Snap crackle and pop

I think the other "pop remover" was made by a company called SAE (Scientific Audio & Electronics). They made good amplifiers. It was a popular item. It had an inverter button that allowed you to hear only the pops that were being eliminated. That was mostly for salesmen demonstrations. When a salesman would take a record that had been "prepared" with many light scratches, then played it back with the inverter switch and then the clean switch, people would buy the unit in a flash.

The problem was that a new record with artificially added light scratches did not actually represent a somewhat worn record with real world defects over time.

The SAE unit was not so good after all.

All of these units disappeared from the market after CDs took over the market.

 

That's the Sugar Cube, which was funded through Kickstarter. The SC-1 does the removal in real-time only while the SC-2 can be recorded digitally to a USB device, add album tag information, and track splitting automatically. Useful if you have tons of money to burn and/or have far numerous rare recordings on LP only that are not in good shape.

 

I've heard both the Burwen and the SAE- both used the same design, or a very similar one, iirc.

Nope. Did not work. The resulting sound was obviously processed, and most of the scratches remained. They just sounded different. The noise removal only worked at the top end of the frequency spectrum. Most scratches have lower midrange content, and that remained.

 

A trick that does often work well to get rid of impulse noise: wetting the record with distilled water just before you play it. Works surprisingly well. (Torumat record cleaning fluid worked even better- not sure if that's still made.) It's often possible to get a clean recording of a vinyl LP with this technique.

 

When I was younger it didn't really bother me that much but the older I get the more I'm distracted by surface noise. For me the odd pop or click is tolerable but when it repeats on consecutive revolutions the spell in broken. There is no doubt about vinyl is not for everyone, I'm not even sure I'd recommend it to a friend. All I can say is when it's good, it's really good.

 

Once wet-played, though, forever after wet-played, correct?

 

The reason nobody talks about the downsides is that they're common knowledge. I don't believe anybody buying records isn't aware of the noise some LPs will have if not cared for properly.

You don't need to spend thousands. If you have a PC made in the last 10 years, you can purchase a license for software like ClickRepair RT and use that to remove that noise. I believe the cost is roughly $40. All you'd need is an interface to plug your audio into and that interface can then plug into your PC.

Since my soundcard already had RCA plugs for both in and out, I didn't need to purchase an interface. Focusrite has the Scarlett 2i2 which would be perfect for this type of operation.

Though it might be a bit more convoluted, it certainly costs a whole lot less than thousands of dollars.

 

I was reading some about that in the Hardware thread on the Sugar Cube. I was wondering about the bit rate and the level of resolution supplied by a program like ClickRepair RT running on a PC, vs. the Sugar Cube, which apparently provides an output equivalent to a lossless digital format like Pono. But I didn't get too far into investigating it.

 

As far as Wee Small Hours goes... Among many, I have a NM D1 gray label pressing. I can honestly say to anyone who cares that the 2012 UMe LP (which uses the original, correct dry tapes and is very much thought to be the MoFi remaster that never made it due to leaglities) sounds every bit as good as that D1 original pressing. Maybe even better since it is new and in mint condition.

 

Record cleaning, followed by converting to digital, plus a little ClickRepair, both manual and automatic. You'll have music that is even more uniquely yours and more portable too!

 

If you mean that the wetting has to be repeated with every play in order to get rid of the scratches, yes. It isn't anything approaching a permanent fix.

But wetting the vinyl and then playing it doesn't alter it forever after, if that's what you're asking.

It's obviously a bit of a chore to wet every scratched record one feels like playing. And a good record vacuum like a VPI is a definite asset to drying the grooves afterward, although a clean microfiber pad and some drying time do an adequate job. But lots of people have records that they like, but only feel like playing very rarely. And if records like those have scratches, it can be an effective temporary solution. Also, lots of people like to make digital transfers, and it can help with that.

 

Some records are noisy with clicks, pops and tics. A few are manufactured that way. Most well taken care of records aren't. You're using just one record as an example and assuming that all other records are like it. Not true.

Get some more experience with records and you'll see for yourself. Clean records are a must. Good luck.

 

I think a lot of vinyl-ites also listen to CDs. It's really not an either/or thing. I would never have discovered a lot of my favorite music, if I insisted on only having CDs around.

 

Especially for those early LP's. Good quality examples, keep them clean, use an elliptical/spherical stylus then take the bad with the good. Surface noise, ticks and pops can be part of the deal. Character right?

 

If you really want to know how to get rid of it...

The SugarCube SC-2 Is Here At Last...Clicks & Pops R.I.P.

I have the SC-1. It has transformed vinyl listening. It will be on the market soon...

 

I would submit that the OP seems to be "very concerned" with vinyl noise. If this is the case, I'd further submit that vinyl isnt for him. Noise is part of the experience, period. As vinyl lovers, we "listen past it" and enjoy the program material in the same way that we watch videos on a tiny phone screen when we have big TV in the next room.

 

Anyone who grew up with records grew up with snap, crackle and pop, when records would sometimes skip even on the radio. Too much is distracting (and skips are unacceptable), but a little bit is part of the appeal. I remember, I guess it was the '90s, when some artists put a sample of record noise at the beginning of a song to invoke that appeal, even though you were listening to a CD.

If you can't live with a few clicks and pops, then records aren't for you. I pity those who embark upon the fruitless quest for a noiseless record-playing experience...what must that life be like?

 

I listen to mostly used vinyl and I have a low tolerance for noise. Best is to audition in-store if there's a turntable/headphones set up, or short of that a visual inspection, including the condition of the spindle hole. I've frequently upgraded to better copies when they present themselves, it's an ever-evolving process and a great deal of fun. But not for everyone!

 

Agreed Gerry

 

However, to me at least, holding (and listening to) a mint first pressing with a beautiful first printing of the cover art is so much more rewarding than having any new manufactured replica. The original, from the time it was recorded, brings you right back into the heart of Frank Sinatra's time.

There are still many excellent condition copies of this around. They are often found in garage and estate sales, usually along with at least a half dozen other originals. And the charge is typically $1, maybe less.

 

well, sorry to disagree, but i have CDR's much older than that, and have never had a single one go bad.

 

some indigneous sounds just aren't appreciated:

 

It tends not to be directly related to age only. I never used the "stick on labels" but many people who made CDRs for me did, and many commercially sold CDRs (whether bootleg or other) did as well. The adhesives used on the stick on labels have solvents which over time cause variable degradation of the organic dye compounds. You may be lucky. It is widely known that CDRs can degrade. It is also related to the types of organic dyes used in the CDR manufacture. They changed frequently in the early days of CDR manufacture. The darker blue dyes (rarely used today) have been observed to have serious degradation problems.

CDR degradation is variable. There is not a consistent pattern.

I still recommend that if you have seriously rare or precious music that is on CDR that you back them up, using EAC. It is no big deal if they are just copies of your own CDs or readily available CDs. But be wise if you have rare music on CDR. Hesitate, and you may regret it.

Many of my CDRs are now close to 20 years old. Of those, about 10% have developed digital noise that makes them unlistenable (all from other sources). Most of those are rare recordings, not easily replaceable.

 

I've had a Spin Clean take several album from unmistakable to dead quiet.

 

ClickRepair and the (sadly discontinued ) ClickRepairRT (real time) work amazingly well for me. Resurrect your old recordings | Audio Restoration | Brian Davies