Record Hiss/distortion Help

[Olliewtf]

Just bought a tired yet really cheap (ish) copy of Coasters crazy baby... on my set up, that being dual player with ortofon cart and dual head the track plays with abit of distortion, enough to make it a pain to listen to... crackles and pops i wouldnt have minded but this is annoying.. obviously seller didnt mention this but it was a third of the price of a normal copy and i 100% original (ie. 65c and with AT in run out)... had it cleaned today at a shop and it sounded better in the shop but not at home. man said there was residue form the plastic lined wallets? having said that the b side doesnt have the distortion problems... it that the record is a bit played out? i mean it still sounds ok but it distorts on the louder parts... any help appreciated, record degradation is an unknown area to me and if theres any info out there thatd be great!

[Spacehopper]

may have been played in the past with a knackered needle if its just the one side,ive got a couple like that..my herbert hunter is like that,looks mint..b side plays mint but 'i was born to love you' plays with some hiss on the higher frequencys...slightly annoying at home but ok on a big club system with some eq

 

saying that last night i was playing a record with distortion id not heard before...ive recently set my decks up (via you tube) with new ortofon heads and needles and made them a lot lighter...noticed the other deck was slightly heavier and didnt distort...so made the distorting side slightly heavier and distortion gone..phew...needle obviously not sitting in the groove correctly

 

good luck!

 

dean

[Pete S]

I had a Natural Four - I Thought You Were Mine - ABC demo, when I played it I could hear distinct hiss on the right channel, so I moved it on really cheap, something like £40, bloke who bought it rang me to ask why I sold it him so cheap as there was absolutely nothing wrong with it - it didn't have the slightest hint of hiss on his deck!

[Chris L]

I had a Natural Four - I Thought You Were Mine - ABC demo, when I played it I could hear distinct hiss on the right channel, so I moved it on really cheap, something like £40, bloke who bought it rang me to ask why I sold it him so cheap as there was absolutely nothing wrong with it - it didn't have the slightest hint of hiss on his deck!

 

That does happen, don't know why, I've had it go both ways, combination of stylus/record mix maybe ? 

[vince ayres]

Hiss on this 45 is very common, its a pressing fault, i've just sold a mint- white promo that hissed for about the first minute, so there really isn't anything you can do about it i'm afraid.

[Kc Jr]

Sometimes these do help:

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Knosti-Disco-Antistat-Record-Cleaner-System-33-45-78-RPM-antistatic-/121079337691?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Turntables&hash=item1c30e412db

[Spacehopper]

problems with just one channel can sometimes be the head not sitting level,not being locked in the right position...taking it off the arm and replacing can sometimes cure it..normally this is lack of volume one side though...but if the needle is not sitting right could still cause small distortion as it was with mine last night which was also worse in one channel

[Prophonics 2029]

Also you are playing mono records in stereo and if the channels are mixed sometimes all the noise gets canceled out.

Edited March 14, 2013 by Prophonics 2029

[Olliewtf]

ill see how it plays tomorrow as ive got a gig... was a real shame as i thought id done really well! but may be ok or at least i can sell it on and get another... i read somewhere that the difference between elliptical and conical styli can eradicate this as one sits less in the groove than the other, also causing less wear or something or other. just to double check; run out has 65c and also features AT and these are the two definitive indicators are they not? and whats the current going rate? cheers all 

[Guest]

Somebody has probably played with a stylus so worn it's like dragging a lump of glass through the grooves!

 

Backtracking to cue up records has knackered the intros on many records!

[Tiberius]

If it's groove wear you can usually see it as greying or dulling, either in patches or all over.  Sometimes it's obvious, others it's more apparent in certain light, or when the surface is viewed from a slight angle.  Obviously having said that it's not so easy to see on a very scuffy record compared to a glossy one.

 

Maybe not applicable in this case, but another thing to bear in mind, is that some jukeboxes played the 45 in a vertical position causing more wear on one side of the groove than the other.  Add to this that the stylus on such a jukebox will be prone to more wear on one side than the other, which in turn could lead to it damaging even the lesser played singles in there.  This can be one, but not the only, cause for distortion in 1 channel only on a record which is otherwise clean with good gloss.

 

As has been mention in post #8, playing a mono record in mono rather than stereo can help a lot.

[boba]

nobody has mentioned whether the record in question is styrene or not, it makes a big difference in what the problem is. i assume it is styrene.

[Olliewtf]

actually the label looks to be moulded on so my guess is its vinyl, although im not great at telling which is which... 

