I have a different ultrasonic-record cleaner. When I first used it, the results were very similar to the ones presented in this video, and I was bit disappointed. After talking to a few people about the results, as well as the manufacturer of the device, I learned that water alone isn’t the ideal cleaning fluid to use. The surface tension of the water prevents the water from entering deeply into the grooves of a record. This means that crud buried deeply into the grooves doesn’t get removed properly. After adding a bit of a wetting -agent into the water and a splash of IPA alcohol to help dissolve any grease, my results improved substantially. I do understand the reasoning for not adding certain cleaning fluids for the tests performed in this video, but it might be worth a try for you personally. Who knows, maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
This was my initial thought too. Just a couple of drops of washing-up liquid in the water should improve the performance. Adding IPA will help even more.
Cause it was a a review of the product as specified by manufacturer, if they said " well if it doesn't work just add XXX amount of ZZZ" sure , but they said distilled water. So after all , You could add or do whatever You want , but that is a different process from one that manufacturer said it should do. Using sand paper also will make a difference - tho what result isn't the question here.
I also wonder if the temperature of the water makes a difference. Maybe heating the water a bit before putting it in the cleaner would help some? Probably not nearly as much as the surfactant and isopropyl alcohol, but if you were trying to avoid using chemicals on your records for some reason, it might help the process along a bit to use warm/hot water.
First I was excited to hear Mat play Rick in Casablanca, then I was excited to see him walk around town and use the anti-static pistol to cause letters to fall off shop windows. It's been a rollercoaster of emotions over here!!
Arlene Dahl is still alive at 96 and has worked her way through 6 husbands. Sounds quite a character! She has her own page on Wikipedia. Looks like her most famous role was probably ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’ (1959) with James Mason. Update: Apparently she died on Monday 29th November 2021 ☹️ (I think posted my original comment the day before).
@@Davej82, "He was a cop, and good at his job. But he committed the ultimate sin and testified against other cops *gone bad* - cops that tried to kill him, but got the woman he loved instead. Framed for murder, now he prowls the badlands, an outlaw hunting outlaws, a bounty hunter - a RENEGADE." 👍
Ok, first comment I ever do to a video made by Techmoan, but this thing really hit home for me. I have always had dirty records, using the records from an early age, and knowing next to nothing about handling them, but lately I had a streak of nostalgia and I started listening to my old records again, only to find that my records were soooo dirty. Obviously, I had nowhere near the budget that many from the west have so I had to resort to methods using stuff I already had in house. I have used soap and worm water, paying no respect to the label (but the label always survived, somehow), I have used microfiber cloth to try to remove the gunk from the grooves, I have played them wet using only water or a combination of water and soap, but I have learned of a method that initially made me very uneasy. Wood glue! Some videos are available about the method, and I have tried that one on a expendable record. I was blown away of the result! Almost all the pops disappeared and, what's more interesting, the information (music) became more crisp! Hearing things I wasn't aware were there was the greatest reward and was what convinced me that the method is actually pretty safe. I have a video made for a friend, several years ago, that shows the method and I think has some samples of audio, it's private, but I can provide a link for reference. In short: the side of the record, placed flushed on a flat surface (it might be even the platter of the turntable) is covered in generous amount of wood glue, so that all the surface of the recorded vinyl is covered completely with wood glue. It's white, so it is easy to control the quantity of glue used. Left to dry, the glue becomes transparent, and the black vinyl begins to show from below. When there is no more speck of white on the surface, the glue is dry enough to be peeled from the vinyl but soft enough to be easily pealed, and the shrinking glue does not damage the vinyl. Pealing the glue leaves a very statically charged vinyl but with care the charge can be drained and the surface left is quite clean. Playing the vinyl immediately renders the best results, and I usually digitize the side at once, to be able to get the most of the method (static charge left on the vinyl will attract all the dust from air like a powerful magnet). The time to dry is somewhere between 3 to 5 hours, so this method is by no means quick, but it really pays for the simplicity and cost to efficiency ratio. I have some samples recorded over time, I can provide them for comparison (before and after). Some record are more damaged by the embedding of dust into the soft plastic of the record, therefore even if the dust is pried off by the glue, the impression remains and produces the noise received. Anyway, the biggest plus of the method is that dust that acts like a mediator between very fast-changing signals (the highs in music) is also eliminated leaving the groove (and the sound) as it was when the record was pressed. Minus the embedded dust, of course, and the macroscopic scratches; they can't be fixed by glue, of course. Techmoan, sorry for the length of my comment, I hope you have patience to read it all. And please try it on an expendable record for yourself. It's a bit messy and it takes some time to get it right (the method) but maybe you'll be pleased by the results.
Ultrasonic cleaners work VERY well in other applications, including the one I'm most experienced with, small engine parts cleaning. That being said, I think the ones I'm more experienced with may be bigger, and "more powerful". Also, I run them for much longer than 2-5 minutes at a time. And, being the dirt has been in the record for 40-50 years, it may take a considerable amount of time to knock it all loose. I think this is a great idea, although it may be a while before the perfect middle ground is found to clean well, and also not damage records.
Yes and perhaps if it had some kind of detergent in it to aid in devolving oily finger marks full of dust and dirt too. That would probably do a better job
I'm 60, and over my lifetime have used all the DiscWasher products including their anti static gun. This goes back into the 70's, and even then as a teenager, I wondered if it was all snake oil because I couldn't really tell a difference. 😁 But it obviously kept the records clean at the least, and prevented further degradation. 👍✌
Yeah exactly, a reccord need to sound like a reccord. I mean the imperfection in analog sound is the entire point of it nowadays. If I want a perfect reproduction, then I rather just listen to a CD or FLAC. It's the same with people spending 15'000$ for an absolute high-end turntable and needle-cartridge... Why bother so much, just to get the best sound of the groove. Why even listen to reccords, if you want the best possible quality?
Thanks for the review Techmoan! I was also thinking about buying the Humming Guru, but decided against it. It is of course much cheaper than similar known ultrasonic cleaners, but, it uses only 2 transducers instead of 3, and its frequency is too low to be effective (40kHz. does not create small enough bubbles to penetrate the deepest parts of the grooves). Also, something that many people don't know about Ultrasonic cleaning: It does affect the chemical compound of the vinyl (mainly PVC), and might cause some degradation of its surface! As a long time record collector and professional vinyl seller, I of course own a professional cleaner (the vacuum type) , and from my experience, one should always play the LP at least once after cleaning to let the stylus loosen the gunk stuck deep into the grooves, before you can hear the improved sound! When it is loosened by the cleaning process, the gunk sometimes clumps together upon contact with water, and it is this that generates the noise you thought was static (It exactly sounds like the one on your record!). What I always did, was playing the record once fully through, then use a fine brush to get rid of any loose gunk left. I was always astonished at how much better the record sounded the second time around after cleaning! It has most likely nothing to do with static! At least not in my experience! I always remove all static from an LP before playing it, and it always sounded better on second spin despite the static removal before the first spin! Also, the distortion you heard after the first clean (with the cloth) was most probably from the fluff left by the cloth itself! This will always require the stylus to be thoroughly cleaned with a stylus brush. Just my two cents! Thank you for all the great videos, and keep them coming!
Most water bath ultrasonic cleaners have been adapted from industrial use and therefore have their transducers bottom mounted. This is counterintuitive to cleaning a record but works as a general rule because they are really are more powerful than they need to be for delicate cleaning. Because of this fact, the time spent in such baths is crucial though as record damage can occur. The use of adaptors where 4/5 records are cleaned simultaneously is not good practice and far less effective. The transducers in the reservoir of the humming guru has them facing the record which is the logical thing to do when designing a device with a specific purpose such as records It means the face of the record rotates directly infront of the transducers. As to the frequency it uses, this was tested thoroughly and although much conjecture remains, the company chose this frequency as a happy median not wanting loads of complaints and claims that precious records are being damaged. I think they have it about right. It should also be noted that records pressed using junk recycled vinyl and even some using virgin vinyl have pops and crackles that were there baked in from new and will always be there. I assume the use of a cloth in this video is just to remove surface items and is lint free. I agree though, Zero Stat works, it always has. I use it after cleaning and before I put the record back into its sleeve, it's just good practice but in playback it's amazing how much noise is produced by static. Personally I have the Humming Guru on route. I have followed the kick-start process closely and believe this item to be a convenient, well judged machine, that will be another tool in the box when dealing with dirty vinyl. Incidentally I would never play an uncleaned record using my expensive line contact stylus moving coil cartridge! that is asking for expensive trouble. It's far safer and more effective to throughly clean the record. One additional point, I would use de-ionized pure water slightly warmed it works better.
Dude you really over think this hole cleaning thing. Realy affect the chemical compound of the vinyl lol. Are you one of those that go and buy 50 dollar fuses?
I use my old reliable Knosti record bath thingy. Its analogue , no motor in it. It just removes all gunk via brushes and it has a record dryer stand built in so you can air dry 8 record at a time. And it costs 40 pounds. This thing look clumsy,noisy and the price is AAAArgggg.
This record cleaner reminds me of the Ronco Record Vacuum from the 1970’s. I remember these old commercials from 1970’s where Ronco promoted the record cleaning kit known as the Record Vacuum.
I think it did a pretty good job. The volume seemed louder on the post cleaning playbacks so the drop in crackle level might have even greater than it appeared, and the final result had a greater ambience and presence. The biggest surprise was the anti-static gun though.
The comments on the tape players is turned off, but I was going to suggest that the first one might have an issue with the power supply. I would also check to see if the door has a switch to check if it's closed. It could be something won't work because it's detecting the door is open.
I'm really impressed with that anti-static gun though - a sombre word or two from the 80s kid version of myself - never use an anti-static gun on yourself, it REALLY HURTS! 🤣
my dad had one as a young dumb but curious teen i stuck it in my mouth fiddling etc i pulled the trigger my mercury fillings i dont know but totally zapped myself ....dont do this lol...
I remember back in the 80s my Nana sitting at the table every so often to clean all her jewlery with an ultrasonic machine that I was fascinated by. It definitely had some kind of detergent though, and ran for longer than 5 minutes. Hmm. Thanks for the video, Mat! I love watching your videos, even though I have no ability to put anything I learn into practice! 😄
I looked into a jewelry cleaner, large enough for the task, and it was much lower priced, than the same thing, sold as an ultrasonic LP cleaner. Reason: hipsters don't buy jewelry cleaners. I am sure they will figure this out soon, if not already.
We can never know if the record you've cleaned was perfect when it was new. I've encountered several new records with crackles and noise, defect from pressing plant and whatever I've tried, I couldn't remove them. In my opinion the RCM does a pretty good job. I would test it with a cleaning solution, something like the one Degritter makes. Thanks for sharing your input on HumminGuru.
Mold releasing agents from the factory contribute to noisy playback. I'd say 80% of the time these can be removed and the record rendered 'quiet'. But sometimes, nothing works...even repeated cleanings. That's the 'joy' of vinyl.
Try playing it with WD-40. First round playback should be ignored, as the needle will catch all the remaining dust from the groove. Second round playback will sound about as pristine as the original press could possibly allow, assuming it's not scratched up of course. Seriously, if your goal is to get a nearly perfect digitized version of the original, who gives a shit if it's wet with WD-40, lubricate that shit!
