Record Skip Question

[Squishman]

I received a record in the mail yesterday that I was waiting for. It appears unplayed, but it has a shimmy that causes it to skip once on side one and twice on side two. I have a Blue Ortofon cart tracking at 1.8 g. I was thinking I could increase the weight to hopefully get by the skips to digitally record it. The maximum tracking weight it seems to be 2 g. Can I surpass that a little for one LP without doing any damage to the cart?

 

[highfigh]

I received a record in the mail yesterday that I was waiting for. It appears unplayed, but it has a shimmy that causes it to skip once on side one and twice on side two. I have a Blue Ortofon cart tracking at 1.8 g. I was thinking I could increase the weight to hopefully get by the skips to digitally record it. The maximum tracking weight it seems to be 2 g. Can I surpass that a little for one LP without doing any damage to the cart?

The seller didn't tell you the LP isn't flat?

Adding to the tracking weight does a little to the stylus, but that's a lot harder than the vinyl. Are you planning to record it after the first play and never play it on the turntable again? You can do that, but I have to wonder why you bought it when a download is probably available.

 

[Squishman]

I have the CD already. No need to dl it. I like LP's. I kind of hate CD's, unless it is something I need/want because some CD's are obviously collectable. And if it is something I want and no good vinyl master exists. No he didn't and I already gave him posi feeback based on visual. It is only very slightly warped. It is a shimmy, not the warping that is causing it to skip a few times. And yeah, that'd be the plan, to record it and not pull the record out again.

 

[Squishman]

How much could I safely increase the weight for one LP?

 

[TLS Guy]

How much could I safely increase the weight for one LP?

The problem is that it is a faulty pressing.

The issue is caused by impurities in the vinyl mix. These come to the surface. The problem is the groove will be interrupted by this foreign material in the mix.

This has been a problem with LPs all along, and especially with North American pressings.

I would caution you about increasing the tracking weight, as it likely will not help and put added pressure on the cartridge suspension and make it harder for the cartridge to lift above the obstruction in the groove.

What will help is to disable the anti skating device, and then the stylus may bounce to the next groove. If that does not work then you have no solution. You need a new pressing.

 

[Squishman]

The problem is that it is a faulty pressing.

The issue is caused by impurities in the vinyl mix. These come to the surface. The problem is the groove will be interrupted by this foreign material in the mix.

This has been a problem with LPs all along, and especially with North American pressings.

I would caution you about increasing the tracking weight, as it likely will not help and put added pressure on the cartridge suspension and make it harder for the cartridge to lift above the obstruction in the groove.

What will help is to disable the anti skating device, and then the stylus may bounce to the next groove. If that does not work then you have no solution. You need a new pressing.

That's a bummer. What I might do then is make a recording and insert the songs (I believe it's three) from the CD. Keeping the input volume as close as possible.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

Does the skip appear in a repetitious part of the song, such as the chorus? If so, it would be easy to make a cut-and-paste fix using an audio editing program.

The same thing could potentially be accomplished using your CD copy, once you had the LP digitized: Splice the relevant section from the CD into the digitized LP file.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Squishman]

Does the skip appear in a repetitious part of the song, such as the chorus? If so, it would be easy to make a cut-and-paste fix using an audio editing program.

The same thing could potentially be accomplished using your CD copy, once you had the LP digitized: Splice the relevant section from the CD into the digitized LP file.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

That's a great plan. I know how to do that. It might take a few tries to get the volume to match. But heck yeah! Great idea. Thx!

 

[TLS Guy]

That's a great plan. I know how to do that. It might take a few tries to get the volume to match. But heck yeah! Great idea. Thx!

If you can use a repeat section form the LP that would be best.

More likely than not the CD and LP will not match well. The reason is that significantly different dynamic range compression are usually used in the two mastering techniques.

I would do this fairly soon, as more likely than not more impurities will come to the surface over time. That is my experience.

CDs are also a problem as they deteriorate over time. I am finding increasing numbers of my older CD, are becoming unreadable on any of my players.

I am now finding that those that have claimed that this would be a problem have been correct all along. I was a sceptic. So far it is just a few, but I am running into this more and more often. I have lost a few treasures already.

So CD and I guess laser read discs are not a satisfactory archiving medium. Magnetic tape is not good and I doubt solid state hard drives are either. So probably the LP disc is the best we have got.

 

[highfigh]

The problem is that it is a faulty pressing.

The issue is caused by impurities in the vinyl mix. These come to the surface. The problem is the groove will be interrupted by this foreign material in the mix.

This has been a problem with LPs all along, and especially with North American pressings.

I would caution you about increasing the tracking weight, as it likely will not help and put added pressure on the cartridge suspension and make it harder for the cartridge to lift above the obstruction in the groove.

