[Remedial]

I'm looking for a good software to use for cleaning up recordings of my vinyl made that I made through my soundcard (M-Audio Quattro). Problem is, I'm using a M-447 cartridge on my turntable and there are these very high frequency pops (they actually have a somewhat scratching sound). The needle that I used before never had this problem, but I'm guessing the high output of the M-447 must be causing this.

I've used Soundforge's Vinyl Restoration Suite before, but it kills the recording itself, somewhat cutting out a lot of the high end.

I know there's Soundsoap, one from Magix and few plug-ins from Waves (which I can get my hands on), but which one is worth the time?

 

[Mr.Radar]

You should invest in a better cartridge and build a DIY record cleaning machine. That would probably be a much better solution than any software you could get.

 

[Remedial]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.Radar You should invest in a better cartridge and build a DIY record cleaning machine. That would probably be a much better solution than any software you could get.

What would be a better cartridge? Also, I've used Gruv Glide to clean most of my vinyl. Am I headed in the wrong direction here?

 

[Mr.Radar]

I think that you had a good idea with the Gruv Glide (not sure how good it is though). I'm not a vinyl junkie so I can't reccomend any cartridges to you. You should ask in the Dedicated Source Forum or the Todd The Vinyl Junkie forum.

 

[Duster]

Diamond Cut audio restoration software works quite well. It supports up to 24/192.

I'm not familiar with the Shure cartridges. However, I could recommend the Dynavector 10x series. Its a high output moving coil, about 2mv. Should drive most phono preamps. But if you can use low output moving coils, then the Denon DL-103R will not leave you wanting. The Dyna is about $350 and the Denon is $250. The Denon is in a different league despite the price. Generally, moving coils does a better job of rejecting surface noise than moving magnet cartridges. Probably, due to the better stylus. Both these cartridges do a better job than most moving coils. Dead silent on clean vinyl.

A vacuum cleaning machine is a must. Gruv glide is a good idea.

 

[drminky]

Audio Technica 440 ML is good for this job if you have a lightweight tonearm. The combination of being an excellent tracker, and very good at rejecting surface noise means this is a fav for recording purposes.

oh and did I mention it's cheap? (around $80 US and a nice cartridge to boot!)

 

[Remedial]

Truthfully, I'm not looking to spend over $100, so anything below that (the cheaper the better) would be great.

Thanks for all the replies.

 

[Remedial]

Quote:

Originally Posted by drminky Audio Technica 440 ML is good for this job if you have a lightweight tonearm. The combination of being an excellent tracker, and very good at rejecting surface noise means this is a fav for recording purposes. oh and did I mention it's cheap? (around $80 US and a nice cartridge to boot!)

Where can I find it?

 

[Mr.Radar]

It seems that Amazon.com carries it, though it's $94 from them.

 

[erikzen]

I've tried demo versions of various software including Diamond Cut Milenium, Wave Corrector, Wave Repair and a few others. I ended up purchasing the DC product because it was reasonably priced (around $60 iirc) and I found it easiest to use mostly because it allows you to A/B tracks before and after filtering and to sample filtering and other effects in real time before applying it to the tracks. With other programs this seemed a bit awkward. The other reason I bought it was because the demo was fully functioning, although it locked after 10 days. But this gives you a chance to actually do a project from start to finish. I recorded and cleaned two full LPs before the trial expired. I think the impulse noise filter on DC Milenium might work for what you're hearing.

Wave Corrector was kind of a neat program. It automatically removed clicks as soon as you loaded the .wav file and it showed you the location of each anomoly. It also showed a graphic depiction of the click or pop and allowed you to access each correction. I never really got the hang of that program however. The demo allows you to work on the first two minutes of a song so it's worth checking out to see if it works for you.

I also wanted to get a decent yet inexpensive cartridge and ended up getting a Shure M97xE from Jack's Music Factory for less than $70. It's a decent "audiophile" cartridge for a budget Hi-Fi guy like me. I would like to try the AT 440 ML someday though.

Good luck with your project.

 

[Remedial]

Quote:

Originally Posted by erikzen I've tried demo versions of various software including Diamond Cut Milenium, Wave Corrector, Wave Repair and a few others. I ended up purchasing the DC product because it was reasonably priced (around $60 iirc) and I found it easiest to use mostly because it allows you to A/B tracks before and after filtering and to sample filtering and other effects in real time before applying it to the tracks. With other programs this seemed a bit awkward. The other reason I bought it was because the demo was fully functioning, although it locked after 10 days. But this gives you a chance to actually do a project from start to finish. I recorded and cleaned two full LPs before the trial expired. I think the impulse noise filter on DC Milenium might work for what you're hearing. Wave Corrector was kind of a neat program. It automatically removed clicks as soon as you loaded the .wav file and it showed you the location of each anomoly. It also showed a graphic depiction of the click or pop and allowed you to access each correction. I never really got the hang of that program however. The demo allows you to work on the first two minutes of a song so it's worth checking out to see if it works for you. I also wanted to get a decent yet inexpensive cartridge and ended up getting a Shure M97xE from Jack's Music Factory for less than $70. It's a decent "audiophile" cartridge for a budget Hi-Fi guy like me. I would like to try the AT 440 ML someday though. Good luck with your project.

Thanks for the insight.

 

[erikzen]

I hope it helps. I'd be curious to know what program you end up using and what type of results you acheive. I have a few hundred albums I want to rip so any tips or techniques you develop would be helpful.

Needle Doctor has the lowest price I've seen on the AT 440ML.

 

[Remedial]

Quote:

Originally Posted by erikzen I hope it helps. I'd be curious to know what program you end up using and what type of results you acheive. I have a few hundred albums I want to rip so any tips or techniques you develop would be helpful. Needle Doctor has the lowest price I've seen on the AT 440ML.

Would you happen to know what the verdict is on the lower priced Grado needles on Todd's site?

 

[erikzen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Remedial Would you happen to know what the verdict is on the lower priced Grado needles on Todd's site?

According to the recommendations given to me, they got mixed reviews, especially for my setup. I have a Techics turntable and I've been told Grado cartridges tend to hum with those. Not wanting to have to deal with a grouning problem I decided to stay away. You could always ask Todd what he thinks.