Why would you even want to get rid of those crackles and pops? Those defects is what makes vinyl special. If you want perfect sound then just go digital lmao
I had a record from EMI that had a human hair pressed into it. So it that can be pressed into a record, so can dust! Mind you, I contacted EMI and a new one arrived next day, beat that for service! You will not get service like that these days!
I wouldn't buy any new vinyl's, from what I have read regarding loudness normalization and the loudness wars, the CD masters are used for the vinyls and not the original Masters. Therefore the lack of dynamic range because of the loudness wars will affect the vinyls. Maybe someone out there can confirm this by comparing the original vinyl to the new one.
Thanks for an interesting video. When I worked for the BBC in the late '70's we used to use a Keith Monks record cleaner which washed the disc with a detergent fed brush and then vacuumed the grooves. To my surprise they're still available (at a price !) If you ever get the chance (and if you've not already done so) Id love to see your review of one. Best wishes and thanks again . . .
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Can't stop looking at the color dots thing on the shelves...
I think the end result was pretty good for a record of that age, really. The crackles weren't intrusive and the sound was solid. You did a great job of showing us the unit in action and how responsible it was for the end result. I now know I need to get a static gun. Thanks for that tip.
Just don’t use your zerostat the way techmoan did. You are not supposed to pull the trigger so fast that it makes that clicking noise. There’s also a bit of technic to using it to get the best results. Everyone has their own method, but in my experience they work better than anything else.
I use an U/S cleaner for my records and it is unrealistic to expect click and pops to vanish completely because a lot are caused by groove damage and not dirt. Also new records are not always free from noise either. (I've been buying records for over 50 years so have plenty of experience of this). But what U/S cleaning does do is improve sound quality - giving a clearerr sound without the build-up of crud in the groove. I would never, ever, spray some liquid on to a record and rub it around with a cloth. That is just asking for trouble! IMO of course ;o)
When we used to clean delicate components in the lab using an ultrasonic bath, we always used to add a small amount of a lab grade detergent such as decon 90 to make the water actually wet the component and lift the dirt. Of course it required a subsequent rinse with plain water. Now I know very little about the care of vinyl records, but if detergent is ok to use, would this not be worth a try and see if it makes any difference.
What about a couple drops of Jet-Dry? Should be even milder, considering it's not a detergent, I believe it's a mild surfactant. If it can break the surface tension of water to help it rinse cleanly from your dishes, I think it'd be worth a shot with records.
@@pfarnsworth84 Not sure to be honest. If it is just a mild surfactant like washing up liquid then possibly. I personally would try something really non aggressive like baby shampoo. I use this as a rinse aid for black and white film with no no problems.
For anyone that is interested in this sort of stuff, you can purchase a regular ultrasonic cleaner wide enough to accept 12" records for very little money (around 120$). Then just take a rod that fits the record spindle hole and a couple of washers and put the records with washers between them on the rod. That way you can clean 5-6 records at once... although you will have to turn them by hand, about 5min is usually enough. For a cleaning solution: 50/50 isopropyl alcohol and distilled water and a drop or two of dish soap (this can be used for a bunch of records before replacing)
@@ShockingPikachuReading this makes me feel like an idiot for not coming up with that myself xD You'd still have to stand there holding the drill, but it would probably be more convenient than turning by hand.
The recipe varies as much as there are users. It seems most think a 20/80 mix is preferred, meaning 20 % iso and 80 % water. Also swapping the dish soap for "real" wetting agents/surfactants such as Ilford Ilfotol. On a chemical level, you might have the exact same thing happening with dish soap. That, I don't know.
On the "Man plays with 2 cassette decks for 27 minutes" video the comments are disabled. The first thing I noticed was the cassette door just flapping around. Maybe that spring and bit of plastic kept the door from flapping around. The color of the plastic is the same color as the plastic on the front of the tape deck.
I used to be be a Dj during the vinyl era, I still have thousands of records, lost count after 2,000 as well as 4 DD decks, 2 Technics, 1 Numark, 1 Pioneer. I've always used an air compressor to clean mine, some of which got played hundreds of times, likely far more than any 'normal' person would listen to anything other than their absolute favourites. I don't have one record that won't play and more importantly (given the price for high end ones) they never ruin my cartridges. I haven't bought a new cart in years. Air compressor, about £70 for a low end one ***edit - Amazon have one for £35 in their basics range and there's a tiny portable one for £50 so even less than I thought*** Time to clean one record, 10 seconds? Ish. You have the added value of being able to use the air compressor for running tools, pumping tyres etc. There's no need for these ridiculous over-priced gadgets that are fiddly to use and take up space.
Hi Matt, My uncle bought a 1 liter open rectangular ultrasonic cleaning device (stainless steel). He is a crystal and mineral collector and some crystal formations come with dirt and clay in between. If you try to remove that dirt mechanically you screw up the tiny crystals. He was very disappointed with the machine, because he would fill it with water, set the sample inside and turn it on, and nothing happened. The surface tension of the water prevented a good sound wave propagation and a good energy transfer fom the water into the dirt. Suspecting that y let two or three drops of dish wash detergent fall into the device while it was on and you would see immediately a cloud of dirty water form around the dirty part of the sample. It started to clean immediately. The device was a success. I am not a vinyl record expert, but I imagine the cracks come from lint, dust, condensed and hardened nicotin and sublimed oils in the air (from the kitchen or fingers). The last two ones maybe hardened. I can imagine detergent will not harm the places that come in contact with water. I can imagine that a 5% or 10% Isopropyl alcohol with not harm those parts either especially if you finish with a clean water rinse. Isopropyl alcohol might help dissolve some crud or strongly attached dirt specs. Warm water might be an option too. Maybe something you could try. Very interesting video.
I was only ever so-so on the old puppet segments, but to be honest, I would have loved it if at the end of this video if one of the puppets was filmed acting alongside the record, the goofier the voice the better.
Honestly I'm more impressed by the results of using that anti static gun on the record. I expected that to be pure snake oil but seemed to actually make a significant difference.
I'm not sure the device does anything for records that look clean, but it does help to clean up cruddy looking records. I've been using it to clean a big batch of old 78s that I'd bought off the auction site a few months ago (note - they don't recommend using it with shellac). It does a good cleaning job, but I have concerns about the amount of distilled water it goes through (even though I've been re-using the water, for several records). The water level is a bit hit and miss - some records have recordings beyond the reach of the water level as proscribed The filter has gotten very dirty, but it just seems to be the stuff you use in fish tanks. Drying for 5 minutes sometimes leaves a drop or two of water, I just use a microfibre cloth to wipe it. Oh, and if you think that this is noisy, then you would be astounded by the noise from vacuum type cleaners like my Kuzma. I think the machine is small/ light enough to keep close to your hifi so that you can use it to clean up visibly dirty records before playing. My main concern is how long these units will last.
Arlene Dahl has died at age 96. The actor's charm and striking red hair shone in such Technicolor movies of the 1950s as “Three Little Words” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” From todays news … nice tribute by featuring her on your video ….
I feel like this is a bit more of a chore saver than an archivists tool. If it’s easy to do “put record in, push button, walk away.” Then it might have you clean your records as frequently as you are supposed to, rather than when you get a tic about dust.
Great video! I have run loads of records through my HumminGuru. While my own review videos on the machine were fairly negative, I have found improvements. I, personally, found that “distilled water only” wasnt very effective and indeed created static through the process. I also found water temp to be fairly important to cleaning effectiveness of the HumminGuru. And, I find that it’s at least a 20-min process to get results. All just my thoughts, and experiences, thanks for your review!
@@varsityathlete9927 I don’t know “ideal temp,” but I have found “better cleaning” through use of water that is “at least slightly above room temp.” Say around 75f-80f. Keeping in mind the HG will rise ~2-3f for each 5-min ultrasonic cycle. I have been told by people I trust, you never really want anything above 100F. I’m staying well below that… again tho, 1000 ways to clean a record and 1000000+ opinions on “best way” to do it.. Results May vary.
@@polypetalous over 100F sounds right to avoid. interesting. the water I use is in bottles its distilled, maybe I could give it a slight buzz in the microwave first see if that does anything for the cleaning. its summer for me right now so the room temp is high, but during winter its a lot lower.
@@varsityathlete9927 I’ve been either just putting the jug of distilled water in a sink of warm water to raise the temp of the jug or putting the jug over a floor register (starting to get cold in these parts).
I wonder if a tiny bit of detergent and/or surfactant would help the water to get deeper into the grooves and lift out any dirt that might be in there? Unless you tried that, of course, and it didn't make a difference. Or the manufacturer says not to do it because it will ruin the device. Still -- the results are definitely audible, which is precisely what you're hoping for when you clean a record. Minimising, not necessarily eliminating, the faults of the medium. Thanks for showing us this, Mat.
Well Matt, as for my experiences with utrasonic cleaners,(mostly for cleaning parts for electron scanning microscopes prior to assembly) is that 5 minutes is quite short and then only less than half of the record is suspended in to the water at any given time. The setup I use also generaly uses warm distilled water (none scalding) often with a bit of utrasonic cleaner detergent to help dissolve any grease and fat. Also some times I use denatured alcohol or isopropylalcohol as a medium. I know this is not in the recommendations of the machine but it should serve you well. Also i feel the machine turns the reccord too fast.. 2 full cycles per cleaning session would have been better. not something that you can control im affraid though.. too bad, with the above the results would have been much better. Thanks for showing it to us though!
Interesting you say this - I've read a few others say the same - that the cleaning process was too fast and that there wasn't any detergent of sorts. I'd like to know if these factors would make any difference. Having said that - how long should the cleaning cycle go for in your opinion?
@@fkthewhat Usually when I need things grease and fat free i will use isopropyl alcohol at 30 degrees C for about 10 minutes With warm water (up to 45 degrees C) with detergent it usually will be a bit longer up to about 15 minutes. These are just rules of thumb though because the energy put in by the ultrasounder is a factor here. but im asuming the one used here is just an average sounder like the ones used 1 litre or smaller volume baths commonly used for cleaning jewelry. also that time estimate is full submersion time so for that recor device it would tally up to 30 minutes is it were really dirty. As Matt said though any physical deformation or damage to the grooves will never be eliminated by this machine.
@@zvezdaster oh absolutely I am the first to accept that pops and crackles are just part of the experience, but I’m still curious to see what improvements if any could be made - even the anti static gun was quite impressive! As for surface noise on my records, I wouldn’t have it any other way really!
Why are the comments disabled on your newest video of the broken cassette deck? :( I maybe would be interrested what Big clive has to say about it, maybe he could find the faul. But who knows, maybe it would not amount to anything.
I always just used brushes, and such, designed for cleaning vinyl records. This seems like a very interesting machine though. I doubt you could ever get a perfect record, unless you were in a clean room that had absolutely no static or dust.
I always used the zerostat before cleaning to make the vinyl release the dirt easier, also I remembered you were supposed to pull the lever slowly as to not cause the "click" sound, this would cause a steady stream of ions, this was listed in the instructions. You can see the results in the dark at the end of the needle.
I am actually quite impressed by this! I use a "Spin Clean" on all my records... (including brand new... you would be shocked how much dirt they hold from the factory! It collects in the bottom and is an eye opener) This device seems to do about as well, but lots less messy and time consuming! I will be watching for it to become commercially available.
The Zerostat is the one piece of equipment most people with phonographs are missing. They work great on a day in Southern California when the San'tana Winds are blowing (high-static days). You can see the gunk that's standing up on the record lie down after you fire the Zerostat. They are AWESOME.
