Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with LP

How to fix my record player?

atoastedheart — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 06:41:21 -0800

Lately, my record player (not turntable) of four years hasn't been working correctly. When I turn it on, the platter part of it doesn't start spinning until I give it a slight nudge. Even after doing so, it still doesn't spin at the right speed (33 1/3 sounds more like 45, 45 sounds closer to 78, etc). Is there a relatively easy way to fix this or should I just buy a new one? My current model is really similar to the new 3-in-1 "vintage-style" Crosley.

Is there an LP Frame wear the LP can slide out easily?

ProfLinusPauling — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:44:50 -0800

I am interested in wall-mounted individual LP frames that also allow me to slip the LP out easily — both for listening and fast LP swapping for re-decorative purposes. Has anyone seen a product like this around?

Recommend a LP to CD conversion service?

Comrade_robot — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 06:47:35 -0800

Recommend an LP to CD conversion service? Hi!

I recently purchased an LP record that my parents played for us as a kid. LP players aren't very common these days, though, so I was wondering about converting it to CD -- I've seen quite a few ads on the internet for companies which offer to do this, but there's a pretty wide range of prices, and I haven't the foggiest idea who to go with. I'm hoping someone has a recommendation!

Local (I'm in Durham, NC) would be cool too.

Save my vinyl!

pedstel — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 16:12:05 -0800

How should I ship my beloved LP collection across the country? So, I'm moving from Portland, OR to New Orleans, LA via plane. I don't have any furniture/pets/children so I'm mostly planning on taking what fits into a couple of suitcases and shipping everything else (mostly just clothes, some books). However, I do have some vinyl record albums that I need to ship, and I really don't want to damage/warp them in the process. I have enough records to fill 1 milkbox type crate completely (maybe 50-100?) Help me, hive mind! I know a similar question has been asked in the past, but I'm wondering if anyone has some tips on shipping specifically, rather than moving the vinyl via truck.

How can I buy a custom mix LP?

obiwanwasabi — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:02:36 -0800

I want to make my wife a mix - not on her iPod, not on CD, not even on tape, but a mix LP so those daggy eighties tracks are crackly and warm like my lurve. Is there a service that'll let me give them a bunch of tracks and then put them on to vinyl for me, or am I cluelessly underestimating how involved, expensive and illegal such a service is likely to be?

homemade vinyl LP record cleaner?

kuujjuarapik — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:36:23 -0800

Does anyone have a recipe for homemade vinyl LP record cleaner? I just got an USB turntable and I have been converting my records to digital. I have one or two 45s that are a little dirty and I would like to clean them, but I don't really want to spend the time or money ordering professional record cleaner online. I am not an archivist, and not necessarily an audiophile, but I don't want to experiment on cleaning fluids and destroy the records.

I have considered 90% Isopropyl and a soft cloth. I thought briefly about Windex. Even thought about Grey Goose straight from the freezer. Anyone got a dirty record made clean success story?

New House & New Sufur Smell - What do we do?!

tastybrains — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 20:23:54 -0800

We've just moved into a new house and we've noticed a strange odor both inside and outside most nights since we've been here. It's our first house ever and we're at a loss with regards what to do... We just moved into a house in Nashua, NH. We have noticed that many evenings over the past two weeks, there has been a slightly sulfur smell inside the house and also outside.

At first we thought that it might be because the dump is 2 miles away, but that seems kind of strange that so many people in our relatively nice neighborhood would tolerate something like that. We also used to live near a swamp so we thought it might be something swampy...but it doesn't quite smell the same as a swamp. Definitely more acrid, and less like frogs and mosquitoes.

Tonight I noticed the smell again, as did my husband. We noticed it mostly in the garage and in the upstairs hallway. I went outside to compare concentrations and I can barely smell it outside. So now I'm freaking out that it could be the house...

We do have LP tanks outside (opposite side as the garage where we are smelling the odor) and another concern is that it could be sewer gas.

Our plan is to call the gas company first thing tomorrow to have them come by and check our tanks & everything. Then our plan is to call a plumber to check for sewer gas or anything plumbing related.

So...do these seem like reasonable things to check out? Is there anything else we should look into if we can't find an answer?

And how do we find a good plumber if it comes to that??? We are new to this area and don't know anyone around here. I'm really kind of worried and upset about all this. I don't even trust my own nose. My husband thinks I might be overreacting because I do tend to go towards the worst case scenario, but I don't think it's unreasonable to find a nightly sulfur stink in my new house unacceptable.

