Copying LPs to CDs

CD-R is meant to be a temporary media. We've seen many discs easily damaged. Even DAT tape is better. The best of course is to just play the vinyl on a turntable. As far as cleaning records goes, using a special cleaner can help prevent damage to your records. The dirt can be abbrasive, and the process of moving a cloth over the record can cause the dirt to scratch the surface. See my post on surface noise. Using commercial vinyl cleaners and protectants is not wise either. They usually have substances to give vinyl a shiny finish that reduces resolution on the grooves and can gum up ypur stylus.

That's what I've found with Last preservative, but not with Gruv Glide. The goal is to reduce friction and heat on the stylus, and the vinyl it scrapes.

If you have a good phono pre-amp, and a good computer sound card and software, the sound qualit cad surpass any cd you could buy. The first LP,s I copied to CD, I used a computer with a Yamaha pro sound card ($1200.00) using a program called Sound fordge to convert into wave files, and for editing out crackles and pops. Then I used adaptic easy creator to copy to CD. Now i have set my own computer to copy lp,s Hot wanting to spend $1200.00 on a sound card, I did some reaserch for about 3 months, and this is what I came up with. The sound card I used is by Echo. called DARLA. $300.00. see echo.com for info. I use Cooledit to record to wave files. (I tried sound fordge, but didn,t sound so great with this card.) Then I use Adaptis EASY CD Creator to burnCD. Good luck

For the gentlemen who stated that playing the records wet was the thing to do is dead wrong. Lenco was the European company that came out with a wet record playing system in the late 70's they had an arm with a small microfiber head that applied an alcohol and water solution onto the playing surface that followed the record along with the tonearm. You can find them on ebay occasionally. However in the early eighties it came to light via microscopic investigation that playing a record wet caused increased wear of the vinyl and actually the stylus actually acted as a cutter. Also the liquid would be drawn up the canteliver and into the cartridge motor assembly thereby reducing its life expectancy. That is why many audiophiles had steered away from the Stylast product. I hope this helps.

Stylast treats the stylus, not the record, and it has lubricating oils that reduce friction, at least somewhat.