I bought a spin clean years ago, there’s always been a noticeable change after using it and you’ll see the crud it’s cleaned off. That’s like €70 but copy cats are around €50. At that price they are hard to beat and the effort involved is just a little bit more. Also, I never play a newly purchased secondhand record until it’s been cleaned. I’m really impressed with the zerostat gun though, I always doubted its effectiveness but it appears to work a treat.
Yep, my zerostat is the only device I’ve found that can always remove static electricity. However Techmoan was not using it correctly. First you aren’t supposed to use it with the record on the turntable. You can either place it on the outer sleeve (or some other non-conducting surface) or I just hold it in the air with one hand while using the gun with the other then put the record on the platter. The other thing is that you are supposed to pull the trigger very slowly. If you hear the clicking noise like when Techmoan was pulling the trigger it means you are going to fast. When it seems like it’s doing nothing it’s working.
Thanks so much for this episode! I have contemplated buying one, I believe I will take the plunge after hearing these results. FYI... for better results, use the Zerostat BEFORE you put it in the machine. I have used them for 30 years. They do a great job of releasing particles being held to the vinyl by static. I have worn one out, and have another in reserve for when my current one dies. Keep up the great videos!
At the paint shop, we have anti-static devices that work on high voltage. It's purpose to discharge the material so there's nothing hold the dirt on it. Plastics are really bad about static. It worked, but it took a long time to get rid of the static.
I might get one. my mother gave me a lot of records. i think i'll get it in conjunction with a player in the near future. thank you for the great video, Matt. love them all.
Interesting device. I've got a few second hand records that I'm certain were spilled on at parties, or just lived in a smoke filled home, that would benefit from a couple (or more) runs through. As a side note, I was kinda hoping the puppets would make a cameo at the end, doing their acting read through from the record! That would be fun to watch!
Usually he'd put a reason in the description, but there is none. Only thing I can imagine is a flood of comments saying "it's 27:42 not 27:41!!!!1!" Don't know why Techmoan's comments are always filled with people trying to correct him, that's got to get tiring and I know he discusses that a lot but still
Interesting video, I had wondered about these but the only review I'd trust is yours. I was thinking about the surface of records and wondering if the surface itself decays with age. That would mean there would be dirt/dust, scratches, static and decay to deal with and it looks like you might have dealt with nearly all of the dirt/dust and static, but of course you can't do anything about scratches and decay. Maybe this ultrasonic cleaner is doing the best that can be done with 50 year old records. I had a particularly bad one I had bought that was better after I washed it in the kitchen sink....
I know shellac can break down and develop micro fractures over time that cause cracking on the audio. I'm really not sure how vinyl fares though. I may be wrong but I always assumed a new-old-stock unplayed carefully stored vinyl record from say 1960 should sound perfect now if it's played for the first time.
@@Techmoan Would the crackles be visible on a simple cheap microscope? That would have been nice to see if they were caused by degradation or gunk stick in the grooves, wouldn´t it?
I have an original record (vinyl) by the Chordettes from 1957. It wasn't mint, but it sounds like I bought it brand-new from the record shop yesterday.
When cleaning records (Eg. Spin Clean), you HAVE to use Distilled water, using tap water can leave minerals on the record when cleaning, which means the record won't be as clean and in theory can damage your stylus. He's using a linear tracking turntable, most accurate way to listen to a record (stylus/needle is dead center to the groove). Could the playable warp on the record have something to do with how the record cleans? Argh, babbling too much... Techmoan rocks!
@@onefatstratcat My records don't care either I also use the Brita filter and after ibathe them with the tap water I rinse them with the filtered water the I dry them with a paper towel and finish with a terry cloth they telle they like the Terry cloth very much because it is soo soft ;-)
My favourite record-cleaning equipment -- not that I was ever an expert -- was a carbon-fibre brush. It felt just as soft if not softer than the usual cloths, and unlike a cloth it didn't trap the dust against the record. Er, I mean cloths with a bit of a pile; something to get into the grooves, although it probably wasn't enough. The carbon-fibre brush also got rid of static build-up; the hairs were conductive because they were carbon and I think they were electrically connected together in the handle.
Finally! An honest assessment of record cleaning. Most of these record cleaning videos seem to skirt around comparing the results in any meaningful way. I agree that record cleaning is not going to get rid of a lot of the noise. What it will do is increase the fidelity of a record. I have noticed that some records will "come alive" after being ultrasonically cleaned. And it can also increase the volume of the record. Which lowers the noise floor of the record. Meaning the noise sounds quieter because the music is louder, not because the noise has been removed. I believe that records get a film of something, dirt or grime or fungus, who knows what, that decreases fidelity and volume. When you remove that film buy cleaning, you no longer have anything in-between the needle and the groove dulling the sound.
Amazing. I really believe that even after cleaning, the more plays it gets, the better it can sound. The stylus must be pulling out really embedded in the grooves
One essential bit of kit for anyone who wants to clean a few - or a lot - of records is a spare turntable with a heavy tone arm to play them on as a final step after you've cleaned them on a machine or by hand. There will almost certainly be some residue left in the groove and, as you found out while making this video, the stylus is the best way to shift it. It's designed to reach the bottom of the groove to play the record, so what could be better? Any old turntable would do, as long as it actually turns it doesn't matter if any sound comes out or not, you're only using it to clean the record.
It sounds like your record has been damaged by playing with a heavy ceramic stylus. I'm confident the the ultrasonic cleaner is very effective, just based on how well they clean spectacles. But I really wonder if it is any better that holding it under a cold water tap while you wipe with a microfibre cloth and a squirt of detergent.
I believe any record you clean will build up static and pull particles out of the air. Making pops and noise again. That would explain why the anti static gun had such an effect. Places where records are manufactured have clean rooms with no dust.
Very true. It baffles me when I see people on TH-cam or FB showing them playing their vinyl with the lid open or no lid at all, pulling in all the particles from the air as it spins round ruining the listening pleasure lol.
Clean rooms are only used for the place where laquer blanks are made. The mastering, electroplating and pressing rooms are clean but not a 100 percent dust free clean room. I was on a tour at Record Industries in Haarlem about a decade ago, and although everything was very clean for an industrial plant, it's not a clean room and our tour group did not have to wear coveralls, hair nets and things like that. It was mandatory, however, to leave all cellphones and other transmitters in a basket outside the mastering room.
@@markymarcus5752 The reason for leaving the lid open, is that with the lid closed you get more transmission of air/sound vibrations to the stylus, which can make the sound very nasal or boomy. I once had a situation in which i could only place the speakers on the same shelf as the record player sat on. I could actually get it to oscillate with the lid closed (like microphone feedback) but did not have issues with the lid open. Try it out. Stop your record, but leave the stylus on the record, and crank open the volume. Now stomp your feet on the floor. Try it with the lid open and closed; depending on your whole setup, you can have a big difference or even induce a feedback oscillation. You can play your records just fine with the lid open, if you clean them once in a while with a disco antistat or other antistatic cleaning machine. I tend to clean my most played records once a year or so, and during that time they won't pick up any static charge. Brand new records are often very easy to get charged, so i also clean those.
There're plenty of videos on TH-cam featuring how records are made. You should probably watch them before claiming records plants have clean rooms with no dust.
The best record cleaner I ever found was the original Discwasher from the 1970's. It always did a fantastic job and took 10-15 seconds, not 15 minutes.
I think your conclusion at the end of this video is spot on. This cleaner does exactly was it says on the tin, it cleans records. It does not however completely eradicate crackles and pops, which I think are just part of the inherent nature of vinyl. This device serves to clean crud out of the grooves of the vinyl, which in turn protects the stylus and the turntable from damage caused by the accumulation of dirt during playback. I suppose if you're a regular spinner of vinyl this would be worth getting, but probably less so for the occasional user.
Hi, thanks for the review. It’s an interesting device. I noticed that the acting record is a mono recording. If your preamp or receiver has a mono button, this can decrease a lot of surface noise when playing a mono record on a stereo record stylus. Worth a try.
Better still, get a mono cartridge. My life changed in the first twenty minutes of hearing mine. I had no idea the record was even finishing; there was no inner groove distortion whatsoever, even on a record of ten tracks per side. So, yes, this and the decreased surface noise is an amazing combination.
I think using this along with other devices is ideal. I've had success with an assembly line of devices to maximize efficacy. I've used the following: 1) the Knox Gear Spinner device with distilled water and provided fluid, 3 revolutions both sides, let air dry. 2) Then transfer to a vacuum cleaner device, 3 revolutions both sides, you can also squirt and spread some cleaning fluid on top prior. Then 3rdly), spin cycle using ultrasonic cleaner with distilled water after which, allow to air dry.
What I have always used to clean my records is to play them wet. I make a solution with water and Ilford Ilfotol (Wetting Agent), and spray it on the record while it is actually spinning. The needle will take out a lot of the gunk, but is easily cleaned off. If your needle is pressure, have a second one or... But it actually sounds immediately better!
Once a month I clean my records. The cheapest, most effective way I have found is to use glass cleaner, a toothbrush and a micro fiber towel. You place the dirty record on the record player, barely move the tone arm so the record can spin, hold rag near label and spray window cleaner on playing surface. Now you can use the toothbrush while the record is spinning. After the window cleaner is spread across the whole record, stop using toothbrush. Dry off with micro fiber towel while record is still spinning. Flip and repeat. Works great!!
Thank you for this review - it was helpful, although a comparison between machines - like Snazzy Labs did - would have been more illuminating. One point about your Zerostat - if it 'pings' as it audibly did in your video, it's arcing inside and shorting-out all its ion-generating voltage; the trigger should be pulled slowly enough to prevent such arcing, and a powerful flow of static-killing ions will pour off the needle tip towards your record - I hope this helps!
I'm a little surprised by the apathetic conclusion after the testing. I was really impressed by how much the repeated cleanings and the anti-stat treatment improved the sound and reduced the noise on the record!
I bought an ultrasonic record cleaning machine for 180€ (Vevor) and it's the best thing ever. I wish I had bought it earlier. I had ended up damaging some records with the spinclean machine (the brushes were too tight or not clean enough and there's abrasion as a result on some of my records). If you're serious about collecting vinyls, get an ultrasonic machine. You don't need a 'humminguru' or a 'degritter' which cost a fortune. They're all based on the same technology and there are much cheaper and yet still very efficient options out there.
What has worked for me better than anything is the white glue method. Also, I have a static brush on my turn table, which really helps too. Thanks for another helpful video, Techmoan! Very detailed as always.
The acting game seemed kinda fun. Sorta like karaoke. Is there anything like this today? Could be done really interestingly with modern tech, such as the other actor waiting exactly for when you finish your line. Also, imagine it as a VR game.
I've been thinking about buying a Zerostat and this demonstrated that it actually does work, despite some mixed opinions out there. Very cool. One other thing I thought was worth mentioning - you may have actually restored that record to nearly "factory fresh" condition after all. There's a lot of variance in the _purity_ of materials used in record pressing (most notably the vinyl itself). It is very likely, especially with this being a "dialogue" record, and not exactly expected to be for hi-fi use, that the vinyl stock is of low quality and contains higher levels of impurities. These impurities would present themselves as crackles and pops, just as dust would, except they are inherently part of the record itself and could never be removed. Thank you for the back-to-back testing results. This seems like a very nice cleaner for the price/convenience!
