :)

[@STARDRIVE]

Some hipsters adore compact cassettes nowadays. Can you believe that shit? I remember ripping music from the radio or vinyl records: Static on static. Then line the songs up to get a round 45 minutes, or peek through the tiny cassette window to fade out just in time. Only to have it all eaten by your car stereo..

[@juanaltredo2974]

to be fair CDs get scratched too, and get damaged too, and vynils do have more "life" for lack of a better word

[@LordZarano]

@@XX-121 and you can rip them to FLAC and get the same perfect playback from any computer or phone

[@JRSanchez93]

@@STARDRIVE I can because I was close to doing that myself when record collecting was becoming really popular. I thought it'd be fun to go after something no one else was (well yet at that time) but I thought better of it since I have more CDs, things to put to CDs in (storage and play wise) and tapes sound like shit if not stored properly.

[@camuslp283]

@@XX-121 lmao who told you that cds have more dynamic range?

[@Thevinylscavenger]

That was all interesting stuff in the end I went for a project II as yet to use but will get round to it.

[@villavilla4798]

Vinyl hasn't have to crackle free ! That's the charm of it 😉 Greets from Holland 🇳🇱

[@ianbishop247]

I thought I was watching Solent Green when the Beethoven started playing - or am I just showing my age? When we got our first 'Hifi' - a Sharp Music Centre my Dad insisted we had to go through a cleaning process using a pad on which you sprayed liquid cleaner. To reduce dust being attracted to the record after using the pad, we then used an anti-static gun. To check the record for static we even had a static tester that contained two metal leafs that would move apart when static was detected. All this came in a kit from Boots the Chemist - back when they sold records!

[@adamfox9651]

Yes, the first thing that popped into my head was a dying Eddie G watching nature films. Soylent Green is PEOPLE! IT'S PEOPLE!!!

[@lalatv900]

reminds me of an old liar's club saying...that he played his favorite record so much he could hear both sides at the same time

[@williamklimas7515]

that's good

[@cwgochris71]

I definitely love this channel!

[@MKRLN]

I had excellent results with window cleaner, agitating with a fine soft paintbrush in the same direction as the groove, and then rinsing under the tap. It makes a noticeable improvement, not only in popping, but also in volume. I've been doing it for a few years now, and I haven't experienced any adverse effects

[@That_AMC_Guy]

I've had really good luck with my Spin Clean. I collect CD-4 Quadradiscs and they need a very clean surface to work properly. The Spin Clean really does get into the grooves to clean out the gunk - you can even see the floaties in the water after doing a few records. I was lucky enough to score a sealed Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack LP. After putting that through the Spin Clean twice, the record has no static noise. It's so quiet, all you hear between songs is the sound of the stylus being dragged through the groove. I think other folks have hit the nail on the head - any surface noise left after pressure washing is probably groove damage.

[@Jenovi]

I use a specially designed shop vac attachment that’s safe for records. Works like a charm.

[@paradaboulevard324]

The best results I got were from ultrasonic cleaning. Expensive setup (ultrasonic tank + spinner) but it will give your records a new value.

[@grumplepig]

Hey thanks, you have a good delivery. I haven’t really decided what works good yet, I’m in the process

[@Windowsfan100]

It would be a quick video he said *Proceeds with a still 13 min long video* Never change.

[@draketungsten74]

When he says quick, he means the time he took to make it, not the length of the video.

[@FranklyPeetoons]

I'm glad it was 13 minutes long. It was the perfect length. DO NOT make a "That's what she said" joke here. It would be rude and EXTREMELY cheap.

[@zoomosis]

It was measured in Microsoft time, which you'll be familiar with if you've ever installed Windows XP.

[@archivistxx]

@@FranklyPeetoons that's what she said

[@ReviewCrap]

A stiff wire brush and oven cleaner followed by wet sanding with 400 grit sandpaper. Obviously!

[@rtzigga]

For really bad ones, an angle grinder with a 40 grit flap wheel works wonders.

[@draevonmay7704]

I hand apply 240 like a real man should. Get a nice even distribution for that balanced tone.

[@Grimm-Gaming]

How about baking in a kiln at 500c for 8hrs

[@draevonmay7704]

Grimm Gaming That only works for some cases. I think each record need to be taken on its own merits; most likely some combination will be the proper treatment.

