The Science of Pops, Crackles
and Scratches?
Many people believe their vinyl records are "scratched" beyond repair when in fact the problem is deeply in ground material (dust and mould etc) stuck to the inside of the record's grooves. You can tell the difference between scratches and various forms of gunk stuck in the grooves by asking; does the sound happen once a revolution of the turntable, or do I hear pops and crackles for the whole records revolution? If you hear pops and crackles all the way round, it is more than likely deeply in ground material that is stuck inside the records grooves.
Here's how it happens. Small particles of mould, dust, oils, skin, smoke and other material actually get stuck to microscopic ridges located within the grooves of the record. This is caused by the friction of the stylus passing over the tiny ridges and generating just enough heat to make the tiny ridges sticky. The stylus then picks up loose material as it travels through the grooves and deposits them on the sticky ridges where they are there to stay.
Conventional record brushes cannot remove this microscopic material and whilst various record cleaners such as various fluids and RCM's may remove some, none will efficiently lift out all the dirt and mould caught between the grooves, that is until RECORD REViRGiNiZER!
However (and we must stress this), RECORD REViRGiNiZER cannot remove or repair mechanical scratches that have damaged the records grooves, unfortunately they are there to stay. In some cases a treatment may improve a scratched area, but this is dependent upon many factors. In some cases records in poor or average condition may suffer from ground in particles that may be difficult if not impossible to completely remove, therefore some clicks and pops may still be audible. We still nevertheless guarantee you that will notice an incredible sonic improvement after treating a record with REViRGiNiZER that was once considered 'unlistenable'.
If by chance your record is scratched beyond repair some enterprising people have found ways their old vinyl can still be useful, follow this link for some, artistic, funny and some truly bizarre ideas. |