I've been cleaning my records with soap, cold water and a soft brush for decades and it works miracles. It takes less than a couple of minutes per record
Nice to see this quick run-through and review, had mine for a few days but only just got some distilled water yesterday so first go will probably be today. The company's Comms have been excellent throughout which has been nice and as a unit it seems very solid. But it's like you say I think it's about having the right expectations. It's not gonna be for everyone.
Great stuff. I can't believe how well that anti-static gun worked, that blew my mind. I feel like I should be paying you for the information and knowledge I've gathered over the last 2-3 years watching me some Techmoan. EDIT: I will get on the teespring right quick.
Ya, I was on the fence when I bought one, but it realy works. It can take some time to do it right though. I use it before and after I use a dust brush.
Sound Engineer here. Before and after first cleaning it was night and day. After 2 more cleaning there was no much differences. But that anti-static gun is a winner here.Now I want US bath and that gun!
I have been using a DIY Ultrasonic record cleaner for years, and they truly are the best at cleaning! However, there are some caveats. First and foremost, some records are just beyond cleaning. Some older records are just played out, or have been played with a bad/heavy stylus and will sound gunky no matter how much you clean. Second, the cleaning solution matters (a lot)! After years of testing (and trying out different recipes from the internet), I've standardized on this solution. 99% RODI water (Reverse Osmosis & DeIonized), 1% 91% or better Isopropyl alcohol, and 10 drops (for a 1.5 gallon mix) of surfactant (I use Triton-X, but Tergitol is also recommended). The alcohol percentage is low enough to be safe on vinyl, and helps with drying. The surfactant is super important, as otherwise the water doesn't get deep into the grooves. If you are doing it right, the cleaned record is virtually static free (and will remain so for 5 or so plays over time). I also recommend cleaning ALL new records. It's amazing how dirty some new vinyl can be, and cleaning this crud out will help with the longevity of the stylus. I like the price point of this unit, though I wish it did more than one record at a time. I also like the drying feature (which is a manual process with my current setup). Regarding crackles and pops, I have found that the cart/stylus can make a big difference in how noticeable they are.
@@eded9202 no youtube probably detected his face as a minor accidentally. You’re the reason why creators are always punished for no reason cause no one complains about that stuff enough for yt to do anything.
Hahaha the fact that you showed the script at the same time in case someone wanted to act is a very funny and nice touch! I love your videos haha I’m so glad to be subscribed for years :)
Years ago, my cousin and I did some very unsicientific tests on new records. We recorded a brand new record onto a descent cassette recorder. It was very quiet. Then the second play was also recorded. Very noisy. The cassette deck had some pretty good dolby noise reduction. Our thoughts were that the stylus was damaging the record. Even though a nice turntable at the time. This was way befor DAT.
I did find some information in the archival record museum in usa, they clean or bath their dirty vinyl records with distilled water, a little ammonia and pure detergent mixed through it and using a microfibre pad, wet it with the mixture and rub or wipe gently along the grooves a few times and rinse well with clean water at the end. let dry. So Ive tried that at home and works really well because it cleans thoroughly into the grooves. it doesn't damage the vinyl records. I don't need to use this ultrasonic cleaner.
That brings back memories of the '80s - the last time I used vinyl. Once I got my first CD player in 1984 or so I never looked back. There was that one time where I drove to 'the tip' and threw in my boxes of vinyl and never looked back. I'd love to get excited by vinyl, it'd be something to 'get into', but I can't get motivated to bring back the crackles.
I did the same thing....then I found out some of the releases I wanted for my collection weren't made on CD, very few but still...they were only released on vinyl.
One reason I'm personally not interested in switching back to vinyl (or even CD for that matter) is the filler tracks you typically find on any random album I own. Back when I bought physical media I'd rip them to MiniDisc then later to MP3 and I'd ditch the weak songs. On some bad album purchases I might find only two tracks I'd personally rate a 3/5 or higher. Going back to vinyl means going back to listening to songs I don't like. Plus the crackles. For those who don't think like me, I'm sure they're having a good time.
I’ve experimented with methods of record cleaning for 40 years and have settled on a combination of cleaning methods that give me a near silent background. I’ve got 100% 4500 feedback on eBay. Ultrasonic cleaning alone won’t remove the really stubborn grit lodged in grooves. You don’t need to spend a lot to get near perfect results and only use a mix of isopropyl, deionised water and a few drops of Kodak developer fluid. It removes grease, grit and grime.
These things work great for loads of cleaning needs. I've used them on jewelry, carbs, small fuel tanks exc. It does the job well, especially if you add a little dish soap or solvent depending on what your cleaning. I have noticed it's all about the time, sometimes you need to give it a few cycles or hrs if you can set the time.
From my experience... I have a VPI 16.5 (now called HW-16.5 RCM) that's been in use since 1997 (when it was half the current price!) I used to salvage my grandfather's record collection after 2 major house floods. Many of the records were unplayable, as you could physically see the dirt embedded in the records. Considering that, the fact that some of the records were made in the 40s/50s, and my grandfather played them a LOT, the degree of restoration possible with the VPI unit plus a modern (sharper) stylus, makes them eminently listenable again. They'll never be perfect, and they do tick and pop and scratch to varying degrees, but the music is still there, and some of the performances are no longer available.
Anti static guns are one of those things everyone just assumes is a bit of a scam, but they are really an essential bit of kit for record owners. You can actually make one quite easily from a gasless "piezo" lighter and a needle.
One other thought: I've had microfiber cloths (I believe that was the type of cloth you used on the non-ultrasonic "initial cleaning") leave lint / fibers behind in the grooves that ended up in my stylus (literally looked like a dust ball after attempting a play) and it created the EXACT SAME distortion you had in this video. I'm wondering if that "initial clean" caused the dust problem with your stylus. After all, you didn't have that problem the very first "totally dirty" play of the record right? Did you trying doing the spray bottle and cloth cleaning once again after the record was "cleaned" by the ultrasonic? I wonder what would happen? Excellent video! Thanks for all of your videos TechMOAN! I miss the puppet endings especially the opinionated internet troll-like guy that argues with the older bloke.
Yes, that is a good point. We started using micro-fiber cloths to clean car windows at a car wash but had to stop using them as the micro filaments were detaching from the cloths and were visible and stuck all over the glass!
@@nicholaslittle2312 for me this happened to a record I had literally just “DEEP CLEANED”. My definition of deep cleaning was: 1. I did the Titebond II wood glue peel for the initial remove all of the deep rooted dirt clean. 2. A wet cleaning using the Gem Dandy cleaner and pressure wash (distilled water). 3. A 30 minute air dry followed by the microfiber cloth to fully dry. After playing what I considered a deep cleaned record I got that horrible “crunch distortion” that TechMOAN got and was like “what the heck?” After lifting the stylus out of the groove I had a giant dustball covering it. I used a stylus brush to remove it and after playing again I got the exact same thing. In fact until I did another wood glue peel (to remove the fibers) I kept getting a clogged stylus. That said once I did the second wood glue peel and a few zaps with the Milty Antistat to get rid of all of the static charge created by the wood glue peel I had a really clean pretty much silent record. At which I did the unthinkable: I digitized it to a 96khz/24-bit file. Lol.
I have a different ultrasonic-record cleaner. When I first used it, the results were very similar to the ones presented in this video, and I was bit disappointed. After talking to a few people about the results, as well as the manufacturer of the device, I learned that water alone isn’t the ideal cleaning fluid to use. The surface tension of the water prevents the water from entering deeply into the grooves of a record. This means that crud buried deeply into the grooves doesn’t get removed properly.
After adding a bit of a wetting -agent into the water and a splash of IPA alcohol to help dissolve any grease, my results improved substantially.
I do understand the reasoning for not adding certain cleaning fluids for the tests performed in this video, but it might be worth a try for you personally. Who knows, maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
This was my initial thought too. Just a couple of drops of washing-up liquid in the water should improve the performance. Adding IPA will help even more.
Cause it was a a review of the product as specified by manufacturer, if they said " well if it doesn't work just add XXX amount of ZZZ" sure , but they said distilled water.
So after all , You could add or do whatever You want , but that is a different process from one that manufacturer said it should do.
Using sand paper also will make a difference - tho what result isn't the question here.
I did not know India pale ale could be used for that
@@Spaniard47 The last time I brought an IPA they didn't ask for ID.
I also wonder if the temperature of the water makes a difference. Maybe heating the water a bit before putting it in the cleaner would help some? Probably not nearly as much as the surfactant and isopropyl alcohol, but if you were trying to avoid using chemicals on your records for some reason, it might help the process along a bit to use warm/hot water.
First I was excited to hear Mat play Rick in Casablanca, then I was excited to see him walk around town and use the anti-static pistol to cause letters to fall off shop windows. It's been a rollercoaster of emotions over here!!
Arlene Dahl is still alive at 96 and has worked her way through 6 husbands.
Sounds quite a character!
She has her own page on Wikipedia.
Looks like her most famous role was probably ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’ (1959) with James Mason.
Update: Apparently she died on Monday 29th November 2021 ☹️
(I think posted my original comment the day before).
And she's mother of Lorenzo Lamas.(90's star from TV show Renegade.)
@@Davej82, "He was a cop, and good at his job. But he committed the ultimate sin and testified against other cops *gone bad* - cops that tried to kill him, but got the woman he loved instead. Framed for murder, now he prowls the badlands, an outlaw hunting outlaws, a bounty hunter - a RENEGADE." 👍
@@Bahama3ay LOL that takes me back. Me and my brother used to make fun of that, and the little guitar riff that went with it.
@@RCAvhstape, used to love 'Renegade'.
After the second or third husband, you start to think "maybe it's me."
Ok, first comment I ever do to a video made by Techmoan, but this thing really hit home for me. I have always had dirty records, using the records from an early age, and knowing next to nothing about handling them, but lately I had a streak of nostalgia and I started listening to my old records again, only to find that my records were soooo dirty. Obviously, I had nowhere near the budget that many from the west have so I had to resort to methods using stuff I already had in house. I have used soap and worm water, paying no respect to the label (but the label always survived, somehow), I have used microfiber cloth to try to remove the gunk from the grooves, I have played them wet using only water or a combination of water and soap, but I have learned of a method that initially made me very uneasy. Wood glue! Some videos are available about the method, and I have tried that one on a expendable record. I was blown away of the result! Almost all the pops disappeared and, what's more interesting, the information (music) became more crisp! Hearing things I wasn't aware were there was the greatest reward and was what convinced me that the method is actually pretty safe. I have a video made for a friend, several years ago, that shows the method and I think has some samples of audio, it's private, but I can provide a link for reference. In short: the side of the record, placed flushed on a flat surface (it might be even the platter of the turntable) is covered in generous amount of wood glue, so that all the surface of the recorded vinyl is covered completely with wood glue. It's white, so it is easy to control the quantity of glue used. Left to dry, the glue becomes transparent, and the black vinyl begins to show from below. When there is no more speck of white on the surface, the glue is dry enough to be peeled from the vinyl but soft enough to be easily pealed, and the shrinking glue does not damage the vinyl. Pealing the glue leaves a very statically charged vinyl but with care the charge can be drained and the surface left is quite clean. Playing the vinyl immediately renders the best results, and I usually digitize the side at once, to be able to get the most of the method (static charge left on the vinyl will attract all the dust from air like a powerful magnet). The time to dry is somewhere between 3 to 5 hours, so this method is by no means quick, but it really pays for the simplicity and cost to efficiency ratio. I have some samples recorded over time, I can provide them for comparison (before and after). Some record are more damaged by the embedding of dust into the soft plastic of the record, therefore even if the dust is pried off by the glue, the impression remains and produces the noise received. Anyway, the biggest plus of the method is that dust that acts like a mediator between very fast-changing signals (the highs in music) is also eliminated leaving the groove (and the sound) as it was when the record was pressed. Minus the embedded dust, of course, and the macroscopic scratches; they can't be fixed by glue, of course.
