Question about modern audio equipment

[jboger]

So, just listening to some early recordings from the teens and 20s on my daughter's new Crosley. These recordings often have surface noise. I know bupkis about modern audio equipment. Is it possible to get at a reasonable cost modern equipment with adjustable controls so that one can minimize the low-level noise and optimize the actual recording?

[Phototone]

OH yes. There are many options. Including various size styli to fit early grooves for the Stanton 500 cartridge. Various signal processing equalizers, some expensive, some less expensive. Modern turntables with variable speed to match early off-speed records. The list is large.

[fran604g]

An inexpensive USB turntable, a laptop or PC, and some freeware like Audacity will do everything you need at minimal expense, if you don't mind playing around and spending a little time learning. It's a lot of fun.

Fran

[bart1927]

An inexpensive USB turntable, a laptop or PC, and some freeware like Audacity will do everything you need at minimal expense, if you don't mind playing around and spending a little time learning. It's a lot of fun.

Fran

Make sure however that you get a turntable that allows you to switch styli. Some cheaper (USB) players come with a fixed stylus that's only suitable for paying micogroove records. When playing 78's, that have a much wider groove, the lp stylus rides the bottom of the groove, where it will pick up a lot of noise and not a lot of music. Generic 78 rpm styli will do a much better job, but are actually still too thin for playing pre-1940's material. Those custom made styli from Expert Stylus (Nauck has them) are the best thing you can get, but unfortunately, are priced accordingly.

So my advice is to get one of those DJ turntables. If read positive things about this Audio Technica (http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/turnt ... 3a8662772/). It's relatively cheap, but it seems to be good value for money. It can play 78's, it accepts standard headshells, and it has a USB connection and a built in pre-amp.

If you got some more money to spare you could get one of those Rek-O-Kut turntables from Esoteric Sound (Nauck has them).

Another option is to buy a second hand turntable from the 1970's that has a 78 speed. For intance the Lenco GL78. They're relatively cheap, but might need some maintenance after all those years.

[jboger]

Thanks for the responses. They have given me something to think about. I hadn't realized that when I asked the question I already had something in mind, that I was thinking about a turntable with adjustable controls, sort of like a control for bass, another for treble, and so forth, except the controls would be for noise reduction. These adjustments would be done in 'real time" while the record was playing. i would turn the controls to minimize the background and optimize the signal, so to speak. It seems there is another alternative, that of the USB turntable, basically a digitizer that makes an mp3 file. If I understood what I read today, one makes the mp3 file once (with the record) and then you optimize the mp3 file, not each time you put the physical record on the turntable. I do have to say, it is rather fun to put the record on each time you want to hear the recording rather than just opening the mp3 file. If I understand the two options, I would need to figure out what I want. I rather like the idea of putting the record on a turntable and adjusting the parameters to reduce background noise in real time. I hope that I'm clear.

[Phototone]

Thanks for the responses. They have given me something to think about. I hadn't realized that when I asked the question I already had something in mind, that I was thinking about a turntable with adjustable controls, sort of like a control for bass, another for treble, and so forth, except the controls would be for noise reduction. These adjustments would be done in 'real time" while the record was playing. i would turn the controls to minimize the background and optimize the signal, so to speak. It seems there is another alternative, that of the USB turntable, basically a digitizer that makes an mp3 file. If I understood what I read today, one makes the mp3 file once (with the record) and then you optimize the mp3 file, not each time you put the physical record on the turntable. I do have to say, it is rather fun to put the record on each time you want to hear the recording rather than just opening the mp3 file. If I understand the two options, I would need to figure out what I want. I rather like the idea of putting the record on a turntable and adjusting the parameters to reduce background noise in real time. I hope that I'm clear.

To get what you want, you have to think not of an all-in-one solution but of components, each doing one part of your desire. The turntable to spin the record and pick up the sound from the grooves, a preamplifier to raise the signal level up to a level required for your most important part, a "Graphic Equalizer" from which you can boost or cut various narrow bands of audio frequencies to boost or suppress parts of the audio spectrum to enhance the audio, compensate for flaws in the original recording process, and suppress scratch and noise. From this you can go into headphones, or into a amplifier and speakers, or into a recorder to record your optimized playback of the record. In this digital age, all the "sound shaping" can be done on your computer with a virtual "graphic equalizer" and scratch and tic suppressor. You can even edit out the tic-tic-tic of a cracked record very easily. It is very important to match styli (needle) size to record groove size, therefore most prefer a phono pick-up (cartridge) that can accept various after-market styli in various sizes. If you play your turntable into your computer, and digitally record the sound, you are not actually making an mp3 file, you are making a better full digital recording, which can be made into an mp3 file if you wish, or you can make a much better full CD Red Book quality audio file, just like on commercial CD's...this of course depends on the software you are using.

[Chinacat]

The Crosley comes with an LP needle when you buy it so you are not going to get good sound. I believe there are aftermarket 3mil size needles for 78's that fit the Crosley. Here's one: http://www.crosleyradio.com/ProductDeta ... &colorID=0

[jboger]

Thanks for the responses. I'll need to study this nd figure out a path forward.

[bart1927]

I hadn't realized that when I asked the question I already had something in mind, that I was thinking about a turntable with adjustable controls, sort of like a control for bass, another for treble, and so forth, except the controls would be for noise reduction. These adjustments would be done in 'real time" while the record was playing. i would turn the controls to minimize the background and optimize the signal, so to speak.

If you want to do this, there isn't a better solution for you than the KAB Souvenir VSP MK2. (See http://kabusa.com, select "Phono preamps, then "Remastering/Restoration", it's the second picture.)

I tried to do it the "all digital way" myself, and I ended up tweaking every song for hours with DC-Art (Diamond Cut Audio Restoration Tools), without getting really good results. Very frustrating and you tend to forget the most important aspect: actually enjoying the music.

Now with the VSP I can "restore" the recording for 95%. The only thing I do afterwards on my computer is some more tick and crackle removal. The VSP removes some of this in the analogue domain, but not all of it. For this I use a really cheap but extremely effective program called Click Repair. It works a lot better than various other programs I tried. A lot of software introduces all kinds of digital artifacts when you try to remove clicks and pops. With ClickRepair you can set those sliders to the max and still get great results.