What will help is to disable the anti skating device, and then the stylus may bounce to the next groove. If that does not work then you have no solution. You need a new pressing.

Where did the OP mention impurities? He said it's warped, which likely happened after it was sold the first time and LP boxes keep them flat enough that a 'blip' is hard to create unless it has been set on an edge in a hot place.

While I saw 1/8" chunks of cardboard in LPs, it wasn't common- usually it was much smaller. That was an indication that the LPs weren't virgin vinyl and anyone who receives one like it needs to return it for a refund.

 

[TLS Guy]

Where did the OP mention impurities? He said it's warped, which likely happened after it was sold the first time and LP boxes keep them flat enough that a 'blip' is hard to create unless it has been set on an edge in a hot place.

While I saw 1/8" chunks of cardboard in LPs, it wasn't common- usually it was much smaller. That was an indication that the LPs weren't virgin vinyl and anyone who receives one like it needs to return it for a refund.

He didn't I did. His problem will not be from a warp, but is classic for vinyl impurities coming to the surface.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

More likely than not the CD and LP will not match well. The reason is that significantly different dynamic range compression are usually used in the two mastering techniques.

There may be EQ differences between the two as well. Most editing programs including compression and EQ functions. If these things turn out to be issues, the OP will indeed have to have a good ear to make the two blend into something “believable,” as a producer I’ve worked with puts it.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[highfigh]

He didn't I did. His problem will not be from a warp, but is classic for vinyl impurities coming to the surface.

I think he would have heard something if the LP had impurities and they don't migrate to the surface after the plastic has cooled. While the plug doesn't need to be molten like syrup, it still requires several hundred degrees F to become soft enough to be pressed but once cooled, nothing moves.

The cause of the impurities is people working ion factories and dumping rejects into the regrind hopper, including the cardboard box and probably labels. I saw that when I worked at an injection molding plant during Summer break. Some people don't care that their carelessness costs the company money.

 

[davidscott]

If you can use a repeat section form the LP that would be best.

More likely than not the CD and LP will not match well. The reason is that significantly different dynamic range compression are usually used in the two mastering techniques.

I would do this fairly soon, as more likely than not more impurities will come to the surface over time. That is my experience.

CDs are also a problem as they deteriorate over time. I am finding increasing numbers of my older CD, are becoming unreadable on any of my players.

I am now finding that those that have claimed that this would be a problem have been correct all along. I was a sceptic. So far it is just a few, but I am running into this more and more often. I have lost a few treasures already.

So CD and I guess laser read discs are not a satisfactory archiving medium. Magnetic tape is not good and I doubt solid state hard drives are either. So probably the LP disc is the best we have got.

I have been collecting CDs since they came out in the early 80's and have only had one fail so far. Don't get me wrong I also have a pretty decent TT (REGA Planar 3) but to me LPs degrade faster than CDs with use. Also, a lot of LPs produced since 1982 or so are digitally mastered so there is really no benefit to transfer a digital source to LP. That said I do have over 100 LPs and still enjoy listening to them on occasion. JMHO.

 

[TLS Guy]

I think he would have heard something if the LP had impurities and they don't migrate to the surface after the plastic has cooled. While the plug doesn't need to be molten like syrup, it still requires several hundred degrees F to become soft enough to be pressed but once cooled, nothing moves.

The cause of the impurities is people working ion factories and dumping rejects into the regrind hopper, including the cardboard box and probably labels. I saw that when I worked at an injection molding plant during Summer break. Some people don't care that their carelessness costs the company money.

That is completely untrue. I have still got impurities coming to the surface in LPs that are forty years old or more. It is well known that that these impurities have no limit to the time they can come to the surface following manufacture. How they do this remains somewhat of a mystery, but it certainly happens. In fact with my collection I think the older the disc the more likely this is to occur. However the vast majority of the discs doing this are from the Carter Presidency years, when oil was high and the cost or raw materials for LP manufacture were hard to come by and expensive.

 

[lovinthehd]

You can't return the defective LP? You imply it's used but is it so unique to keep this pressing?

 

[Squishman]

You can't return the defective LP? You imply it's used but is it so unique to keep this pressing?

I could ask him. Up to him now since he already got my feedback based on visual.

 

[lovinthehd]

I could ask him. Up to him now since he already got my feedback based on visual.

You gave good feedback before playing it? Worth a try perhaps. I just see no point in keeping defective vinyl.

 

[Squishman]

Yes I did. He said VG+/VG+. Visually looks unplayed. I spied a very light fingerprint, but no other marks and zero spindle trails. Not one. Still in shrink. "Looks" like a beautiful record. It is Undercover "Branded" from 1986.

 

[lovinthehd]

I've had defective vinyl that looked fine before. Not in original shrink? Or how did a fingerprint get on it?