We really do forget the old tricks with time!

If you have a noisy record from which you want to extract its contents FOR THE FINAL TIME the easiest way to do it is to play it wet. Use a pump / mister bottle to minimize "spillage." Tap water will do although the "old" advice was to use distilled water. The water acts as a lubricant. You will have to clean your stylus afterwards. And the record will be noisier than ever once it's dry. Even if you try to play it wet again it will be noisier as deposits will tend to dam-up and harden in place after the first wet play.

Of course giving the record a good cleaning beforehand can't hurt. (Again this is only to extract the sound from the grooves one last time from a noisy record that you are prepared to say goodbye to - not for regular use.)

I agree that the wav file digital route is the best way to go - if you have the time.

And those click and pop noise reducers (from dbx and Phase Linear if I recall correctly) did work very well. They had an adjustable "gain" that allowed you to select the threshold of the reduction. Set just right it got rid of the big spikes and left the high frequencies pretty much unharmed. Dialed too high and they did have a negative effect on the sound.

Lastly, (and I've posted this elsewhere before) it's amazing how much accoustic feedback most turntable / tonearm / stylus combinations will pick up. Especially nowadays when our systems are all capable of extended bass beyond what even most "high end" systems were capable of 20 years ago. (Yes there are exceptions!) I recommed that anyone who is still playing records construct an effective accoustic damper to sit their turntable on. I use two slabs of 1/2 inch granite separated by a thin layer of rubber (one of those anti-slip mats from Home Depot). Where do you get the granite? Try any kitchen counter shop like I did. I don't think they have many other uses for sink hole cutouts - do you? For $60Cdn I had a local shop cut two cut-outs to the exact size I wanted and pollish the sides. While I never much noticed a problem before, I can tell you I certainly notice the difference with the damper in use.

Better yet. Get the CD version!

Jeff Mackwood