[@ReviewCrap]

Stubborn record noise may require light application of an angle grinder, but I suppose that goes without saying.

[@NLind]

6:40 - I looked at both waveforms and there indeed was absolutely no difference, all of the pops that were on the dirty record were still present on the “cleaned” one.

[@andrewhaines8603]

I've had a couple of records and I've tried the wood glue. It sort of works for some things. I've also washed a couple using warm soapy water and very clean, dry microfiber cloths. Now that made a significant improvement to the ones I tried it on. Once dried I was impressed. I probably wouldn't try it on my DSOTM solid triangle copy or other high value items, but for charity shop purchases where it looks like the surface has patches of "fuzzy mould" on it had results.

[@JLsoft]

It's a great hint towards the quality of that Nagaoka Recopack when 'cleaning' isn't even spelled correctly on the main packaging.

[@invisiblekid99]

Just some poor translation but a poor show still for a company such as Nagaoka, their carts are some of the best you can get at any given price level.

[@vinyl1Earthlink]

Well, they do make ultrasonic record-cleaning machines. They are rather expensive, but much more effective.

[@HiViNywschannel]

Dear Analogue Buddy👋😄!!! Thank YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! Warmest Regards my friend!!! You're doing a great favour for us! Always look forward to seeing you. Makes me smile🤗 May you have a lovely audio and musical journey ahead Buddy!🎶🎵🎶🎶💪💪💪😄

[@Terry.W]

Back in the day I used the Pixall sticky roller ….but hey the static and crackles give my records character..

[@leonkernan]

I’m sensing another episode of techmoan vs the 8 bit guy involving pressure washers at 30 paces

[@thesledgehammerblog]

Just don't invite the guy from Applied Science or it won't end well.

[@moneyman1934]

A good product to try is the Vinyl Styl Deep Groove Record Washer. It's a simple plastic basin with 2 vertically mounted brushes inside. Also has a label protector! It has brought hundreds of records back to life for me.

[@richardfay8298]

Sean C. - I have one these but it's called "Spin Clean Record Washer Mk II", it's the best method I have found and I have tried them all.

[@piccolo1976]

I learnt 3 things. Some of these record cleaning products available are expensive and don't work any better than washing up liquid and warm water, some records will never be crackle free no matter how hard you try to clean them and your new lights/clamp setup seem to be working really well! Think I'll buy the water proof clamp though, thanks for the review.

[@eugeneoneal3034]

A long time ago (the sixties) we would balance a coin on the cartidge so the record wouldn't jump a groove, it kinda worked, but records didn't survive long. I learnt later to look after my vynil.

[@adotopp1865]

..pity you didn't learn how to spell it. (just put records next time)

[@peytonp8911]

I think some people actually still do that!

[@OxKing]

There is only one solution: Nanobots!

[@SZebS]

NANOMACHINES SON

[@jonthehedghehog]

Seba Zabala THEY CLEAN IN RESPONSE TO DUST TRAUMA

[@ronaldsantosjapan]

Then you'd need a way to clean the nanobots.

[@SZebS]

@@ronaldsantosjapan plankbots

[@inconsolablegraphite2126]

Love the videos, I’m old enough to remember when many of the machines you’ve demonstrated were supposedly the future, and it’s rather funny seeing them becoming cool again. I’ve been battling noise on LPs since I was a teenager and no pressing is perfect. I used to annoy the record department staff in WH Smiths in the 80s by continuously returning scratched records until I got a good copy, and they were nearly ALWAYS scratched for some reason. I'm sure some retailers employed professional 'record abraders'. If you keep records clean from new, and only play them on good gear then they don’t get noisy. I have LPs over 40 years old which sound as good as the day I bought them. I still play them as I like the sound of vinyl albums, am a bit nostalgic, and appreciate the sleeve art, but they are definitely a flawed medium. If I was young now though, I probably wouldn’t be bothered :) For records which are noisy due to dirt but otherwise well looked after, I’ve started using Winyl gel, a recent discovery for me, which is also a film product, but rather easier to apply than the stuff you demoed. Provided the LP is just dirty, and not scratched or worn, I’ve found the result in some cases to be a dramatic improvement, but it does vary, depending on the nature of the noise. Secondhand records which may have been in damp basements or attics for years not only have dust but often fungus too. Winyl shifts both. It also seems to produce an increase in playback clarity in addition to less noise and static charge.