Techmoan, sorry for the length of my comment, I hope you have patience to read it all. And please try it on an expendable record for yourself. It's a bit messy and it takes some time to get it right (the method) but maybe you'll be pleased by the results.
Ultrasonic cleaners work VERY well in other applications, including the one I'm most experienced with, small engine parts cleaning. That being said, I think the ones I'm more experienced with may be bigger, and "more powerful". Also, I run them for much longer than 2-5 minutes at a time. And, being the dirt has been in the record for 40-50 years, it may take a considerable amount of time to knock it all loose. I think this is a great idea, although it may be a while before the perfect middle ground is found to clean well, and also not damage records.
Yes and perhaps if it had some kind of detergent in it to aid in devolving oily finger marks full of dust and dirt too. That would probably do a better job
Yeah - the application that interests me is cleaning flux off of freshly soldered PCBs, I heard ultrasonic cleaners do wonders for this!
@@1974UTuber Something like Photo-flow would allow the water to flow more freely into the grooves and won't leave a residue behind.
Ultrasound for fuel injectors operates wonders. Most of the gunk deposited on them (if not all) goes away.
Can it damage records? I mean, it's just water and microvibrations...
I'm 60, and over my lifetime have used all the DiscWasher products including their anti static gun. This goes back into the 70's, and even then as a teenager, I wondered if it was all snake oil because I couldn't really tell a difference. 😁 But it obviously kept the records clean at the least, and prevented further degradation. 👍✌
It would be interesting to see the grooves pre and post clean under a video microscope.
maybe an electron microscope, Techmoan should stop being cheap and invest in one
@@mason6300 LMAO! he would have to sell all he owns including him self, to be even able to buy one of the cheaper ones. come on get real...
@@zvezdaster maybe a nearby university would be willing to help out … FOR SCIENCE!
@@zvezdaster its worth the sacrifice for making one good video
@@zvezdaster r\woooosh
I think that chasing perfection with records is folly, the fact it was improved a fair bit is awesome!
Yeah exactly, a reccord need to sound like a reccord. I mean the imperfection in analog sound is the entire point of it nowadays. If I want a perfect reproduction, then I rather just listen to a CD or FLAC.
It's the same with people spending 15'000$ for an absolute high-end turntable and needle-cartridge... Why bother so much, just to get the best sound of the groove. Why even listen to reccords, if you want the best possible quality?
Thanks for the review Techmoan! I was also thinking about buying the Humming Guru, but decided against it. It is of course much cheaper than similar known ultrasonic cleaners, but, it uses only 2 transducers instead of 3, and its frequency is too low to be effective (40kHz. does not create small enough bubbles to penetrate the deepest parts of the grooves). Also, something that many people don't know about Ultrasonic cleaning: It does affect the chemical compound of the vinyl (mainly PVC), and might cause some degradation of its surface!
As a long time record collector and professional vinyl seller, I of course own a professional cleaner (the vacuum type) , and from my experience, one should always play the LP at least once after cleaning to let the stylus loosen the gunk stuck deep into the grooves, before you can hear the improved sound! When it is loosened by the cleaning process, the gunk sometimes clumps together upon contact with water, and it is this that generates the noise you thought was static (It exactly sounds like the one on your record!). What I always did, was playing the record once fully through, then use a fine brush to get rid of any loose gunk left. I was always astonished at how much better the record sounded the second time around after cleaning! It has most likely nothing to do with static! At least not in my experience! I always remove all static from an LP before playing it, and it always sounded better on second spin despite the static removal before the first spin! Also, the distortion you heard after the first clean (with the cloth) was most probably from the fluff left by the cloth itself! This will always require the stylus to be thoroughly cleaned with a stylus brush.
Just my two cents! Thank you for all the great videos, and keep them coming!
Most water bath ultrasonic cleaners have been adapted from industrial use and therefore have their transducers bottom mounted. This is counterintuitive to cleaning a record but works as a general rule because they are really are more powerful than they need to be for delicate cleaning. Because of this fact, the time spent in such baths is crucial though as record damage can occur. The use of adaptors where 4/5 records are cleaned simultaneously is not good practice and far less effective. The transducers in the reservoir of the humming guru has them facing the record which is the logical thing to do when designing a device with a specific purpose such as records It means the face of the record rotates directly infront of the transducers. As to the frequency it uses, this was tested thoroughly and although much conjecture remains, the company chose this frequency as a happy median not wanting loads of complaints and claims that precious records are being damaged. I think they have it about right. It should also be noted that records pressed using junk recycled vinyl and even some using virgin vinyl have pops and crackles that were there baked in from new and will always be there. I assume the use of a cloth in this video is just to remove surface items and is lint free. I agree though, Zero Stat works, it always has. I use it after cleaning and before I put the record back into its sleeve, it's just good practice but in playback it's amazing how much noise is produced by static. Personally I have the Humming Guru on route. I have followed the kick-start process closely and believe this item to be a convenient, well judged machine, that will be another tool in the box when dealing with dirty vinyl. Incidentally I would never play an uncleaned record using my expensive line contact stylus moving coil cartridge! that is asking for expensive trouble. It's far safer and more effective to throughly clean the record. One additional point, I would use de-ionized pure water slightly warmed it works better.
@@richards7909 depending on the pressure you can damage the record.
Dude you really over think this hole cleaning thing. Realy affect the chemical compound of the vinyl lol. Are you one of those that go and buy 50 dollar fuses?
I use my old reliable Knosti record bath thingy. Its analogue , no motor in it. It just removes all gunk via brushes and it has a record dryer stand built in so you can air dry 8 record at a time. And it costs 40 pounds. This thing look clumsy,noisy and the price is AAAArgggg.
This record cleaner reminds me of the Ronco Record Vacuum from the 1970’s. I remember these old commercials from 1970’s where Ronco promoted the record cleaning kit known as the Record Vacuum.
I think it did a pretty good job. The volume seemed louder on the post cleaning playbacks so the drop in crackle level might have even greater than it appeared, and the final result had a greater ambience and presence. The biggest surprise was the anti-static gun though.
The anti.static-gun is the real star of the show! Didn't expect it to work that well!
Why did you disable the comments on your last video?
I nailed that scene. It was an emotional performance
The comments on the tape players is turned off, but I was going to suggest that the first one might have an issue with the power supply. I would also check to see if the door has a switch to check if it's closed. It could be something won't work because it's detecting the door is open.
I'm really impressed with that anti-static gun though - a sombre word or two from the 80s kid version of myself - never use an anti-static gun on yourself, it REALLY HURTS! 🤣
Didnt even knew this thing existed
Is it just a glorified piezoelectric stove lighter sold for 4 times the price?
@@baksatibi after looking it up, I think it might be.
my dad had one as a young dumb but curious teen i stuck it in my mouth fiddling etc i pulled the trigger my mercury fillings i dont know but totally zapped myself ....dont do this lol...
@@705johnnyboy Man, I read your comment and my body recoiled in shock! 🤣
I remember back in the 80s my Nana sitting at the table every so often to clean all her jewlery with an ultrasonic machine that I was fascinated by. It definitely had some kind of detergent though, and ran for longer than 5 minutes. Hmm. Thanks for the video, Mat! I love watching your videos, even though I have no ability to put anything I learn into practice! 😄
@@timfagan816 they've been spamming that reply on every comment.
I looked into a jewelry cleaner, large enough for the task, and it was much lower priced, than the same thing, sold as an ultrasonic LP cleaner. Reason: hipsters don't buy jewelry cleaners. I am sure they will figure this out soon, if not already.
We can never know if the record you've cleaned was perfect when it was new. I've encountered several new records with crackles and noise, defect from pressing plant and whatever I've tried, I couldn't remove them. In my opinion the RCM does a pretty good job. I would test it with a cleaning solution, something like the one Degritter makes. Thanks for sharing your input on HumminGuru.
Mold releasing agents from the factory contribute to noisy playback. I'd say 80% of the time these can be removed and the record rendered 'quiet'. But sometimes, nothing works...even repeated cleanings. That's the 'joy' of vinyl.
Try playing it with WD-40. First round playback should be ignored, as the needle will catch all the remaining dust from the groove. Second round playback will sound about as pristine as the original press could possibly allow, assuming it's not scratched up of course. Seriously, if your goal is to get a nearly perfect digitized version of the original, who gives a shit if it's wet with WD-40, lubricate that shit!
Why would you even want to get rid of those crackles and pops? Those defects is what makes vinyl special. If you want perfect sound then just go digital lmao
I had a record from EMI that had a human hair pressed into it. So it that can be pressed into a record, so can dust!
Mind you, I contacted EMI and a new one arrived next day, beat that for service! You will not get service like that these days!
I wouldn't buy any new vinyl's, from what I have read regarding loudness normalization and the loudness wars, the CD masters are used for the vinyls and not the original Masters. Therefore the lack of dynamic range because of the loudness wars will affect the vinyls. Maybe someone out there can confirm this by comparing the original vinyl to the new one.
Thanks for an interesting video. When I worked for the BBC in the late '70's we used to use a Keith Monks record cleaner which washed the disc with a detergent fed brush and then vacuumed the grooves. To my surprise they're still available (at a price !) If you ever get the chance (and if you've not already done so) Id love to see your review of one. Best wishes and thanks again . . .
Can't stop looking at the color dots thing on the shelves...
Like something from StarTrek the original series.
Reminds me of a Big Clive video in my watch que….
It’s the old puppets trying to communicate with us.
Does anyone what purpose it serves?
@@smartyhall same here. Just put BigClive‘s video on my watchlist before I started this video.
I think the end result was pretty good for a record of that age, really. The crackles weren't intrusive and the sound was solid. You did a great job of showing us the unit in action and how responsible it was for the end result. I now know I need to get a static gun. Thanks for that tip.
Just don’t use your zerostat the way techmoan did. You are not supposed to pull the trigger so fast that it makes that clicking noise. There’s also a bit of technic to using it to get the best results. Everyone has their own method, but in my experience they work better than anything else.
I use an U/S cleaner for my records and it is unrealistic to expect click and pops to vanish completely because a lot are caused by groove damage and not dirt. Also new records are not always free from noise either. (I've been buying records for over 50 years so have plenty of experience of this). But what U/S cleaning does do is improve sound quality - giving a clearerr sound without the build-up of crud in the groove. I would never, ever, spray some liquid on to a record and rub it around with a cloth. That is just asking for trouble! IMO of course ;o)
When we used to clean delicate components in the lab using an ultrasonic bath, we always used to add a small amount of a lab grade detergent such as decon 90 to make the water actually wet the component and lift the dirt. Of course it required a subsequent rinse with plain water.
Now I know very little about the care of vinyl records, but if detergent is ok to use, would this not be worth a try and see if it makes any difference.
Great idea. I was thinking of trying different liquids like distilled vinegar or isopropyl alcohol. See if that made a difference.