How do I move a collection of vinyl LP records?

dickumbrage — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 10:38:32 -0800

How do I move a collection of vinyl LP records? I have a medium (500-1,000) collection that I am taking with me on a 2 day move up the east coast in a non-airconditioned moving truck this summer. What techniques should I avoid? What do I need to be aware of?

Help me ifgure out if I'll score brownie points by giving LP albums as art or not.

n'muakolo — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 01:48:59 -0800

Grateful Dead/Dylan/Phish/Johnny Cash/Hank Williams lovers. How do you feel about LP albums as art? I'm thinking it might be cool to get my bf - who is pretty intense about the Dead, Phish, Dylan, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, bluegrass and jazz (sorry I can't specify more) - some LP albums that I would frame and hang on the wall as art for his music lair. He has a lot of concert-related memorabilia. I'm just wondering, though - LP album art - hot or not hot? I'd rather not ask him too many questions or I'll tip him off.

If hot, any tips on Dead, Dylan, Johnny Cash, Hank, Phish, albums that would make his little heart sing? (I do know some favorite shows/albums of his, but I'm wondering if there are albums out there that almost anyone would recognize as awesome to have on their wall. If they liked this stuff on their wall.)

Spindle hole LP problems.

OmieWise — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 05:41:55 -0800

How can I improve an LP Record with a tight spindle hole? I've recently gotten three records from a great, very small record label which I just love. Each one is clearly a labor of love, they're beautiful as objects, and most importantly, the music on each one is top notch (two reissues of old gospel blues, one contemporary). The only problem is that the spindle holes are really tight. I have to push the records onto the spindle with some force, and I have to work them off carefully. I'm worried I'm going to damage the records (warp them) by the kind of pulling I have to do to get them off. Even if I "screw" them off it takes a lot of upward pressure on the rims of the LPs. When I've encountered this problem before it's been with 7"s, and the distance between the rim and the spindle hole was less dramatic.

Has anyone ever bored out the spindle hole on an LP, or used a file or something to gently expand the spindle hole?

(I happen to have two turntables at home, and the records are just as tight on both of them, so I know for sure the problem is in the records.)

Ripping Vinyl in OS X

unSane — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 10:58:33 -0800

I want to rip a bunch of old vinyl LPs. I have a nice Dual turntable which I got off eBay, and a couple of USB audio interfaces (an M-Audio Audiophile USB and an Emagic A26) which plug into a G4 Powerbook. I have Logic and Garageband. Do I need anything else? How do I go about applying the RIAA curve given my set-up? Would I be better off getting a real pre-amp? What are the cheapest options?

Anyone use or know a LP Ripping Service?

Marky — Sat, 12 Mar 2005 03:47:26 -0800

I've never had great results ripping vinyl. I still have my 1980 vintage Pioneer turntable, and a receiver that has phono inputs, but the files never sound that good, and noise filtering didn't do much. Also, I really only need to rip about 3-4 albums. While I'm sure the gods of karma will arrange for some to finally be released on CD or iTunes just after I go to the hassle of copying, I'm also sure 2 will never be "officially" released. Anyone have a vinyl ripping service they would recommend?

Percussion Music LP With Black Dots On Cover

ParisParamus — Fri, 31 Dec 2004 08:11:53 -0800

Percussion Music LP of Childhood With Black Dots On Cover Filter. Recently, when my mom sold her house, I was sad to learn that she garage sale-disposed on an LP I was hoping to rediscover [+] Unfortunately, all I, or she, remembers of this disk was that the cover was white with rows of black dots; that the music was percussion-oriented; and that it was probably released some time in the 1960's.

Perhaps someone whose mom hasn't garage sale'd-away the same disc can tell me it's name?

Ripping Vinyl LPs to CD

Pressed Rat — Sun, 21 Nov 2004 12:35:45 -0800

I have some old LPs that I wish were available on CD but aren't. Is it possible to run my LP turntable through an amp & take the amp's output & feed that into a computer sound card & save it as a digital audio file that I can then burn onto a CD? Has anyone done this? What's required?

Record Cleaning

BMF — Wed, 11 Aug 2004 14:28:00 -0800

I just added Guns and Roses - Appetite for Destruction with the orig artwork but the vinyl seems dirty and sounds bad. Does anyone have any preferences or suggestions for a good record cleaner?