[@Ninja_Gaijin]

could you listen in store to demo? if so that would be it.. or staff playing possibly.. or just bad handling from the plant/packaging/distro

[@ReelHifi]

Love the Pressure washing a record :) 9:35 - I'm setting up a pressure washing line up in my Drive first thing in the morning. I think using some good pre spray will do the trick Thx !

[@maxheadrom3088]

I learned about the label protection thing ... very nice! I'd use only water perhaps with some neutral detergent on the first rinse for the eventual grease. Water will help remove the static from the record and hence help remove dust from deep in the grooves. I also would use a natural hair brush (make-up brushes for blush are great) instead of a sponge. Also, the drying in the end might be putting dirt and static back in the record - try a natural dry. For now, my albums will stay dirt until I find a good and afordable way of cleaning them. Those automatic machines are great but 3,000 Euros is way off my budget.

[@TheBRBvideos]

I had the Recopack kit almost 30 years ago! It worked well though not so well that I ever bought replacement fluid for it. The applicator is badly thought out and pretty useless on even a slightly warped record, especially on the included, label only, support. The thing is, cleaning the dust, pollen and other deposits from a record will not remove all noise - some of which will be groove damage, scratches and, particularly with pressings from the 70s until the recent revival, crappy recycled vinyl 🤣. BTW I also use one of those 'scopes. They're great if you want to carefully and completely clean the stylus of an expensive MC cartridge (also a lot cheaper than a decent macro lens).

[@denzassproductionsaus]

I've been cleaning / washing my records in slightly warm water with washing liquid in a sink for years.. Then it sits in the drying rack where plates normally would go for 30 minutes or so and done! I've once made the mistake by using a cheap bottle of washing liquid and that made the record release gunk every time it played for a long period of time but it recoved and is fine now so a better brand always helps. In my opinion, this is the best way to clean. Simple, it's free & works.

[@batman.darthmaul]

I just recently started using the warm water in the sink method, with a bit of dishwashing liquid, and I get extremely good results. I actually had a record that skipped on both sides but after washing it with this method, both skips were gone and of course the record was much cleaner. I don't use a sponge like your example, though; I like to use my hands. I can actually feel the grooves and how ultra-clean the surface is.

[@Jas0nAnders0n]

I use a CNC lathe with a horizontal mounted VNMG .004R insert and feed into the groove at 33 RPM. Is this okay?

[@terrybyford3605]

Actually, more often than not the crackling you here is not caused strictly by surface dust or dirt embedded in the groove, although the latter is a cause due to its persistent nature. In the mid-1960's when I got interested in hi-fi there was a move to low point mass stereo moving magnet cartridges with ultra low tracking weights. Forerunners in this were Shure, with their V15 range, ADC with their 10E series, Pickering, and which would happily track at around 1gm to 1.5gm, but they did need a low mass arm to achieve this. One driving force was the damage caused to the vinyl by playing weights that exceeded the elasticity point of vinyl. This is crucial to record wear. The physical movement of the stylus could reach up to 20G, and at these levels the heat generated actually melts the vinyl briefly after which it should return to its prior state. However, increasing tracking weight actually pushes the vinyl beyond its elasticity point that it doesn't return fully to its prior state and it is this distorted groove that on subsequent playings simply distorts more. In other words, causing irreparable damage to the groove. Damage also occurs when playing at too low a tracking weight for which the cartridge was designed. In this case, the damage really is physical as instead of maintaining contact with the groove. the stylus bounces around in it and "crashes" into the sides of the groove literally gouging the groove in the process. A fourth cause of record crackle is, of course, static electricity.

[@evanleebodies]

For afficionados of the jet wash idea, try using a water dental flosser-its more convenient than taking your vinyl out into the garden on a cold winter's day and you can use distilled water instead of tap water.

