Vinyl Records 33 rpm / 45 rpm / 78 rpm ———- These are the most common formats found in Vinyl Record formats. These all have some preparation common to each other and they have some areas that require different treatment as well. Each require special care before proceeding with the transfer process.
Step 1
is to clean the vinyl disc of any foreign particles that will interfere with the quality of sound during the transfer process. Because vinyl records are by nature delicate, great care must be taken to ensure the preservation of the original disc as mush as possible. When cleaning a vinyl disc it is extremely important not to use any chemicals that will damage the surface. Vinyl records have a protective coating that can be damaged if the wrong substance is applied. By searching the Internet one can find the best substance for cleaning vinyl discs and that is “DiscWasher” cleaning kit. This kit includes a liquid washing substance and a specialized soft angled micro brush for mechanically cleaning the delicate groves of a record.
Step 2
can be optionally performed and that is removing the static charges accumulated on the record. That can be done by using a ZeroStat Pistol anti static device which can also be found on the Internet. If the record is warped, special care must be taken to restore the record to its original shape without permanently damaging it. After preparing the record correctly…
Step 3
requires the use of a high quality diamond stylus matched to a high quality turntable preferably a direct drive quartz locked turntable with an adjustable tone arm capable of providing the exact amount of weight to the record without damaging the record or diamond. Quartz locked means highly accurate timing of the rotational speed of the record. This assures undistorted pitch of the recording to be made. One very special note is the difference from 45 and 33 rpm records vs 78 rpm records and that is the size of needle required to capture the width of the record grooves accurately.
Step 4 is the connection to a digital recording device. This usually includes the use of a computer. Depending on the type of turntable and cartridge used you will need to make the correct connections to insure a high quality signal of the audio source. One method used is to acquire a USB turntable which conv
erts the record signal to a USB signal which can easily be recorded by a computer’s audio recording software. This method is the easiest but many systems such as this compromise quality for ease. Since this USB system is specialized to transfer easily to a computer, it often omits quality on the actual turntable, cartridge and diamond side in favor of providing the ease of USB and maintaining an affordable price point. The prefered method is to use a much higher quality turntable, cartridge and diamond matched with a good quality pre amplifier which is used to boost the signal to the appropriate level for recording.
Step 5 is where the vinyl rubber hits the hard drive road and this is accomplished with a wise selection in the right software for the job. The transfer can be done with many different pieces of software but getting the right piece of software for the right job is the critical point in this step and using the software correctly is the next
important step in creating the best quality transfer possible. A high quality restoration includes recording the signal as hot as possible without digital or analog distortion. The proper speed must be corrected and locked in. The frequency equalization must be tailored to the best possible levels for a modern quality sound. The noise floor must be eliminated gently to reduce noticeable hum and hiss. The presence of pops, crackles and clicks must be reversed so as to minimize the presence of such damage on the record and last but not least, the final recording must be processed at the right sample rate and trimmed and cut into tracks for preparation for CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, ACC, MP3, Wave, Aiff or other final formats and mastered to the final medium.
The choices to achieve a good restoration are one of 3
Do it yourself after reading and understanding this article.
Do it yourself after studying the Illusion School Record Restoration Class.
Have Illusion Productions do all of the restoration and transfer for you.
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