Your Vinyl Transfer Workflow (sharing best needledrop practices)*

I just did a little test run with EQ match in RX and I don't know if these records are a good test source. Most tracks roll off at 10k. I'll have to do it your way Grant. I just wish I had your ears. Since I started having tinnitus symptoms mine have gotten worse.

 

OK here a 60 second sample OC9 first EQ matched to the XX2 second

Dropbox - EQ match OC9 and XX2.wav - Simplify your life

 

Hi Bill,

The EQ Match in RX6 works fine, but unfortunately it's very limited in that you have to use it on a case-by-case basis plus it doesn't show you what changes it makes other than a tiny spectral view you can see change slightly. You can save an EQ curve from a record and match another file to it, but in my experience EQ matching is only really effective if both files are simply two versions of the same recording.

iZotope Ozone has an EQ Match feature. In fact, they just beefed it up a bit in their new version 9 release. It's fairly good now. I was using it last weekend and liked the results I got from it.

Voxengo CurveEQ is another matching EQ I have that allows you to load wave files into it upon which it analyses their curve extremely fast and then provides a way to match and save the matching curve, and even export it as a CSV file you can open in Excel to edit if you want. I've been using this for years now and love its matching capabilities.

Another good option that sounds good and is another full-featured EQ is Meldaproduction AuoDynamicEQ. It was on for half price at plugin boutique a few months ago, so I picked it up. It also allows analysis of files and has a bunch of other cool stuff. Really an amazing EQ with tremendous sound.

When I've done EQ matching to achieve a flat frequency response with a cartridge that isn't flat, I've used pink noise from a test LP. I have a couple of them, but I found the most accurate pink noise track is on the HiFi New Test Record (The Analog Production one seems to have the highs goosed for some stupid reason!). I record a sample of the pink noise and then match it to either generated pink noise (using Audition's ability to generate noise. RX 6 and 7 also have the ability now to generate pink noise in the Signal Generator module). This will give you a matching curve. You could set this up in Ozone if you have it.

If you don't have a test record and don't want to pick one up, simply record the same piece of music on both the XX2MKll and then the OC9. Use something with a fairly balanced and full range of frequencies. If you're using Ozone then record a louder part of the song until the curve seems to stabilize and stop changing. Redo the same part of the song again using the other cartridge and then match them. Ozone has sliders for smoothing and strength. Their matches work best if you keep the strength below 50% and then adjust the smoothing control until you get a curve that looks about right. If using CurveEQ, you can choose the number of matching points (minmum 10, max 60).

Anyway, once you settle on a curve that seems to make the OC9 sound close to the XX2MKll, save it and use it for everything from the OC9.

You could also try just applying EQ by ear until you get a sound that works for you. Try small values as a little can go a long way.

 

that sounds fairly close (and good!)

 

I finally went ahead and got Click Repair after all these years. There is more I'd like to do than I have time. Hoping it will help ease the burden on some projects. Still learning how to best use it. After manually de-clicking everything for the last few years it's hard to give up control to a program.

 

That was just from learning from the XX2 and processing on the OC9. I was amazed how close those 2 cartridges can sound. Sure makes me think twice about getting another XX2 down the road. I have the ultimate test record. I think the only thing I have used it for is setting the azimuth.

 

a bit of bad news for me. As I was messing around with the test record it became painfully obvious just how damaged my hearing has become. The line is where I have a significant reduction. At normal volume it's gone completely.

 

While at first thought, such a loss can be depressing, consider that this might not be entirely accurate. For example, you are able to hear how much brighter your OC9 is than your XX2 when the AT is not EQed. That brightness difference starts at well over 4kHz so you are definitely able to hear higher than that!

 

Well yes but not as much as I once could. Recently at work I was tasked to do a lot of heavy routering in solid oak and even with earmuffs on I can tell I damaged my hearing and I started having tinnitus symptoms.
But to your point if I crank it up I can then hear up to 14k. But at normal volume nothing above 3500Hz

 

This is why I use it. I've always just done the basic process. Open the file and it can't be bigger than 2gb set the level you like and start. I have seen where RX would literally distort horns even at the lowest settings. I don't know of any time Clickrepair has done such a thing. This is what RX removed after using Clickrepair at level5. They had drum ticks on beat you can see the yellow on both sides of the right channel but it's gone on the highlighted part and even at that low of a setting all of those ticks would be removed and most would be none the wiser.

gif upload

 

I've never had RX distort brass instruments, but it has hapenned with too high a setting in CR.

