Recently completely redid my stereo setup, and finally got a turntable. I have an entire crate full of LP's, but tbh, they haven't been treated the best over the years. Some slow down in the middle of songs, lots of static, yada yada. So, what's the best way to restore LP's to a decent state? Before anyone recommends it, I have tried Google All I found was how to transfer LP's to CD's, which isn't what I want to do...
Not sure on this. But I dont think you can restore then. The vinyl is worn down by the needle rubbing on it. The only thing you can really do is get a nice turntable, and back them up onto cd. That way you can still listen to them on the turntable. And if they get worse you have the CD backup. Also after you rip it into a computer / ect. you can run software on them to have a lot of the static / pops / ect pulled out.
You can't restore them, once there is a scratch it stays. The best you can do is to apply some cleaning fluid that washes dirt out of the grooves, like http://www.smartdev.com/fluids.html (never heard about that brand, just googled it).
ok as said you cant restore them. damage caused by badly setup decks and poorly treated vinyl is forever. but dirt isnt. to clean i wouldnt use fluids liked those linked as they leave residues. use a bath brush system like: http://www.russandrews.com/product....&customer_id=PAA3030030505280LKXKEBBMHCXYSLHV you rinse/brush it in the fluid with the internal brush system, then in distilled/de-ionised wayer to then remove any residue. then store the lps in a new sleeve. it pointless putting a clean lp in a dirty sleeve. you can get sleeves that help reduce static too. also when handling them dont touch any playing surface ever on the lp. you should only ever touch the label and the very edge of the record. when storing them store them vertically not flat lying down. this helps them to stop warping. good news though, if you look after them properly now and setup your deck properly they wont get any worse.
I love LP's. When you say they slow down in the middle of songs is this because they are warped? Are you playing them on a decent turntable with a decent stylus? Static can be handled by properly grounding the turntable and using a good brush while the LP is playing (DiscWasher makes the best IMO). The best part of the LP's was the sleeve art. If you get new sleeves, don't get rid of the old ones that are in good shape. These are classics.