[boba]

rereading your post, you mention "residue from plastic lined wallets". That may mean it was stored in a stiff vinyl outer sleeve which permanently destroys 45s by offgassing and leeching plastic onto the record. The record would have a dull / cloudy sort of look to it. if you post a picture of the 45 people should be able to tell you a) whether it is vinyl or styrene and b) whether it has been ruined from plastic offgassing

[dthedrug]

 Hi All If your record is Hissy put a 2p coin on your pick up head shell start from the centre run deck backwards 3 or 4 times, this does work now & again, As stated poor needle set up is 100% the only cause for this,

Many years ago a very young John Weston was DJing  next day he played his records and they were all wrecked by not checking the needle set up? if DJ ing take your own head shells to avoid this happening to your dustys,  DAVE K 

[Dave Pinch]

rereading your post, you mention "residue from plastic lined wallets". That may mean it was stored in a stiff vinyl outer sleeve which permanently destroys 45s by offgassing and leeching plastic onto the record. The record would have a dull / cloudy sort of look to it. if you post a picture of the 45 people should be able to tell you a) whether it is vinyl or styrene and b) whether it has been ruined from plastic offgassing

i just picked a handful of 45`s off the market with this problem bob. they were all in there covers but in thick plastic covers and had been for years.and probably never taken out,..they all look really cloudy but play perfect..

[boba]

i just picked a handful of 45`s off the market with this problem bob. they were all in there covers but in thick plastic covers and had been for years.and probably never taken out,..they all look really cloudy but play perfect..

 

the thick covers were kind of stiff, right? over time they get brittle. Those are the polyvinyl (versus polyethylene or polypropylene or mylar) outser sleeves. The results of offgassing are initially just visual, but most frequently the vinyl is actually messed up.

[Dave Pinch]

the thick covers were kind of stiff, right? over time they get brittle. Those are the polyvinyl (versus polyethylene or polypropylene or mylar) outser sleeves. The results of offgassing are initially just visual, but most frequently the vinyl is actually messed up.

i got to them just in time bob..visually some are very blotchy and others really burnt/bleached but they all play good...needless to say i thrown all the plastic covers in the bin..only gonna move them on for a few sheckles tho

Edited March 15, 2013 by dave pinch

[Olliewtf]

 Hi All If your record is Hissy put a 2p coin on your pick up head shell start from the centre run deck backwards 3 or 4 times, this does work now & again, As stated poor needle set up is 100% the only cause for this,

Many years ago a very young John Weston was DJing  next day he played his records and they were all wrecked by not checking the needle set up? if DJ ing take your own head shells to avoid this happening to your dustys,  DAVE K 

I sort of like this idea just want to be sure im not going to inflict more damage? 

[boba]

I sort of like this idea just want to be sure im not going to inflict more damage? 

 

I think you really need to determine what the source of the noise is before taking any action. Post pics of the record / vinyl (or styrene).

[Olliewtf]

heres a photo although doesnt give much away... makes it look better than it is. as said i did have it cleaned which got rid of that residue (still no b side which plays fin) kinda looks like watermarks? anyway

 

[boba]

ok, it's definitely vinyl. i don't see residue in your photo. it looks shiny. it's definitely not offgassing. i would definitely NOT play it through with a heavy needle, I think it needs a good cleaning first at least. a record cleaner machine (like a VPI, okki nokki, etc.) won't get a 45 as clean as you can get it. do you know someone locally who knows how to clean 45s well?

 

I usually charge people but I would clean it for free for you, but you would have to send it to the US. Also, if it truly is the grooves and not dirt (which is rare for a vinyl record) that means the grooves are damaged and there's nothing you can do. The grooves would be damaged from being played with a too heavy stylus, or just a pressing problem (rare, although someone above notes a specific pressing problem that happens with some copies of this record).

[Prophonics 2029]

Would expect both channels to hiss if the record had been ground away by heavy needle play and not just one side. Hve you tried the mono play it can be difficult with most amps being stereo. Could wire the cartridge positives with a fine wire.

[Thfcliam]

Can anyone tell me the best way to clean records to get dust of etc without having to spend any money on cleaning stuff of ebay etc

 

Cheers.

 

L

[John A]

Can anyone tell me the best way to clean records to get dust of etc without having to spend any money on cleaning stuff of ebay etc

 

Cheers.

 

L

FIRE

 

nah,seriously,,Bob's the man to ask if he'll divulge his secrets

Edited March 15, 2013 by John A

[boba]

Would expect both channels to hiss if the record had been ground away by heavy needle play and not just one side. Hve you tried the mono play it can be difficult with most amps being stereo. Could wire the cartridge positives with a fine wire.

 

This is not necessarily true. A heavy tracking cartridge can (and is often) mistracking so it's pulling more against one specific side. In fact, more tracking weight tends to pull the arm inward, which is why you have to adjust your antiskate according to the tracking weight.

[Olliewtf]

Played it out tonight in a noisy pub and on a shite system and sounded fine.. Will have a go on a few other players but not sure what this is going to tell me.. Will enquire as to a record cleaner. Im in london if anyone knows one? Btw rat records in camberwell is where i had it done, pound for one side 45. Just in case anyone wants to go although i did try and tell him it wasnt a cheap record he proceeded to handle it rather.. Casually. Then he went online to tell me it was only worth 40 quid and he could get one in asap. Wheres that emoticon with the brick wall??! Cheers for your advice boba and every one else will get back with news as and when!