@@sshep86 yeah that record cleaner hes using is basically just alcohol anyways
@@sshep86 I would try water and mild detergent first before using anything more aggressive.
What about a couple drops of Jet-Dry? Should be even milder, considering it's not a detergent, I believe it's a mild surfactant. If it can break the surface tension of water to help it rinse cleanly from your dishes, I think it'd be worth a shot with records.
@@pfarnsworth84 Not sure to be honest. If it is just a mild surfactant like washing up liquid then possibly.
I personally would try something really non aggressive like baby shampoo. I use this as a rinse aid for black and white film with no no problems.
For anyone that is interested in this sort of stuff, you can purchase a regular ultrasonic cleaner wide enough to accept 12" records for very little money (around 120$).
Then just take a rod that fits the record spindle hole and a couple of washers and put the records with washers between them on the rod.
That way you can clean 5-6 records at once... although you will have to turn them by hand, about 5min is usually enough.
For a cleaning solution: 50/50 isopropyl alcohol and distilled water and a drop or two of dish soap (this can be used for a bunch of records before replacing)
I could imagine a handheld drill on low power connected to the rod could do the trick
@@ShockingPikachuReading this makes me feel like an idiot for not coming up with that myself xD
You'd still have to stand there holding the drill, but it would probably be more convenient than turning by hand.
The recipe varies as much as there are users. It seems most think a 20/80 mix is preferred, meaning 20 % iso and 80 % water. Also swapping the dish soap for "real" wetting agents/surfactants such as Ilford Ilfotol. On a chemical level, you might have the exact same thing happening with dish soap. That, I don't know.
@@logicalparadox815 allow me to introduce you to a sturdy rod and strong tape to keep the trigger pressed. Though idk if that’d work all too good
@@ShockingPikachu Better still: a barbeque rotisserie motor.
On the "Man plays with 2 cassette decks for 27 minutes" video the comments are disabled. The first thing I noticed was the cassette door just flapping around. Maybe that spring and bit of plastic kept the door from flapping around. The color of the plastic is the same color as the plastic on the front of the tape deck.
I used to be be a Dj during the vinyl era, I still have thousands of records, lost count after 2,000 as well as 4 DD decks, 2 Technics, 1 Numark, 1 Pioneer. I've always used an air compressor to clean mine, some of which got played hundreds of times, likely far more than any 'normal' person would listen to anything other than their absolute favourites. I don't have one record that won't play and more importantly (given the price for high end ones) they never ruin my cartridges. I haven't bought a new cart in years.
Air compressor, about £70 for a low end one ***edit - Amazon have one for £35 in their basics range and there's a tiny portable one for £50 so even less than I thought*** Time to clean one record, 10 seconds? Ish.
You have the added value of being able to use the air compressor for running tools, pumping tyres etc. There's no need for these ridiculous over-priced gadgets that are fiddly to use and take up space.
It's comments like yours which make TH-cam's comments worthwhile. Thanks for the tip!
So you blow the dirt off/out of the disk with it?
@@joetotale6354 No, he shoots the air wildly in all directions, and the record cleans itself.
@@n0ved504 That was such an asshole reply but I am laughing my ass off anyway.
@@Estorium he sounded like that sarcastic priest from Father Ted.
Hi Matt,
My uncle bought a 1 liter open rectangular ultrasonic cleaning device (stainless steel). He is a crystal and mineral collector and some crystal formations come with dirt and clay in between. If you try to remove that dirt mechanically you screw up the tiny crystals. He was very disappointed with the machine, because he would fill it with water, set the sample inside and turn it on, and nothing happened. The surface tension of the water prevented a good sound wave propagation and a good energy transfer fom the water into the dirt. Suspecting that y let two or three drops of dish wash detergent fall into the device while it was on and you would see immediately a cloud of dirty water form around the dirty part of the sample. It started to clean immediately. The device was a success. I am not a vinyl record expert, but I imagine the cracks come from lint, dust, condensed and hardened nicotin and sublimed oils in the air (from the kitchen or fingers). The last two ones maybe hardened. I can imagine detergent will not harm the places that come in contact with water. I can imagine that a 5% or 10% Isopropyl alcohol with not harm those parts either especially if you finish with a clean water rinse. Isopropyl alcohol might help dissolve some crud or strongly attached dirt specs. Warm water might be an option too. Maybe something you could try. Very interesting video.
I was only ever so-so on the old puppet segments, but to be honest, I would have loved it if at the end of this video if one of the puppets was filmed acting alongside the record, the goofier the voice the better.
Honestly I'm more impressed by the results of using that anti static gun on the record. I expected that to be pure snake oil but seemed to actually make a significant difference.
I'm not sure the device does anything for records that look clean, but it does help to clean up cruddy looking records. I've been using it to clean a big batch of old 78s that I'd bought off the auction site a few months ago (note - they don't recommend using it with shellac). It does a good cleaning job, but I have concerns about the amount of distilled water it goes through (even though I've been re-using the water, for several records). The water level is a bit hit and miss - some records have recordings beyond the reach of the water level as proscribed The filter has gotten very dirty, but it just seems to be the stuff you use in fish tanks. Drying for 5 minutes sometimes leaves a drop or two of water, I just use a microfibre cloth to wipe it.
Oh, and if you think that this is noisy, then you would be astounded by the noise from vacuum type cleaners like my Kuzma. I think the machine is small/ light enough to keep close to your hifi so that you can use it to clean up visibly dirty records before playing. My main concern is how long these units will last.
Arlene Dahl has died at age 96. The actor's charm and striking red hair shone in such Technicolor movies of the 1950s as “Three Little Words” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” From todays news … nice tribute by featuring her on your video ….
The day after this upload - creepy 😯 RIP Arlene.
Any relation to Roald?
@@michael5089 Not that I know of, although the Dahl surname is Norwegian and both do have Norwegian ancestry in their families
I feel like this is a bit more of a chore saver than an archivists tool. If it’s easy to do “put record in, push button, walk away.” Then it might have you clean your records as frequently as you are supposed to, rather than when you get a tic about dust.
Great video! I have run loads of records through my HumminGuru. While my own review videos on the machine were fairly negative, I have found improvements. I, personally, found that “distilled water only” wasnt very effective and indeed created static through the process. I also found water temp to be fairly important to cleaning effectiveness of the HumminGuru. And, I find that it’s at least a 20-min process to get results.
All just my thoughts, and experiences, thanks for your review!
what temperature of water was best
@@varsityathlete9927 I don’t know “ideal temp,” but I have found “better cleaning” through use of water that is “at least slightly above room temp.” Say around 75f-80f. Keeping in mind the HG will rise ~2-3f for each 5-min ultrasonic cycle.
I have been told by people I trust, you never really want anything above 100F. I’m staying well below that… again tho, 1000 ways to clean a record and 1000000+ opinions on “best way” to do it.. Results May vary.
@@polypetalous over 100F sounds right to avoid. interesting. the water I use is in bottles its distilled, maybe I could give it a slight buzz in the microwave first see if that does anything for the cleaning. its summer for me right now so the room temp is high, but during winter its a lot lower.
@@varsityathlete9927 I’ve been either just putting the jug of distilled water in a sink of warm water to raise the temp of the jug or putting the jug over a floor register (starting to get cold in these parts).
@@varsityathlete9927 DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT PUT IT IN THE MICROWAVE.
DON'T.
I wonder if a tiny bit of detergent and/or surfactant would help the water to get deeper into the grooves and lift out any dirt that might be in there? Unless you tried that, of course, and it didn't make a difference. Or the manufacturer says not to do it because it will ruin the device.
Still -- the results are definitely audible, which is precisely what you're hoping for when you clean a record. Minimising, not necessarily eliminating, the faults of the medium. Thanks for showing us this, Mat.
The instructions state that only water should be used in the machine.
They say ( audiophiles ) that surfactant leave's a residue while others say it's not a issue but I agree you need some form of surfactant
@@Techmoan @Techmoan Have you tried warm (not hot) water? I used luke warm water before without any warping...
@@Techmoan They are not the boss of you :) I reckon a bath of ipa would be worth a shot
@@lukerazor1 naa use vodka
Hey techmoan, why are the comments disabled in the latest video?
Strange... the comments here are so positive and sedate... no idea what happened.
Well Matt, as for my experiences with utrasonic cleaners,(mostly for cleaning parts for electron scanning microscopes prior to assembly) is that 5 minutes is quite short and then only less than half of the record is suspended in to the water at any given time. The setup I use also generaly uses warm distilled water (none scalding) often with a bit of utrasonic cleaner detergent to help dissolve any grease and fat. Also some times I use denatured alcohol or isopropylalcohol as a medium. I know this is not in the recommendations of the machine but it should serve you well. Also i feel the machine turns the reccord too fast.. 2 full cycles per cleaning session would have been better. not something that you can control im affraid though.. too bad, with the above the results would have been much better. Thanks for showing it to us though!
Interesting you say this - I've read a few others say the same - that the cleaning process was too fast and that there wasn't any detergent of sorts. I'd like to know if these factors would make any difference. Having said that - how long should the cleaning cycle go for in your opinion?
@@fkthewhat Usually when I need things grease and fat free i will use isopropyl alcohol at 30 degrees C for about 10 minutes With warm water (up to 45 degrees C) with detergent it usually will be a bit longer up to about 15 minutes. These are just rules of thumb though because the energy put in by the ultrasounder is a factor here. but im asuming the one used here is just an average sounder like the ones used 1 litre or smaller volume baths commonly used for cleaning jewelry. also that time estimate is full submersion time so for that recor device it would tally up to 30 minutes is it were really dirty. As Matt said though any physical deformation or damage to the grooves will never be eliminated by this machine.
@@zvezdaster oh absolutely I am the first to accept that pops and crackles are just part of the experience, but I’m still curious to see what improvements if any could be made - even the anti static gun was quite impressive! As for surface noise on my records, I wouldn’t have it any other way really!
Totally agree, I use one for auto parts. I soak for at least 30 minutes with hot solvent.
I would think a wet groove, even at zenith, would resonate the "ultrasound, " and still be working until the re-dunk.
Why are the comments disabled on your newest video of the broken cassette deck? :(
I maybe would be interrested what Big clive has to say about it, maybe he could find the faul. But who knows, maybe it would not amount to anything.
I always just used brushes, and such, designed for cleaning vinyl records. This seems like a very interesting machine though.
I doubt you could ever get a perfect record, unless you were in a clean room that had absolutely no static or dust.
You'd be amazed at the results that I have seen.
@@rubiconnn I didn't know they had electricity under bridges
@@grisflyt I swear by a good quality cork mat to address static issues.
@@DaleFrewaldt Cork mat for the win.
I wondered if I put an air filter in the room would be worth it. Might be overkill. I just hand clean anyway.
I always used the zerostat before cleaning to make the vinyl release the dirt easier, also I remembered you were supposed to pull the lever slowly as to not cause the "click" sound, this would cause a steady stream of ions, this was listed in the instructions. You can see the results in the dark at the end of the needle.
I am actually quite impressed by this! I use a "Spin Clean" on all my records... (including brand new... you would be shocked how much dirt they hold from the factory! It collects in the bottom and is an eye opener)
This device seems to do about as well, but lots less messy and time consuming!
I will be watching for it to become commercially available.
The Zerostat is the one piece of equipment most people with phonographs are missing.
They work great on a day in Southern California when the San'tana Winds are blowing (high-static days).