[@adotopp1865]

Keep them spotlessly clean Mr Moan. I find wet cleaning on my Moth Record Cleaning machine produces reduced surface noise and a great sound

[@havy9936]

to watch the endcard is just so nice

[@Balikon]

For the dirt/dust mostly sits in the bottom of the grove, the most effective way to decrease problems with the cracking noise besides keeping your records clean and healthy is to take care of your stylus. A brand new stylus tip does not reach the bottom for it has contact with the flanks of the groove. That is where the sound is stored - in the flanks, not in the bottom. So the stylus is given a form, that leaves a tiny space between the tip and the bottom of the groove. As time goes by the parts of the stylus degrade which are in contact with the flanks of the groove. In consequence the stylus tip dips deeper into the groove, the chance of contacting dirt/dust increases and so does the cracking noise. The worst case is, that the stylus tip gets in contact with the bottom of the grove. This results not only in the most disturbing cracking, you have additional noise and distortion for the stylus has additional friction with the part of the grove which contains no sound information. So, depending how often you use your turntable, which type of stylus (sapphire or diamond, conical or eliptical) you use, how damaged and clean your records are, how good tracking force and antiskating (if your record player has that feature) are adjusted, you have different lifespans of your stylus. My quick and dirty recommondations: If you listen to 1 to 2 records a day... ...change a conical diamond once a year for they have a approximated lifetime of 500 hours ...change a elliptical diamond every 2 to 2,5 years for they have a approximated lifetime of 1000 hours ...change a *sapphire* stylus once every 3 *months* for they have a approximated lifetime of *only* 75 to 100 hours --sapphire styluses are often common in very low priced record players (e.g. crosley portable and comparable) --additionally those low price players have a high tracking force... --...and no anti-skating at all promoting one side wear for the tone arm is forcing the stylus towards the record center without anti-skating. ...do not wait, till your stylus is worn down completely ...you can adopt you intervals to your usage on basis the information given above. ...to avoid wasting money, alternativly let your stylus get checked by an expert in the intervals given above - if you have the chance to. ...check tracking force and - if featured - anti-skating settings of your turntable from time to time. ...if your stylus suffers from anything unusual --scratching over the whole record cause you accidentelly touched the tonearm while playing... --contact the platter for you accidentally pressed start without putting the record on... --landing hard on the record for the headshell fell off your fingers while picking a track... --anything else, which can damage your stylus... ...do not play any record until an expert checked your stylus. The worst thing that can happen: The sapphire/diamond disenganges from the cantilever basis to which it is normally glued to without your notice. The next record will be played on blank metal or whatever the cantilever is made of. Hope you find this information useful. Live long and prosper...and have fun with your records :-) Ah, and please excuse my english, i am not a native speaker.

[@floxy709]

of COURSE the 8bit guy would suggest pressure washing

[@herbiehusker1889]

I'm surprised he didn't suggest retrobrite.

[@floxy709]

@@herbiehusker1889 IKR

[@MiguelMakesMusic]

@@herbiehusker1889 LOL

[@Capturing-Memories]

I expected him to suggest a wire brush.

[@AureliusR]

yeah cause he's a complete moron

[@thomosburn8740]

I use the wood glue treatment, titebond 2, and it works on about 2/3 of the records I apply it to. Of course each record has gotten 2 wet wash and dry passes, previous to the glue method. Further, a change in stylus choice, a different shape may alleviate some of this noise. a Microline stylus often rides in virgin groove even if the record is 50 years old.

[@astra004]

Well done and convincing.... convinced me to get rid of my Lp collection.

[@BIRKMAN1994]

I’ve heard that vinyl actually retains static, and that causes a lot of the crackling we normally blame on dust. I know there are products/methods for discharging the static, but haven’t tried them myself.

[@horsey604]

Yes, vinyl is a substance that has memory and can store temperature and static as well.

[@WDeranged]

Wet cleaning discharges all static.

[@dingdongbells3314]

8:52 good to see that retro computer cases aren't the *only* things he power sprays in his driveway.

[@VinylforMiles]

I’m so glad you made this video! You saved me a ton of money haha

[@bleutz]

used to use a zerostat antistatic gun and a D4 Discwasher kit back in the day. Both are still available. Good luck!

