Should I flatten a warped vinyl record?

December 11, 2020 6:33 PM

Earlier this week I purchased a few used records and one of them is a bit warped. It sounds and plays fine, to my ears. With that in mind, can I just continue to play it as is? Do I *NEED* to flatten it?
posted by VirginiaPlain to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

Best answer: Don't mess with it! If it sounds good leave it be. Should be fine.
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:55 PM on December 11, 2020 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Yes, just leave it alone if it sounds fine to you. In the olden days, warped records were just part of daily life. Vinyl just wasn't very stable.
posted by wryly at 8:56 PM on December 11, 2020

Best answer: I’d say don’t flatten it.

A couple of times when I tried flattening a record in the old days, I managed to compress a warp down into more of a wrinkle, and the wrinkle made the needle jump though the warp had not.
posted by jamjam at 9:26 PM on December 11, 2020 [1 favorite]

Best answer: If your turntable plays it without jumping out of the groove, no need to do anything.
posted by TrialByMedia at 7:55 AM on December 12, 2020