Magic and Lies

Taking on the ‘crap in, crap out’ homily, it follows that cleaning the record properly before recording it means a considerable reduction in crackle and pop.

In fact, the manufacturing process for vinyl leaves a fair amount of chemical residue in the grooves in any case, so there is an argument for properly cleaning a record before it is ever played. The traditional methods of cleaning, bristle brush or anti static pad, do remove a fair amount of dirt - the rest, they redistribute, deep into the grooves, where the needle grinds it into the playing surface…

The professional cleaning system is essentially a two phase process. A cleaning fluid is applied and worked into the grooves by firm application of a brush, while the record rotates - this spreads the cleaning fluid across the whole surface. The nature of the fluid is a question for debate - some favour distilled water, others a chemical mixture which is supposed to work on a similar principal to shampoo - ever noticed how clean your fingernails are after washing your hair?

The VPI system I use, supplies a chemical mix and the bristle brush required to work it into the grooves. The machine rotates the record on a turntable powered by a very powerful motor - the power is converted into torque, not speed - the record is rotated at a constant low speed,  the brush held firmly enough to  slightly bend the bristles against the record. A few drops of the solution across the record are enough to spread a film over the whole playing surface -  avoid getting the solution onto the label.

The second phase employs a vacuum cleaner to lift the solution, dirt and all off the playing surface. The VPI deploys a hollow cylinder, padded with velvet to prevent scratching the surface of the record. The residue is sucked off the record and deposited into a steel tank inside the device - this can be emptied periodically.

Once the solution has been spread across the record, move the vacuum arm above the record and flick the vacuum switch - a noise like a jumbo jet will terrify small animals, but the record will be spotless. Allow the record to rotate twice, any more than this will cause static to build up and any dust in the vicinity of the record will immediately attach itself to the surface…. be aware that if the record was visibly dirty then some dust will be present inside the inner sleeve. Many people replace the inner sleeve - use one with a clear polythene lining, the paper ones scratch….