[@DeepPastry]

You should try the *applicator with wood (white school) glue, since you can get runnier versions of both. EDIT: While speed is an issue for low volume, if you had to spend 4 hours a day cleaning hundreds of disks, then the glue set up could make sense. Spend hours covering all of one side, next day do the opposite side, day three removing first side, and forth day for the other. And your filthy record store sized collection is all clean.

[@Robber7]

You would need to have free space to place all those records as well which can be a problem unless you want to place them all over the floor in some room :P

[@DeepPastry]

@@Robber7 I assume that besides having a Record Store's amount of records in your collection, you also have enough baking racks to have more than enough space to lay out these records. That's the beauty of theoretical record collections, all those theoretical extras that I'm just making up on the fly... I mean, you'd totally have as well.

[@SenileOtaku]

@@Robber7 You'd have spacers to sit between them (on the labels) and stack them on a single rod through the spindle hole.

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

Try ultrasonic and a anti static hairdryer, you will never want anything else. It plays quiet and you can do multi records simultaniously. It is also much cheaper to run. Pressure washing doesn't get the water in the grooves (surface tension) you need an additive to lower that. Drying a record with a cloth will on get more dirt in and also make it static.

[@BlackHoleForge]

I thought you were pulling my leg when you said to wash them in the sink. But my mind was blown away when the 8bit guy suggested to pressure wash them.♥️

[@robmckennie4203]

I had one of those microscopes, my one could resolve an image at two different distances. It would focus at a few centimeters away as shown in the video, but would also focus much closer, basically flat down against the surface

[@scharkalvin]

Could it be that the crackles and pops are caused by micro scratches in the record that you can't see except under a high power microscope? Or are they the result of static electric discharges between the record and the stylus (like a Wimshurst machine)? In the first case, the record can't be cleaned, it's actually damaged at a microscopic level. In the second case, is there any method to "discharge" a record of static electric charge before playing it?

[@MissChanandlerBong1]

Those crackles are probably little scratches on the record itself. One of my LP's I often listen to is U2 The Joshua Tree released circa 1987 and it definitely looks its age. But it still sounds great. Even with a huge scratch on one side, strangely you can't hear it whilst playing. Every record seems develop its own character over time.

[@jimjam6327]

I stored some singles in a damp basement where they got a bit musty with mildew. Talk about crackle and pop when they were played. I cleaned them with some plain water in a small ultrasonic bath and wow, what an astonishing transformation!

[@orsonkaart1853]

My mate used a tepid running tap with washing up liquid and a soft paint brush!

[@SaberusTerras]

I was wondering if there was gunk on the needle after the second attempt.

[@jenky1044]

Great show. I've always liked vinyl....well let me state, I've always loved new vinyl on very nice turntable. I listen to digital music these days and I don't miss the crackling or what sounds like a cat pulling it's claws from a trash bag. It just seems no matter how much money invested in vinyl and equipment, you always get that noise. Thank you for sharing.

[@robwasnj]

Me too, I had good gear, great half speed masters and I would clean them before every play, NEVER touched the surface, bought padded mylar sleeves... the whole bit, I even would refrain from playing them during humid months because my stylus would "gunk up" sometimes. In spite of all these precautions I would get the occasional pops and ticks and once they were in a spot nothing seemed to remove them. When CD's came out I did not miss albums at all and for the most part still don't. The worst thing ruining music today however sonically speaking are compressed formats... I have heard people swear you cannot distinguish a 320K mp3 file but have taken the blind test on my stereo and time and time again have proven those people wrong. Not everyone can hear the difference but if you're one of those unlucky enough to notice it can really detract from the experience. On the bright side used CD's in perfect condition can be found dirt cheap here at the record exchange, I buy many now and have gone back to buying physical media.

What is your sony device Sir.. Pls say models serial

[@jonboy9912]

Here's what I do and it works! Wash the record in warm soapy water with a very soft cloth or toilet tissue - really soak it! Wipe off the suds and spray some WD40 on the cloth you just used - just a small amount and coat the record. Then wash off the residue with soapy water such that you are only leaving a minimum of the oil, Dry carefully and use a lint free polishing cloth to finish. I have found that this brings old vinyl around well, kills static and leaves a lubricated groove for your needle! I was told never to do this before I tried it and thought that sounds like a recommendation and did the right thing and did it and I am very pleased I did!