Old new vinyl: Its features and properties

Vinyl players and accessories

In the 35th issue of the Sound podcast, we return to one of our favorite topics and talk about vinyl with Kerim Tatevyan.
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Alina: The theme of vinyl is quite interesting and always causes a resonance. In the English-language Internet a lot and actively write about vinyl, but he is not only interested in Western audiences.

Many of our listeners (and readers) probably have accumulated huge collections of old vinyl records, which they collected in their youth or received from their parents. Today, the debate continues on whether or not this old vinyl can be listened to, how good is it?

How much did the vinyl production technology go ahead compared to the technologies that were used in the 60s and 80s? Does vinyl have an expiration date?

Kerim: The shelf life of vinyl has not yet been determined. People have very old records that are in excellent condition. People are still chasing it all.

If the record was stored in normal conditions and played on well-tuned players, nothing will happen to it even for 50-60 years.

Alina: On the one hand, vinyl has no expiration date if it is carefully handled. On the other hand, it is still exposed to intensive use. It seems to me difficult to assimilate to people who are used to digital recordings.

Kerim: Naturally, there are times that distinguish the use of vinyl. When we talk about lovers of this format, we mean that it is collected for listening to music, and not for use in discos.

Previously, the source was one. The musicians learned to pick songs and put one piece many times. With the advent of digital technology, there is practically no sense in such work with vinyl [therefore significant damage to the record while listening to it is a thing of the past].

If you feel a craving for high-quality sound reproduction on the records, vinyl has no limitations: you can listen to one song 10 times a day. Nothing happens to the record if the player you are listening to is set up correctly.

Alina: Vinyl still has specific quality categories. Should I focus on them? And what do they mean?

Kerim: Since vinyl has become a collectible, a whole conceptual apparatus has grown around it, which is used by the community of its fans. Recording studios, companies that have previously published vinyl themselves, produce catalogs, and enthusiasts create their own independent versions.

In Russia there are very famous collectors of vinyl, which produce books and monographs. Very interesting research on the collection of vinyl was created precisely by our compatriots.

Books are published in small editions and are very expensive. They cannot be cheap because it is about collecting serious records that are expensive in themselves.

Vinyl enthusiasts do not want to possess rare records, they just want to have some kind of record library or collect records of your favorite artist.

For example, I collect in the music library what I could not buy when I was young. 95% of libraries is formed from what people find when they rummage through boxes in markets and fairs, and only 5% is created by buying through the Internet. Buying through the Network is not so cool, to be honest: it happens that you are standing in front of the box, rummaging and suddenly you find something that you did not even suspect.

Alina: Vinyl - initially a story about physical contact with objects.

Kerim: Yes, absolutely true.

Alina: [When preparing for release] I was interested to learn that the quality of vinyl records is determined by specific abbreviations. It turns out that the best records are marked not with any mark “Excellent” or “Super good”, but with the marking “M”, “Mint”. These are untouched by time or man of publication.

Kerim: Yes, the accepted label preservation labeling is used in the catalogs, because all the plates can be in a different state. The price depends on the state. If you buy The Beatles first press, and it is in perfect condition (there is an envelope, all liners, the matrix number is printed on the plate), it will be very expensive.

What is the first press? People recorded a record and released it. The first stamped copies are considered the first press, this is also indicated in the catalog. They can cost thousands of pounds or dollars. If you find them, you are very lucky. If you found them a bit cheaper, you studied the catalog, and suddenly someone offers you such a record not for 500 pounds, but for 300, you have to take it urgently. For this and need directories.

There are still various collectible publications in demand in the market. Queen came out with “live” autographs - the artists signed on such records, so there could not be many of them. Queen fans and collectibles fans are looking for them. It is good to have the whole set: a record, an original envelope, a poster, something else that could be invested. If the kit is complete, the record is much appreciated.

There are records in very poor condition. Many people buy them according to the principle: there is a similar record in the collection, but it has a bad envelope. Therefore, for the sake of an envelope, collectors can buy a record even in poor condition. There are different options, for this all the notation is used: “Mint”, “Excellent”, even “Bad” is. True, I have never seen anyone write “Bad”.

Alina: If we talk about digital recordings, we want to know the format, the album, the artist, and when it comes to a record, there is a ton of additional information that you should pay attention to. This is the circulation, the year of recording. All of this can affect both the cost of the record and its collection value.

Kerim: Many factors can affect a collection value. It's like with stamps. The publication is particularly valuable due to the fact that it is a physical object, assembled from elements that make up a single whole. But there are mistakes.

