Noise between Tracks on Vinyl

[OliverBen5672]

Hi, I've just set up my first system and have started to play my first bit of vinyl, however between tracks (and especially at the start before track 1 comes on) I'm getting quite a bit of fuzzy/crackling noise. Is this normal or have I set up the turntable (Rega Planar 3) wrong?

 

[OliverBen5672]

The more I read into this and closely listen to the tracks I'm noticing some background noise, it seems like the most common cause for this is dirt? The record is new so I don't know why it would be but is that likely the case? If so can someone recommend a good cheap cleaning kit? Or is it more likely that I've set up the counterweight or tracking force wrong?

 

[bigfish786]

what cartridge/stylus are you using?

 

[Gray]

Hi, I've just set up my first system and have started to play my first bit of vinyl

😆 Welcome to the world of vinyl Oliver. Never going to be quite as silent as digital - even if you do everything right (and no matter how much money gets thrown at it).

 

[OliverBen5672]

what cartridge/stylus are you using?

Its the standard one the comes with the RP3, Cartridge is Elys 2

😆 Welcome to the world of vinyl Oliver. Never going to be quite as silent as digital - even if you do everything right.

Yeah I know but I am always assume the worst and think I've done something wrong with the system.

Is it likely just dirt or something else? Either way I could use some recommendations on inexpensive good cleaning kits.

 

[bigfish786]

one thing you can try is a different mat on the platter, i used to get quite a lot of static pops and clicks using a felt mat. i got an acrylic one and that is much better.
try a record on the tt without the mat, see if its noticeably different.
did you set the turntable up yourself, or was it done for you?

 

[Gray]

Its the standard one the comes with the RP3, Cartridge is Elys 2


Yeah I know but I am always assume the worst and think I've done something wrong with the system.

Is it likely just dirt or something else? Either way I could use some recommendations on inexpensive good cleaning kits.

Yes, you can certainly improve your vinyl with a correct cleaning process.
I've never used more than a carbon fibre brush to clean my vinyl, so I will leave the advice to those who do thorough cleaning.
Wait a while and they will be along to advise.

 

[OliverBen5672]

The turntable was already set up as it was bought second hand, I did look over it and it all seemed to be set up as it should according to the manual.
The mat is an interesting idea, its felt so probably would produce some static. The platter underneath is acrylic so do you mean just to run it on that, or do I need to find a separate acrylic mat to add in?

 

[lee711]

Remove the felt mat, vinyl straight onto an acrylic platter is is absolutely fine and the advised way as the two mediums are made of the same material, next i would give the record a clean, I use a mix ox 800/200/5 ml mix of distilled water/isopropyl alcohol/ifotol water wetter. I use this both in my record cleaner and to spray onto a velvet pad for quick pre - play wipe down, the quick wipe down my be enough for you but if the vinyl is grubby from finger grease and air dust it may need a deeper clean as this is what the stylus is picking up and converting into crackles and pops, you will always get some inherent noise between tracks due to the format but thats part of the appeal. Do not use tap water and soap ever.. Always start off with the easy stuff first to eliminate simple problems before moving onto more complicated setup issues.

 

[OliverBen5672]

Ok, I plan on ordering some basic cleaning stuff tonight then, an antistatic brush and microfibre cloth. Hopefully this will be enough to reduce the noise and then at least I know that the only problem is dirt and not in my setup.
Then, later down the line when my bank accounts recovered from this setup, I'll buy a more deep clean approach, I'm hoping that as this record is new, it won't need a true deep clean just yet.

