Vinyl help required...

Its then likely to be in the individual pressing (pretty unlikely I think), on the pressing master (more likely) or on the master tape (happens a lot unfortunately)

I hope this is of help

I'm sure that as you have already bought the album and will delete the MP3 file, then there should be no real problems with trying it out this way.

I reckon it sounds like the pressing though.

Andrew

Andrew Randle
2B || !2B;
4 ^ = ?;

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Does the sound occur on a particularly loud part of the LP or a moderately loud bit on a inner part of the LP? If not we can safely discount the turntable, the fact that all the other records are OK also points to your turnatble being OK.

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It's a 180gm pressing, if that has anything to do with it, but the passage itself is on the first track of side one and again briefly on the second track. Both 'incidents' are neither quiet nor particularly loud, and the deck has just been setup meticulously by a dealer I trust - my feedback re: how happy I am with the Aro is testament to the fact that it is obviously working okay...

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Its then likely to be in the individual pressing (pretty unlikely I think), on the pressing master (more likely) or on the master tape (happens a lot unfortunately)

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Could it be a patch of bad vinyl plastic? Or, alternatively, some detritus that even a whirl on the VPI can't remove? When you mention master tape, do you mean the 'master' master tape, or one used in the production of the 180g vinyl pressing? Maybe it is the pressing master - does anyone else have this LP and can they perhaps check the first track for me?

Cheers,

John

without wishing to bring on another attack of paranoia, is it possible that there is some particular frequency which is on those specific parts of the record?

Do you have a test record with a frequency sweep? (None of my test discs do, BTW).

best of luck, Martin

Re:

have 2 records that mistrack or sound distorted in places. Jewel's Pieces of You (Adrian) and the opening track in Joni Mitchell's
180g Blue re-release. At first I thought it was my Ittok's limited tracking abilities. But my dealer had exactly the same problem
with Jewel on his LP12/ARO. So I suspect a poor master stamper. I'm less certain about Joni Mitchell as my ARO made it less
distorted, but distorted it still is. Does anyone else have this problem with JM's Blue (180g)?

This is a tough record to play most of the way through! I have ARO/DV XV-1 and it plays perfectly ONLY AFTER scrupulous setting up of the arm's horizontal azimuth. When I had the DV TeKaitora, the problem was always there, albeit nearly unnoticeable. The DV 17-D2 before that always had more obvious "issues" with Joni.

The thing is, it's really worth spending time to set things up so this record plays well, - it's just so good.

Best Regards,
Mark Dunn

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Does anyone else have this problem with JM's Blue (180g)?

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Yes, James. Apparently this album is notorious for the problem you describe. Consensus is that the master was slightly over-cut, or something. We have (I think) the Simply Vinyl version, and play it quite a lot.

Classic example of very bad manufacturing of very great music.

John, your symptom sounds familiar. I don't have that album, but I recognise your description from other music, mostly recently released, on vinyl. I would describe it as sounding a bit like the dominant instrument is being played through a kazoo for about 0.25 to 1 second, and is not related to either pitch or relative loudness. It could even be mistaken for a loose connection either in your system or in the studio, were it not for the fact that it occurs at the same point in the same tracks consistently. I would suspect the pressing, either individually or from a fault in the stamper. Bummer.

BTW, the best method I have found for looking at record grooves close up is to use a "printer's glass". This is a small (1"?), powerful magnifying glass set in a black metal frame which unfolds in such a way as to enable it to be supported by its frame on the object one is trying to magnify. This puts the lens at a fixed distance from the record surface, and brings it into sharp focus. Obviously you need to cut a hole in an old Nagaoka to rest it on so as not to damage the record. It is quite capable of revealing individual specks of grime in the grooves of one's fingerprints (should one feel so inclined), and should be available from reprographics suppliers. I bought one in 1990 for about £25.

Best;

Mark

(an imperfect
forum environment is
better than none)

Interesting about the Joni Mitchell - I didn't mention it by name, but it's the other album which mistracks (I mentioned this in the original post, I think) although I only get a problem on the last track of either side - my Aro is, I believe, setup meticulously and I had put it down to a dodgy pressing myself - although, my Akito didn't get nearly as far into the record before distortion set in.

I've an 8x photographic loupe which I might use to examine the grooves around where I reckon the problem lies - maybe I'll spot something, who knows. Interesting that other people have had trouble with the Joni, though. FWIW, what is the point of a 180g pressing if it can't be played without distortion. Bloody con, that's what I say.

On another note, I was very impressed with the new Johnny Cash album. Does this mean that I'm getting old? Great recording and insightful lyrics. Man, and I used to criticise my father for owning such stuff...

John