I only once bought a CD that was printed incorrectly, but I did not leave it in the collection, but went and changed it. Bought a double album Blondie. On the second compact it was printed that it was a numbered album, the order of the songs was given, and the recording was a concert one, as on the first one. You could say a collectible thing, but in this form I did not need it. I went and changed it to a regular record.

Let's say I put together a group Split Enz - the New Zealand / Australian team. They have the same disc was released with a slight change in the composition of the songs, and with covers of different colors. I found out about this when rummaging in boxes. I look like I have one, but the cover is of a different color. And then another and another. So for a couple of years I have collected them 5 or 6. I can resell if someone is interested.

Alina: For collectors, this is a special interest, a special feature, not to mention the fact that now small factories, for example, in the States, produce records of completely insane colors with splashes and sparkles.

Kerim: Color plates have been produced before. They say that there the plastic itself is not very good. But even in the 70's and 80's such records were released.

Alina: I read that sometimes even ashes fall there to make an interesting impression. But this is rather a visual part of the musical history, for those who want to see, and touch, and listen, and all together.

Kerim: Yes.



Vinyl player Pro-Ject VT-E R

Alina: About vinyl talked. Now it is interesting to touch on the topic of players.

The story of vinyl really stands out among all musical themes, because vinyl is rather a state of mind. If you found an interesting or beautiful moment in the movie when the main character puts a record, sits down and listens to music, you need to understand that this can not always fit into your lifestyle. Vinyl is a rather serious system and a demanding overall format.

Kerim: Of course. If you have a vinyl player, in order to get the quality you are talking about, they need to be engaged, it needs to be customized, not the cheapest components should be used.

Listening to the record takes 30-35 minutes: you have to sit down and listen. There are people who have only vinyl players, they live in their own world, they put plastic, and they just play it.

They live well and feel great. Of course, you need to customize the system so as not to spoil the records from your collection.

Alina: What is included in the player settings? What actions need to be done?

Kerim: First of all, you need to adjust the coordination of the head and tonearm , adjust the geometry, for this you need to get accessories that we will probably talk about now. Even if you buy a player with a head pre-installed on the tonearm, you should still check the settings.

The manufacturer often declares that everything is ready for listening, and the buyer does not have to do anything. It is clear that people may be tired, make a mistake, something may get lost when packing and shipping.

As a result, you will have an unconfigured player. You think that he is tuned, but you do not get the pleasure of listening and spoil the records.

Therefore, even if you bought a player that is already completely ready for use, as is often written in the instructions, still check the settings. For this you need to buy a template for customization .

If you feel that you are a long time in this topic with vinyl, you need to have your own set: a two-point pattern for adjusting the geometry, a protractor, scales and brushes for wiping the plates. If you have your own collection and it is actively replenished with records, then you also need a washing machine.



Pro-Ject Vinyl Cleaner VC-S

Alina: What kind of car is this?

Kerim: Relatively recently, extremely useful record washing devices have appeared on the market. Previously, the plates were washed, who could. There were all ridiculous advice, but quality was hard to achieve.

Wash your hands dirty plate is quite difficult. Dust, dirt, handprints. All records are stored differently, someone gets from the attic and sells.

Even your own records, which you have been for more than 10 years, need to be washed. Now a number of manufacturers produce machines that have a vacuum pump.

You put liquid, rub a brush, there are instructions, then the vacuum pump sucks up dirt from the tracks. It is much more efficient than washing hands. With your hands you will never achieve such an effect.

The composition, which is sold specifically for these machines, has extremely useful antistatic properties. After that, the dust sticks less on the plate, it becomes less clicks.

This is especially useful for modern records, because modern vinyl mass gains static very quickly. I ran into several such records, the record was not a month old, and she was already cracking all over. Each time it must be cleaned with this antistatic fluid.

Alina: That is, static causes a specific sound when playing?

Kerim: Yes. In general, a negative effect on reproduction. You have a clean record, but it is all cracking and squeaking, some artifacts arise.

Alina: That is, all sorts of brushes, cars, liquid, antistatic envelopes are intended for this purpose.

Kerim: An antistatic envelope is a very useful thing. You have once processed the record, removed the static, put it in an antistatic envelope, and it has already been put into the original one. The disc is in a good envelope, which does not allow static to accumulate.

You carry them, rearrange them, they rub, this causes static electricity. The envelope removes it, it is not expensive and useful, I recommend it to anyone who is seriously engaged in vinyl.

Alina: It turns out that in order to listen to the vinyl in good quality, in addition to the player, you need a sufficiently large set of accessories for tuning and cleaning.