 

Trumpets are particularly bad this is a image of Blue Mitchell funktion junction you can clearly see how the wave gets all broken up after. If I post the file you will hear the trumpet all broken up and distorted.

 

A good rule of thumb: set your filter too high, kiss your brass goodbye.

 

The is the correct approach, can recommend.

 

I manually handled ticks/clicks for many years. I did the side and song intros and anything obvious, but didn't bother with the real tiny background ticks that are hardly even noticed. Then to start using CR and notice how well those teensie tiny ticks are all gone (too). CR works on low level stuff pretty amazingly. I tried different settings and found that setting 13 or 14 was missing enough ticks and clicks that I upped it to setting 16, and now am only left with three or even two clicks remaining if any) to be done manually. I like finding that a couple remain after I do my one pass in reverse, and then one in forward (gets the last dozen or so missed in reverse). Then that last or two (ticks or clicks) left remaining is a sign that I did not over use the effect, and the least damage done if any to the signal. 15 or 16 is my preferred setting normally.

 

Love me some CR

 

I have recently designated an additional 190 records to transfer to 96/24. I normally use my Pro-Ject 6Perspex SB with 2M Black and Phono Box DS2 USB + Vinyl Studio and RX7 software for my workflow.
This would add around 150 hours to my 2M Black cart.
Wanting to preserve it. I was thinking of getting the 2m Bronze stylus (as can get it really cheap for $160) to use for this job.
Does this make any sense? Need a sanity check from you guys.

Kind Regards

 

I tend to go with my best stylus tips in best condition and favored carts for my drops since they are going to be on my music server for listening for the rest of my life.

However if I have a piece of vinyl in particularly rough condition or otherwise better off with a cheap capture, I have switched out things from time to time.

It comes down to which titles you wish to drop. Are the 190 LPs out in audiophile grade releases on CD or High-Res issues? Are they rare titles on any format?

 

Thanks for your reply. Most of them are VG to M records, all dry-vac cleaned. No rarities, I want to get good sounding rip, but not aiming for the absolute perfection. Not with my existing gear anyway.

Kind Regards

 

Use the 2M Black. You bought it to use it so use it to make great needledrops which you will enjoy many times over.

 

A bit of an update. I have been a bit of a perfectionist with my declicking. Way back in the day ascot suggested manually declicking with headphones. My new hardware upgrade has helped me in multiple ways. The McIntosh USB drivers never liked RX so I always had to complete each needle drop converting to a flac file to play in sound forge.

So now I started using Clickrepair at level 5 on several newly acquired used rock records. Then in RX deal with the gaps then play from the beginning sitting in the sweet spot. I use a wireless keyboard to drop markers as I think I hear any clicks. I then go back and remove the clicks near the markers. Since I started having tinnitus symptoms headphones are more of an issue. Listening from the other room from the sweet spot is so much nicer. Also I have noticed many old pressings look and sound clean but have what appear to look like clicks they are clustered in loud parts. They are removed easily with very low settings but require a lot of work. Doing manual declicking this way I basically can't hear them from the room why worry about removing them. New records I might be OCD and remove anything I see as a click but not these, if I can't hear it forget it.

I wish there was a keyboard stroke that would allow me to rewind and fast forward. Also in sound forge I have marker at each gap so I can easily skip to the next track using the wireless keyboard. It doesn't look like I can do that in RX.

 

Given that my files are for use primarily in my car or for my daughter with her little wireless speaker, I'm not trying for a master quality, I just don't want to hear artifacts. I agree with other's, never go above 15. Some say 10. I follow another's suggestion and do reverse and then normal scans of the same file. Also, never use the "decrackle" function.

 

But don't the left and right arrow keys work just like that in RX? They (sort of) rewind and fast forward, even while playback is active. Or did I misunderstand what you meant?

Alt + left/right arrow jumps between markers.

 

I'm still learning to work with Click Repair to reduce the amount of manual work. I haven't found a general setting that I like yet. However, some projects have been made much easier using CR to start.

 

That was easy. I had looked here Help Documentation but didn't see "Nudge playhead to the right" as the fast forward description. Also As I have saved all my files as flac and in RX all the makers I may have dropped while in RX are not saved when I export as a flac file, if I export as a wav they are. So in sound forge I drop and save the markers again and when I open those flac files up in RX once again there are no markers. If I drop new markers now alt arrow right or left will skip. Is there a reason why SF markers and RX markers are different when saving as a flac file?

Here is a screenshot showing the inaudible clicks. For years I have tried to remove these from now on only the ones I can hear.