You can see the gunk that's standing up on the record lie down after you fire the Zerostat. They are AWESOME.
Why are comments turned off on your lates video?
I just wanted to say that I have an old AKAI CS-34D still around. :)
I bought a spin clean years ago, there’s always been a noticeable change after using it and you’ll see the crud it’s cleaned off. That’s like €70 but copy cats are around €50. At that price they are hard to beat and the effort involved is just a little bit more. Also, I never play a newly purchased secondhand record until it’s been cleaned.
I’m really impressed with the zerostat gun though, I always doubted its effectiveness but it appears to work a treat.
Yep, my zerostat is the only device I’ve found that can always remove static electricity. However Techmoan was not using it correctly. First you aren’t supposed to use it with the record on the turntable. You can either place it on the outer sleeve (or some other non-conducting surface) or I just hold it in the air with one hand while using the gun with the other then put the record on the platter. The other thing is that you are supposed to pull the trigger very slowly. If you hear the clicking noise like when Techmoan was pulling the trigger it means you are going to fast. When it seems like it’s doing nothing it’s working.
I don't think he was trying to show how to use the zerostat and i believe he has used it off screen per the instructions.@@trippmoore
Thanks so much for this episode! I have contemplated buying one, I believe I will take the plunge after hearing these results.
FYI... for better results, use the Zerostat BEFORE you put it in the machine. I have used them for 30 years. They do a great job of releasing particles being held to the vinyl by static. I have worn one out, and have another in reserve for when my current one dies. Keep up the great videos!
At the paint shop, we have anti-static devices that work on high voltage. It's purpose to discharge the material so there's nothing hold the dirt on it. Plastics are really bad about static. It worked, but it took a long time to get rid of the static.
I might get one. my mother gave me a lot of records. i think i'll get it in conjunction with a player in the near future. thank you for the great video, Matt. love them all.
Interesting device. I've got a few second hand records that I'm certain were spilled on at parties, or just lived in a smoke filled home, that would benefit from a couple (or more) runs through.
As a side note, I was kinda hoping the puppets would make a cameo at the end, doing their acting read through from the record! That would be fun to watch!
"Man spends 27:41 messing with two old compact Combat Cassette decks" posted Dec. 4th, has the comments disabled. Why is that?
It's a mistake, I'd say. That said, TH-cam has become a whole series of mistakes as of late, so it's par for the course, really.
@@BlokeOzzie i'd dislike this comment but no one will see it 😅
Usually he'd put a reason in the description, but there is none. Only thing I can imagine is a flood of comments saying "it's 27:42 not 27:41!!!!1!" Don't know why Techmoan's comments are always filled with people trying to correct him, that's got to get tiring and I know he discusses that a lot but still
Interesting video, I had wondered about these but the only review I'd trust is yours.
I was thinking about the surface of records and wondering if the surface itself decays with age. That would mean there would be dirt/dust, scratches, static and decay to deal with and it looks like you might have dealt with nearly all of the dirt/dust and static, but of course you can't do anything about scratches and decay.
Maybe this ultrasonic cleaner is doing the best that can be done with 50 year old records.
I had a particularly bad one I had bought that was better after I washed it in the kitchen sink....
Yes that’s the point I was probably failing to make at the end - about expectation vs reality. It starts at 18:01
@@Techmoan You made that point very well I felt and that's what prompted me to think about it a little more.
I know shellac can break down and develop micro fractures over time that cause cracking on the audio. I'm really not sure how vinyl fares though. I may be wrong but I always assumed a new-old-stock unplayed carefully stored vinyl record from say 1960 should sound perfect now if it's played for the first time.
@@Techmoan Would the crackles be visible on a simple cheap microscope? That would have been nice to see if they were caused by degradation or gunk stick in the grooves, wouldn´t it?
I have an original record (vinyl) by the Chordettes from 1957. It wasn't mint, but it sounds like I bought it brand-new from the record shop yesterday.
why comments r blocked under the newest video "man spends..."?
When cleaning records (Eg. Spin Clean), you HAVE to use Distilled water, using tap water can leave minerals on the record when cleaning, which means the record won't be as clean and in theory can damage your stylus. He's using a linear tracking turntable, most accurate way to listen to a record (stylus/needle is dead center to the groove). Could the playable warp on the record have something to do with how the record cleans? Argh, babbling too much... Techmoan rocks!
Using distilled water makes perfect sense anyway. Most tap water contains minerals that will be left behind when the record is dried.
screw that.. we have a Brita filter and my record told me it feels just as clean as if I used that bougee water :)
@@onefatstratcat My records don't care either I also use the Brita filter and after ibathe them with the tap water I rinse them with the filtered water the I dry them with a paper towel and finish with a terry cloth they telle they like the Terry cloth very much because it is soo soft ;-)
If you have a tumble dryer with an output water tank, the water that comes out of that is distilled (as it's been evaporated and condensed).
@@SDsailor7 Paper towels are no good as they contain wood fibers that can damage the vinyl. Big no-no.
My favourite record-cleaning equipment -- not that I was ever an expert -- was a carbon-fibre brush. It felt just as soft if not softer than the usual cloths, and unlike a cloth it didn't trap the dust against the record. Er, I mean cloths with a bit of a pile; something to get into the grooves, although it probably wasn't enough. The carbon-fibre brush also got rid of static build-up; the hairs were conductive because they were carbon and I think they were electrically connected together in the handle.
What's going on with the new video? The comments are turned off.
Finally! An honest assessment of record cleaning. Most of these record cleaning videos seem to skirt around comparing the results in any meaningful way. I agree that record cleaning is not going to get rid of a lot of the noise. What it will do is increase the fidelity of a record. I have noticed that some records will "come alive" after being ultrasonically cleaned. And it can also increase the volume of the record. Which lowers the noise floor of the record. Meaning the noise sounds quieter because the music is louder, not because the noise has been removed. I believe that records get a film of something, dirt or grime or fungus, who knows what, that decreases fidelity and volume. When you remove that film buy cleaning, you no longer have anything in-between the needle and the groove dulling the sound.
Amazing. I really believe that even after cleaning, the more plays it gets, the better it can sound. The stylus must be pulling out really embedded in the grooves
This is difficult to account for, but you're absolutely right. I've even had minor scratches "come good" after repeat plays.
Most reliable tech guy on TH-cam hands down.
Great video Techmoan as always!
One essential bit of kit for anyone who wants to clean a few - or a lot - of records is a spare turntable with a heavy tone arm to play them on as a final step after you've cleaned them on a machine or by hand. There will almost certainly be some residue left in the groove and, as you found out while making this video, the stylus is the best way to shift it. It's designed to reach the bottom of the groove to play the record, so what could be better? Any old turntable would do, as long as it actually turns it doesn't matter if any sound comes out or not, you're only using it to clean the record.
This is what works for me
It sounds like your record has been damaged by playing with a heavy ceramic stylus. I'm confident the the ultrasonic cleaner is very effective, just based on how well they clean spectacles. But I really wonder if it is any better that holding it under a cold water tap while you wipe with a microfibre cloth and a squirt of detergent.
Very impressed by the final result. Some records just need repeated cleaning, and that antistatic gun did something too.
I believe any record you clean will build up static and pull particles out of the air. Making pops and noise again. That would explain why the anti static gun had such an effect. Places where records are manufactured have clean rooms with no dust.
If your air is on the humid side, it will take longer to air dry but you'll have less static afterward. Dry air is the real culprit.
Very true. It baffles me when I see people on TH-cam or FB showing them playing their vinyl with the lid open or no lid at all, pulling in all the particles from the air as it spins round ruining the listening pleasure lol.
Clean rooms are only used for the place where laquer blanks are made. The mastering, electroplating and pressing rooms are clean but not a 100 percent dust free clean room.
I was on a tour at Record Industries in Haarlem about a decade ago, and although everything was very clean for an industrial plant, it's not a clean room and our tour group did not have to wear coveralls, hair nets and things like that.
It was mandatory, however, to leave all cellphones and other transmitters in a basket outside the mastering room.
@@markymarcus5752 The reason for leaving the lid open, is that with the lid closed you get more transmission of air/sound vibrations to the stylus, which can make the sound very nasal or boomy.
I once had a situation in which i could only place the speakers on the same shelf as the record player sat on. I could actually get it to oscillate with the lid closed (like microphone feedback) but did not have issues with the lid open. Try it out. Stop your record, but leave the stylus on the record, and crank open the volume. Now stomp your feet on the floor. Try it with the lid open and closed; depending on your whole setup, you can have a big difference or even induce a feedback oscillation.
You can play your records just fine with the lid open, if you clean them once in a while with a disco antistat or other antistatic cleaning machine. I tend to clean my most played records once a year or so, and during that time they won't pick up any static charge. Brand new records are often very easy to get charged, so i also clean those.
There're plenty of videos on TH-cam featuring how records are made. You should probably watch them before claiming records plants have clean rooms with no dust.
Why are the comments turned off on your latest video? You never have them switched off?;
Why are comments disabled on the new cassette deck video?
ikr
TH-cam needs to get rid of that minor face detection thing. It’s dividing creators
@@DivanCello the what?
I bought an anti static gun back in the 80s, it's still working.
The best record cleaner I ever found was the original Discwasher from the 1970's. It always did a fantastic job and took 10-15 seconds, not 15 minutes.
@@pyeltd.5457 Why are you telling everyone this
why are the comments on the latest video turned off ?
I can't be the only one who would actually want a version of this video with Matt reading the parts of Rick 😁
with the muppets at the end acting out the lines :)
"We'll always have flippin' Paris."
I think your conclusion at the end of this video is spot on. This cleaner does exactly was it says on the tin, it cleans records. It does not however completely eradicate crackles and pops, which I think are just part of the inherent nature of vinyl. This device serves to clean crud out of the grooves of the vinyl, which in turn protects the stylus and the turntable from damage caused by the accumulation of dirt during playback. I suppose if you're a regular spinner of vinyl this would be worth getting, but probably less so for the occasional user.
Hi, thanks for the review. It’s an interesting device. I noticed that the acting record is a mono recording. If your preamp or receiver has a mono button, this can decrease a lot of surface noise when playing a mono record on a stereo record stylus. Worth a try.
Better still, get a mono cartridge. My life changed in the first twenty minutes of hearing mine. I had no idea the record was even finishing; there was no inner groove distortion whatsoever, even on a record of ten tracks per side.
So, yes, this and the decreased surface noise is an amazing combination.
I think using this along with other devices is ideal. I've had success with an assembly line of devices to maximize efficacy. I've used the following: 1) the Knox Gear Spinner device with distilled water and provided fluid, 3 revolutions both sides, let air dry. 2) Then transfer to a vacuum cleaner device, 3 revolutions both sides, you can also squirt and spread some cleaning fluid on top prior. Then 3rdly), spin cycle using ultrasonic cleaner with distilled water after which, allow to air dry.
What I have always used to clean my records is to play them wet. I make a solution with water and Ilford Ilfotol (Wetting Agent), and spray it on the record while it is actually spinning. The needle will take out a lot of the gunk, but is easily cleaned off. If your needle is pressure, have a second one or... But it actually sounds immediately better!
Yes, this kind of technique does work.
I just use "Inox" penetrating lubricant. It's compatible with the vinyl and it gets right in there.