Kerim: Brushes are still useful to remove dust from needles and heads. You can, of course, use a carbon brush for cleaning records, I myself used it for many years. There are different fluids for removing dirt on the needle. All this ultimately improves the quality of playback. If dirt has accumulated on the needle , it will not play like new.

Alina: Do I need to periodically replace some elements in the player?

Kerim: First of all, you need to monitor the condition of the head. But replacing takes hundreds of hours of listening.

Alina: So you need to listen to the records intensively enough to think about replacing?

Kerim: Yes. Pasik on passikovyh players must be periodically replaced. It is necessary to track the speed. Of course, it is best to have a turntable in which there is a rotation speed indicator. If the speed is unstable and the passik player, then it is necessary to change the belt.

If periodic lubrication of the bearing in the disc is required, it is necessary to lubricate it. This should not be neglected, because otherwise the player may suffer more serious damage, for example, it will be necessary to repair the sleeve - and repairing it will be more expensive than putting lubricant there.

Even when setting up the player it is important to set it flat. All instructions are written in the first paragraph: align and place the player on a flat surface. Many ignore it, and you can’t do that. That is, you must use the level when installed on the shelf at which the player will work, and try to make this shelf as flat as possible.

Alina: It is not necessary to buy some kind of special stand, shelf, cabinet for this player, but it is very important that the surface is level.

Kerim: Special studs are sold, cones with adjustable level, so that you can exactly put your shelf under the player. Not all players have adjustable feet.

Alina: When we talk about a vinyl player and listening to vinyl, what is the whole system? This is, of course, a vinyl, a record player, a set of accessories, a system for storing records. What else did we forget to add to this list?

Kerim: You need the appropriate electronics to which you can connect the player, because many modern amplifiers do not have a so-called phono stage. The phonocorrector corrects the frequency response and amplifies the weak signal that the pickup head generates so that it can go to the line input of the amplifier.



Phono stage Pro-Ject A / D Phono Box S

In the era of vinyl, it was in every amplifier. Then - as an additional option. Therefore, you need to check if your amplifier has such an input for connecting a vinyl player. If not, you will need to buy a separate electronic device for this, the so-called phono stage.

Accordingly, it still needs a pair of cables to connect it to the line input of the amplifier. Well, that seems to be all.

Alina: Naturally, the speakers should be too.

Kerim: Yes, without the speakers will not work. Or headphones. The cabinet system on vinyl also has the right to life.

Alina: Also an interesting option. But we must understand that this is a fairly large number of physical objects that must be purchased. Some of these objects have their own lifespan, and their quality changes during use. Behind this need quite serious care.

On the other hand, this system and vinyl generally give you a tremendous amount of adventure. When you search and find something you are listening to, something new is remembered. Even in my childhood there were vinyl records. I would like to listen to those recordings, maybe even on vinyl, as they sounded then, but, of course, in higher quality.

Kerim: Most of the place is occupied by the records themselves. If there is a decent amount of them, they begin to be noticeable indoors. Naturally, they must be stored correctly, set vertically. There are special racks, basically everyone buys them at IKEA, and they are of a very correct format.

About the shelf life of electronic components, we will not talk, because we do not know when it will end. All my life can work, and nothing will happen to him. There is no need to fear that you are buying something that has a shelf life.

When you buy a washing machine, you are not afraid that it is designed for 100-150 washes. You will not know when it will stop working. Maybe she will bother you morally. Same with electronics. Say, many people use vintage equipment, which is 40-50 years old, and it works. Many of these players have a high collection value.

Alina: Do new players give a bit more comfort in terms of settings?

Kerim: Yes, you have warranty service, support of the supplier, manufacturer, store where you bought.

Alina: The speed of rotation of the plate can sometimes be changed literally at the touch of a button ...

Kerim: You can also change old ones. On the old, it's even easier to change.

Honestly, if you feel that you have a craving for vinyl, and the budget is limited, I advise you to start with a vintage player. Head and everything else to buy modern, and the player itself can be picked up from famous Japanese brands.

They are in very good condition and visually easy to identify. They have a speed indicator, it is easy to check.

Alina: What kind of players?

Kerim: 70s-80s. Japanese direct turntables. They are very well preserved. Therefore, if you see that the body is in good condition, and the speed it keeps is even, and the tone arm is not crooked and bent, does not creak, there is no backlash, you can take and start with this. And then gradually understand what level you want to go to, and buy a modern Hi-End.

Alina: So it can be said that with proper tuning and proper handling even vintage players and vintage records can sound great.

Kerim: Vintage records - everything is ours! And vintage players also have the right to life.