 

[lee711]

even brand new vinyl can have noise, static can attract hair, fluff and dust and the then the stylus will pick this up. That's why I always give a pre play wipe and store them in anti-static sleeve liners, i'm just playing a brand new copy of INXS live in wembley and when i pulled the first side out the sleeve it crackled with static and could visibly see the dust and fine fluff stuff on the record so wiped it down before playing and all sounds good. Personally I would avoid microfibre cloths as they can deposit more fluff than they remove, try velvet cleaning pads. velvet pads

 

[Gray]

Ok, I plan on ordering some basic cleaning stuff tonight then, an antistatic brush and microfibre cloth. Hopefully this will be enough to reduce the noise and then at least I know that the only problem is dirt and not in my setup.
Then, later down the line when my bank accounts recovered from this setup, I'll buy a more deep clean approach, I'm hoping that as this record is new, it won't need a true deep clean just yet.

I wouldn't worry about your setup being the cause of the noise you've described.
Anyone old enough to have been into vinyl the first time round will tell you that the lack of clicks, pops, rumble, scraping sounds, hissy surface noise etc. is what they loved most about the invention of the CD.
The best vinyl can sound great, play a well-recorded 45 r.p.m. 12" disco single and you might be surprised just how great.
But I'm not surprised your problem was noticeable between tracks.
I've digitised some vinyl. Part of the process meant zooming in on the waveform to remove pops and clicks. When you see the noise between tracks it's actually quite shocking.

A few Rega owners have commented on hum / buzz problems, but you've got no problem with that by the sound of it.
(Hopefully you've at least got perfect silence when the stylus is off the record).

 

[OliverBen5672]

Yep its silent when the turntables not playing so that's a good sign.
I'm trying to upload a photo of my stylus just to check but it won't let me, I get a message saying the uploaded file doesn't have an allowed extension, what? I don't know why this is I can upload photos on other sites.
Looking at this for my cleaning brush https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product...c_title_dp_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ASQBQ277BS9XZ - I am definitely over thinking this now as I'm sure they all do the same thing but is that an alright one? Has a velvet and a carbon fibre side so figured its two in one.

 

[Gray]

Yep its silent when the turntables not playing so that's a good sign.
I'm trying to upload a photo of my stylus just to check but it won't let me, I get a message saying the uploaded file doesn't have an allowed extension, what? I don't know why this is I can upload photos on other sites.
Looking at this for my cleaning brush https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product...c_title_dp_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ASQBQ277BS9XZ - I am definitely over thinking this now as I'm sure they all do the same thing but is that an alright one? Has a velvet and a carbon fibre side so figured its two in one.

Apart from the name, mine's Hunt EDA (and 30+ years) that brush is identical to mine.
The bristles are (supposed to be) fine enough to reach lower in the groove than normal width bristles.
A sweep does seem to bring out some fine dust.

 

[OliverBen5672]

The Hunt EDA name has been mentioned a fair bit but cant see any new ones for sale, and are at a higher price. In that case I'm going to order this one, it should arrive by Sunday and then I'll see if it helps, if not I'll be right back https://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum/up...mb.jpeg.e63af6fefd25df29b963f44d3c0d3921.jpeg

https://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum/uploads/monthly_2021_03/1961628747_image4(1).thumb.jpeg.e63af6fefd25df29b963f44d3c0d3921.jpeg

I've linked the images, it seems to allow that. You can see the hair that's on the record I was talking about very clearly here. Stylus alright? I know the photos are bad quality but best I can do I'm afraid.

 

[Gray]

The Hunt EDA name has been mentioned a fair bit but cant see any new ones for sale, and are at a higher price. In that case I'm going to order this one, it should arrive by Sunday and then I'll see if it helps, if not I'll be right back https://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum/up...mb.jpeg.e63af6fefd25df29b963f44d3c0d3921.jpeg

https://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum/uploads/monthly_2021_03/1961628747_image4(1).thumb.jpeg.e63af6fefd25df29b963f44d3c0d3921.jpeg

I've linked the images, it seems to allow that. You can see the hair that's on the record I was talking about very clearly here. Stylus alright? I know the photos are bad quality but best I can do I'm afraid.