@@godfreypoon5148 that is true, but old Wetting Agent to develop film makes your records antistatic and resistive against dust
@@ArnoDePachter It sounds like the proper gear, I'll give it a go.
Does this mixture need exact proportions?
@@orbispictus6127 yes! is mentioned on the bottle of the wetting agent.
Once a month I clean my records. The cheapest, most effective way I have found is to use glass cleaner, a toothbrush and a micro fiber towel. You place the dirty record on the record player, barely move the tone arm so the record can spin, hold rag near label and spray window cleaner on playing surface. Now you can use the toothbrush while the record is spinning. After the window cleaner is spread across the whole record, stop using toothbrush. Dry off with micro fiber towel while record is still spinning. Flip and repeat. Works great!!
Thank you for this review - it was helpful, although a comparison between machines - like Snazzy Labs did - would have been more illuminating. One point about your Zerostat - if it 'pings' as it audibly did in your video, it's arcing inside and shorting-out all its ion-generating voltage; the trigger should be pulled slowly enough to prevent such arcing, and a powerful flow of static-killing ions will pour off the needle tip towards your record - I hope this helps!
I'm a little surprised by the apathetic conclusion after the testing. I was really impressed by how much the repeated cleanings and the anti-stat treatment improved the sound and reduced the noise on the record!
I bought an ultrasonic record cleaning machine for 180€ (Vevor) and it's the best thing ever. I wish I had bought it earlier. I had ended up damaging some records with the spinclean machine (the brushes were too tight or not clean enough and there's abrasion as a result on some of my records). If you're serious about collecting vinyls, get an ultrasonic machine. You don't need a 'humminguru' or a 'degritter' which cost a fortune. They're all based on the same technology and there are much cheaper and yet still very efficient options out there.
I have a Vevor too. It's brilliant, only £129
Did you get the one with a digital timer? or the regular one?
@@Toki1908 regular one. Just make sure you don't turn on the heater. I've damaged a few LPs because of the heat
What has worked for me better than anything is the white glue method. Also, I have a static brush on my turn table, which really helps too. Thanks for another helpful video, Techmoan! Very detailed as always.
The acting game seemed kinda fun. Sorta like karaoke. Is there anything like this today? Could be done really interestingly with modern tech, such as the other actor waiting exactly for when you finish your line. Also, imagine it as a VR game.
Monty Python did a skit on them concerning a soldier returning from WWI with his old man shot off lol.
I've been thinking about buying a Zerostat and this demonstrated that it actually does work, despite some mixed opinions out there. Very cool. One other thing I thought was worth mentioning - you may have actually restored that record to nearly "factory fresh" condition after all. There's a lot of variance in the _purity_ of materials used in record pressing (most notably the vinyl itself). It is very likely, especially with this being a "dialogue" record, and not exactly expected to be for hi-fi use, that the vinyl stock is of low quality and contains higher levels of impurities. These impurities would present themselves as crackles and pops, just as dust would, except they are inherently part of the record itself and could never be removed.
Thank you for the back-to-back testing results. This seems like a very nice cleaner for the price/convenience!
I agree with your assessment, Mat. Also, I imagine some records were not pressed perfectly.
I've been cleaning my records with soap, cold water and a soft brush for decades and it works miracles. It takes less than a couple of minutes per record
if you use boiling water, you can create some curiously shapes objects ;-)
What a fascinating device! Makes you really appreciate CDs though :)
Nice to see this quick run-through and review, had mine for a few days but only just got some distilled water yesterday so first go will probably be today. The company's Comms have been excellent throughout which has been nice and as a unit it seems very solid. But it's like you say I think it's about having the right expectations. It's not gonna be for everyone.
Great stuff. I can't believe how well that anti-static gun worked, that blew my mind. I feel like I should be paying you for the information and knowledge I've gathered over the last 2-3 years watching me some Techmoan. EDIT: I will get on the teespring right quick.
They can make a huge difference. Once a record is truly cleaned, static is one of its worst enemies, especially in winter.
Ya, I was on the fence when I bought one, but it realy works. It can take some time to do it right though. I use it before and after I use a dust brush.
Sound Engineer here. Before and after first cleaning it was night and day. After 2 more cleaning there was no much differences. But that anti-static gun is a winner here.Now I want US bath and that gun!
just wanted to say i enjoyed your video of man messing around with a tape cassette player.
I have been using a DIY Ultrasonic record cleaner for years, and they truly are the best at cleaning! However, there are some caveats. First and foremost, some records are just beyond cleaning. Some older records are just played out, or have been played with a bad/heavy stylus and will sound gunky no matter how much you clean. Second, the cleaning solution matters (a lot)! After years of testing (and trying out different recipes from the internet), I've standardized on this solution. 99% RODI water (Reverse Osmosis & DeIonized), 1% 91% or better Isopropyl alcohol, and 10 drops (for a 1.5 gallon mix) of surfactant (I use Triton-X, but Tergitol is also recommended). The alcohol percentage is low enough to be safe on vinyl, and helps with drying. The surfactant is super important, as otherwise the water doesn't get deep into the grooves. If you are doing it right, the cleaned record is virtually static free (and will remain so for 5 or so plays over time). I also recommend cleaning ALL new records. It's amazing how dirty some new vinyl can be, and cleaning this crud out will help with the longevity of the stylus.
I like the price point of this unit, though I wish it did more than one record at a time. I also like the drying feature (which is a manual process with my current setup).
Regarding crackles and pops, I have found that the cart/stylus can make a big difference in how noticeable they are.
Would love to know the reason for why comments are disabled in the video after this one. Didn’t think you had a toxic sub base.
Perhaps to dissuade beggers asking for him to send them a cassette deck 🤔
@@F40PH-2CAT we want free speech
@@eded9202 nobody wants to take away your freeze peach, champ 😎
I was able to notice a big difference just from the first cleaning. I am very impressed, even for a recording on TH-cam!
Why are comments off on the newest video?
because he can
@@eded9202 no youtube probably detected his face as a minor accidentally. You’re the reason why creators are always punished for no reason cause no one complains about that stuff enough for yt to do anything.
Hahaha the fact that you showed the script at the same time in case someone wanted to act is a very funny and nice touch!
I love your videos haha I’m so glad to be subscribed for years :)
Years ago, my cousin and I did some very unsicientific tests on new records. We recorded a brand new record onto a descent cassette recorder. It was very quiet. Then the second play was also recorded. Very noisy. The cassette deck had some pretty good dolby noise reduction. Our thoughts were that the stylus was damaging the record. Even though a nice turntable at the time. This was way befor DAT.
I did find some information in the archival record museum in usa, they clean or bath their dirty vinyl records with distilled water, a little ammonia and pure detergent mixed through it and using a microfibre pad, wet it with the mixture and rub or wipe gently along the grooves a few times and rinse well with clean water at the end. let dry. So Ive tried that at home and works really well because it cleans thoroughly into the grooves. it doesn't damage the vinyl records. I don't need to use this ultrasonic cleaner.
That brings back memories of the '80s - the last time I used vinyl. Once I got my first CD player in 1984 or so I never looked back. There was that one time where I drove to 'the tip' and threw in my boxes of vinyl and never looked back. I'd love to get excited by vinyl, it'd be something to 'get into', but I can't get motivated to bring back the crackles.
I did the same thing....then I found out some of the releases I wanted for my collection weren't made on CD, very few but still...they were only released on vinyl.
You ever look back?
@@goboslament5535 I started collecting vinyl again last year after 30 years.
One reason I'm personally not interested in switching back to vinyl (or even CD for that matter) is the filler tracks you typically find on any random album I own. Back when I bought physical media I'd rip them to MiniDisc then later to MP3 and I'd ditch the weak songs. On some bad album purchases I might find only two tracks I'd personally rate a 3/5 or higher. Going back to vinyl means going back to listening to songs I don't like. Plus the crackles. For those who don't think like me, I'm sure they're having a good time.
I feel the same about VHS and vinyl , once I went to discs wiether it was CD's or DVD's there was just no going back.
I’ve experimented with methods of record cleaning for 40 years and have settled on a combination of cleaning methods that give me a near silent background. I’ve got 100% 4500 feedback on eBay. Ultrasonic cleaning alone won’t remove the really stubborn grit lodged in grooves. You don’t need to spend a lot to get near perfect results and only use a mix of isopropyl, deionised water and a few drops of Kodak developer fluid. It removes grease, grit and grime.
These things work great for loads of cleaning needs. I've used them on jewelry, carbs, small fuel tanks exc. It does the job well, especially if you add a little dish soap or solvent depending on what your cleaning. I have noticed it's all about the time, sometimes you need to give it a few cycles or hrs if you can set the time.
From my experience...
I have a VPI 16.5 (now called HW-16.5 RCM) that's been in use since 1997 (when it was half the current price!) I used to salvage my grandfather's record collection after 2 major house floods. Many of the records were unplayable, as you could physically see the dirt embedded in the records. Considering that, the fact that some of the records were made in the 40s/50s, and my grandfather played them a LOT, the degree of restoration possible with the VPI unit plus a modern (sharper) stylus, makes them eminently listenable again. They'll never be perfect, and they do tick and pop and scratch to varying degrees, but the music is still there, and some of the performances are no longer available.
Star of the show was the zerostat pistol. What is this magic. I've been struggling with static in my dry winter home.
The ZeroStat is a miracle worker if you’re in a static-prone environment
Anti static guns are one of those things everyone just assumes is a bit of a scam, but they are really an essential bit of kit for record owners. You can actually make one quite easily from a gasless "piezo" lighter and a needle.
I actually thought, after re-listening to the "Before" and the final "After", there was an amazing difference. I was quite impressed.
One other thought: I've had microfiber cloths (I believe that was the type of cloth you used on the non-ultrasonic "initial cleaning") leave lint / fibers behind in the grooves that ended up in my stylus (literally looked like a dust ball after attempting a play) and it created the EXACT SAME distortion you had in this video. I'm wondering if that "initial clean" caused the dust problem with your stylus. After all, you didn't have that problem the very first "totally dirty" play of the record right?
Did you trying doing the spray bottle and cloth cleaning once again after the record was "cleaned" by the ultrasonic? I wonder what would happen?
Excellent video! Thanks for all of your videos TechMOAN! I miss the puppet endings especially the opinionated internet troll-like guy that argues with the older bloke.
Yes, that is a good point. We started using micro-fiber cloths to clean car windows at a car wash but had to stop using them as the micro filaments were detaching from the cloths and were visible and stuck all over the glass!
@@nicholaslittle2312 for me this happened to a record I had literally just “DEEP CLEANED”. My definition of deep cleaning was:
1. I did the Titebond II wood glue peel for the initial remove all of the deep rooted dirt clean.
2. A wet cleaning using the Gem Dandy cleaner and pressure wash (distilled water).
3. A 30 minute air dry followed by the microfiber cloth to fully dry.
After playing what I considered a deep cleaned record I got that horrible “crunch distortion” that TechMOAN got and was like “what the heck?”
After lifting the stylus out of the groove I had a giant dustball covering it. I used a stylus brush to remove it and after playing again I got the exact same thing.
In fact until I did another wood glue peel (to remove the fibers) I kept getting a clogged stylus.
That said once I did the second wood glue peel and a few zaps with the Milty Antistat to get rid of all of the static charge created by the wood glue peel I had a really clean pretty much silent record. At which I did the unthinkable: I digitized it to a 96khz/24-bit file. Lol.
You just unlocked so many memories with that anti-static gun!