pre-rip cleaning?
Dec 27, 2005 at 1:19 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 21
uzziah

uzziah

Headphoneus Supremus
Joined
Oct 15, 2004
Posts
4,049
Likes
14
any suggestions for how to quickly and easily clean one's cd's prior to ripping? i'm going to rip my (albeit small) collection of cd's, and i wonder if anyone has some tips? would be nice if i could just clean them all at once, dry them and stack them or something. i don't want to spend individual time cleaning them one at a time, just something basic. my cd's are generally rather scratched so i'm hoping some basic cleaning would make the difference. i'll be using EAC. hopefully a little cleaning might speed up the extraction a bit as well
 
Dec 27, 2005 at 10:12 PM Post #2 of 21
cleaning can help... i always do a quick cleaning on my discs before ripping
 
Dec 27, 2005 at 10:44 PM Post #4 of 21
Freshly washed CDs sound amazingly clear and airy when played on my CDP. I can't say if washing has a comparable influence for CD ripping, but do it nonetheless. The best method I've found is to spray some dishwasher liquid onto the CD and some water, then rub smoothly over it with your (wet) hand several times until the whole surface is wet. After that rinse the liquid/water mixture from the disc with lukewarm water. If done right, there's no need to rub the data sector dry, just edge and label side.

I had some initial problems with ripping the CD layer of SACDs in the past; in these cases the washing procedure has helped.
.
 
Dec 27, 2005 at 10:52 PM Post #5 of 21
Just a lint-free cloth for me. Seeing as how I wear glasses I have loads.

I've always been advised to wipe outwards, i..e against how the data is stored. From the centre to the edge.
 
Dec 28, 2005 at 12:11 AM Post #6 of 21
chris: that's actually how the data is stored. CDs are written from the inside outwards in a spiral. But yes, that's the way to wipe CDs - from the inside out, not outside in or round and round.
 
Dec 28, 2005 at 12:28 AM Post #7 of 21
Thats what I said, although possibly not clearly enough!

Its stored in a spiral like a vinyl record. Obvious if you burn 500MBs on a CD, it leaves a mark.

It couldn't be read any other way. Unless the laser in the drive moved completely 360?
 
Dec 28, 2005 at 2:25 AM Post #8 of 21
i got you bro, don't sweat it
smily_headphones1.gif
i was going to correct him that he missunderstood you, but you got there first; no worries
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Dec 28, 2005 at 6:16 AM Post #9 of 21
well, you said "against" the way data is stored, which would imply the data's stored the other way around?
 
Dec 28, 2005 at 11:59 AM Post #10 of 21
data.jpg


How data is written on a CD.

wipe.jpg


How you wipe it.





Don't know if it has the same meaning in American English, but those two directions are opposite, or 'against' one-another.
 
Dec 28, 2005 at 12:09 PM Post #11 of 21
Run warm (not hot) water and wash the CD in the sink. Do not scrub it with anything. Pat dry, and wipe like the pic above. (from the center -> out)

If it's really filthy, use a tiny bit of dishwashing detergent on your fingertips, and very light scrub the CD surface with your fingers. Again, from the center -> out. Pat dry and wipe from the center -> out.

-Ed
 
Dec 28, 2005 at 12:18 PM Post #12 of 21
Once when I ripped several CDs that were apparently dirty, I noticed that the beige CD tray became dirty. Wiping off the tray with a moist paper towel confirmed that dirt was on the tray.

The spinning motion of the disc probably transferred the dirt/dust from the disc to the tray. Who knows what happened to the laser. After this experience, I always make sure to examine the discs and often wash them before ripping.
 
Dec 28, 2005 at 9:12 PM Post #13 of 21
Just to add something, I'm sure allot of you know this, but there is sure to be somebody that does not:

The reason you wipe the disc from the inside out (or outside in, it really doesn’t matter) is to prevent you from making circular scratches in the polycarbonate surface while cleaning. The laser can correct itself much easier when the scratch is not going all the way around the disc.

Also, the actual data is being etched into a layer of aluminum that’s located between the polycarbonate (CD’s bottom surface) and a layer of acrylic under the label. It is entirely possible to get a better sounding recording by cleaning the bottom surface of the disc allowing the laser to have an easier read.
 
Dec 29, 2005 at 2:16 AM Post #14 of 21
chris: I'm English. I still wouldn't call those two directions against each other. One is at ninety degrees to the other. "Against", or "opposite", to me would imply a 180 degree difference. Oh well, just semantics.
 
Dec 29, 2005 at 2:41 AM Post #15 of 21
If a CD plays OK, and if there are no skips, is anything really gained by cleaning it? Is there any published data showing that cleaned CDs produce better sound?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top