I just typed 'Hunt EDA' into Amazon and it auto-filled Mk6 (which makes sense by now).
But it came up with the Spincare, which, as I say, is identical and will be fine.
(Hunt EDA may only be dearer as it was the original - cost me a lot, even with a show discount, ages ago).

 

[Al ears]

If the cartridge is the same age as the turntable it might be worth cleaning that to.

 

[OliverBen5672]

Ok, well I've ordered the brush now so will dust off the record and see if there's an improvement, I think it should make a big difference.
Cleaning the stylus seems like a good idea too though. Will any old stylus brush do? Another product I've been recommended a lot is https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unknown-VP...T+BUSTER+STYLUS+CLEANER&qid=1614981261&sr=8-4 Vinyl Passion Dust Buster, wondering if anyone here's used it to touch up their stylus.

 

[Gray]

Ok, well I've ordered the brush now so will dust off the record and see if there's an improvement, I think it should make a big difference.
Cleaning the stylus seems like a good idea too though. Will any old stylus brush do? Another product I've been recommended a lot is https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unknown-VP...T+BUSTER+STYLUS+CLEANER&qid=1614981261&sr=8-4 Vinyl Passion Dust Buster, wondering if anyone here's used it to touch up their stylus.

Carefully removing obvious build-ups of debris from the stylus with a soft(ish) brush is a good idea.
But I would be wary of the type of product above. I scrolled down to the customer Q&A, first one I saw, despite him putting the lid back on, next time he came to use it, it was hard and useless. OK it was 11 months later, but that's nothing. It's not as if it's cheap. Personally I would give things like that a miss. Stick to a brush for the stylus.

 

[Al ears]

The gel pad you mentioned is a safer method than using a brush but if you are careful then a brush should be sufficient.
Have a good look at the state of the stylus while you are at it.

 

[Friesiansam]

I just typed 'Hunt EDA' into Amazon and it auto-filled Mk6 (which makes sense by now).
But it came up with the Spincare, which, as I say, is identical and will be fine.
(Hunt EDA may only be dearer as it was the original - cost me a lot, even with a show discount, ages ago).

This might be the original you were looking for: https://www.analogueseduction.net/brushes/music-hall-hunteda-record-cleaning-brush.html

 

[Clarkey_71]

Ok, well I've ordered the brush now so will dust off the record and see if there's an improvement, I think it should make a big difference.
Cleaning the stylus seems like a good idea too though. Will any old stylus brush do? Another product I've been recommended a lot is https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unknown-VP...T+BUSTER+STYLUS+CLEANER&qid=1614981261&sr=8-4 Vinyl Passion Dust Buster, wondering if anyone here's used it to touch up their stylus.

I use this product among a range of products, including brush and fluid.
I found the gel works well and you can see the remnants of the grime left in the gel.
I wouldn't have any qualms in recommending it, but will always add the caveat of cautiousness whenever cleaning a cartridge.

 

[Gray]

This might be the original you were looking for: https://www.analogueseduction.net/brushes/music-hall-hunteda-record-cleaning-brush.html

That's the one.
Twice the price of the (identical?) Spincare one.

 

[OliverBen5672]

Say brush is arriving tomorrow so will see how well that cleans it.
I might end up getting a standard stylus brush for a tenner and then maybe try out the gel later as well as many people have mentioned it to be good.
I'm not too sure what to look for when looking at the stylus, when I was trying to get photos of it yesterday it looked pretty clean and sharp.

 

[Clarkey_71]

Say brush is arriving tomorrow so will see how well that cleans it.
I might end up getting a standard stylus brush for a tenner and then maybe try out the gel later as well as many people have mentioned it to be good.
I'm not too sure what to look for when looking at the stylus, when I was trying to get photos of it yesterday it looked pretty clean and sharp.

Dirt on the stylus isn't always as obvious as a big lump of fluff. It's the microscopic dirt that builds up over time that can start to impact on sound. When using the brush, always brush from back to front, moving towards you. Never go side the side. You run the risk of damaging the cantilever.