Tweet
A long time user of Diamond Cut Productions audio software, Donald Bohn, sent us via email a nice testimonial, and so I am posting it for him as per his request.
Here it is:
----------------------------------------------------
Most of you folks out there are probably very aware of the powerful tools Diamond Cut has available for the restoration of your old and worn phonograph records. Myself included. But this message isn't for you.
I want to talk to all of you that are NEW to vinyl. Please take this warning from an old school audiophile such as myself seriously. Your phonograph cartridge is going to destroy your new vinyl Lp's and there is nothing you can do to stop it. It doesn't matter how properly you set up your cartridge and table, and it doesn't even matter how expensive your cartridge is. It's going to happen so get used to it. Let me explain why.
Back in the early 80's, the audio industry was experimenting with 4 channel recordings. One of the formats was called CD-4. What they did was they used a frequency multiplier & divider circuit in the phono preamp to place the other 2 channels above 20kHz in the region of sound you can't hear anyway. It was a slick idea, but there was a problem. After only about 10 plays or so of the new LP, people were experiencing their CD-4 decoder couldn't maintain a lock anymore resulting in the rear channels cutting in and out. The format only lasted a couple of years then died off. Now mind you these people were using some of the world's finest cartridges just for that box to work. But we all learned real quick even though a new LP can have some good high frequency musical content, the very high frequencies employ so little vinyl "meat" in the groves, that every pass of the stylus rips it away.
So now what do you do? This is why Diamond Cut tools are so important for you as well, and I will explain how to do it.
NECESSARY EQUIPMENT -
Purchase as expensive of a cartridge you can afford, preferably one with a Fine Line or a Shibata stylus tip as they make contact with more of the groove wall surface. Very good carts are available in the $300 to $500 range and would be a good investment in the long run. A cheaper cart with a basic elliptical tip, especially one that only goes out to 20 or 25kHz will probably rip out those super high frequencies on the first pass of your new LP. Note if you go with a moving coil you will need a special preamp for it.
Also, if you don't already have good sound card or computer audio interface, you should get one that can handle 24bit/192kHz, but 24bit/96kHz will work just as well.
PROCEDURE -
1. Have as close of a direct connection of your phono preamp to your audio interface as possible.
2. Clean your vinyl LP even though it is new. There can be dust from the sleeve or even debris from the pressing that can cause noise in the groves. It's just a good idea and your cartridge will last longer.
3. Install Diamond Cut Tools and open its record feature. When set up properly, the sound quality of this recording device will outperform any consumer tape deck ever made!
4. You are now ready to record your LP. Be prepared and only set the needle down just once on each side. Be sure and set the needle down as far to the outside of the lead-in groove as possible. This will help to insure the record maintains the least amount of generated noise just prior to the start of the music.
5. You now have a High Definition recording of your new LP, but we're not done yet. Listen very carefully to your recording for any little ticks or pops that can happen with even new vinyl. You will be able to easily remove them with Diamond Cut's Interpolate feature. You have now made your new recording cleaner!
6. Next, you will need to open Diamond Cut's Continuous Noise Filter and take a sample of some record surface noise between 2 songs near the middle of the record. When designing the filter signature, add extra points if necessary to make your filter line appear as close as possible to the noise line, then move the entire line down to where it is just above the noise line. Highlight the entire album and apply. Your High Def recording now has a better Signal to Noise ratio than your phono playback system could do by itself.
7. Go to the beginning of each album side & trim it down so you have about a 2 seconds prior to the start of the song. Open Diamond Cut's Fade-in feature, select Logarithmic, highlight just that 2 seconds and apply. Now your High Def recording will seem like it's starting out of dead silence! Do the same procedure at the end of each album side, but this time select Linear in the Fade-out feature.
8. Place a marker about 1 1/2 to 2 seconds before each of the subsequent songs (or where most logical), Quantize, and split the tracks.
9. You can now save the original WAV files, or save them in some lossless format like FLAC to save space - already in Diamond Cut for your needs. Most new cars and home theater systems will play that format through a simple zip drive. Or maybe you like MP3's. Diamond Cut has that ability as well. And your homemade HD to MP3's could be true 48kHz files - better responses than a CD - out to about 22kHz!
10. Now put your finished record away in a cool dry location and don't touch it ever again! Keep a log of all the minutes and hours the cartridge has been played and limit its use to about 200 hours - this should allow you to record 300 to 400 new LP's in all their splendor, before you need a new stylus or cartridge replacement. Also avoid setting the needle down between tracks as they will create permanent noise on the LP. Have a lower cost cartridge mounted for use with your older records.
I guess to simply put it, Diamond Cut tools is not just for the restoration of old music. It is also for the enhancement of your listening experience, but more importantly it is an invaluable tool for the preservation of your expensive new LP investments.
Happy listening everyone!
Donald Bohn
Here it is:
----------------------------------------------------
Most of you folks out there are probably very aware of the powerful tools Diamond Cut has available for the restoration of your old and worn phonograph records. Myself included. But this message isn't for you.
I want to talk to all of you that are NEW to vinyl. Please take this warning from an old school audiophile such as myself seriously. Your phonograph cartridge is going to destroy your new vinyl Lp's and there is nothing you can do to stop it. It doesn't matter how properly you set up your cartridge and table, and it doesn't even matter how expensive your cartridge is. It's going to happen so get used to it. Let me explain why.
Back in the early 80's, the audio industry was experimenting with 4 channel recordings. One of the formats was called CD-4. What they did was they used a frequency multiplier & divider circuit in the phono preamp to place the other 2 channels above 20kHz in the region of sound you can't hear anyway. It was a slick idea, but there was a problem. After only about 10 plays or so of the new LP, people were experiencing their CD-4 decoder couldn't maintain a lock anymore resulting in the rear channels cutting in and out. The format only lasted a couple of years then died off. Now mind you these people were using some of the world's finest cartridges just for that box to work. But we all learned real quick even though a new LP can have some good high frequency musical content, the very high frequencies employ so little vinyl "meat" in the groves, that every pass of the stylus rips it away.
So now what do you do? This is why Diamond Cut tools are so important for you as well, and I will explain how to do it.
NECESSARY EQUIPMENT -
Purchase as expensive of a cartridge you can afford, preferably one with a Fine Line or a Shibata stylus tip as they make contact with more of the groove wall surface. Very good carts are available in the $300 to $500 range and would be a good investment in the long run. A cheaper cart with a basic elliptical tip, especially one that only goes out to 20 or 25kHz will probably rip out those super high frequencies on the first pass of your new LP. Note if you go with a moving coil you will need a special preamp for it.
Also, if you don't already have good sound card or computer audio interface, you should get one that can handle 24bit/192kHz, but 24bit/96kHz will work just as well.
PROCEDURE -
1. Have as close of a direct connection of your phono preamp to your audio interface as possible.
2. Clean your vinyl LP even though it is new. There can be dust from the sleeve or even debris from the pressing that can cause noise in the groves. It's just a good idea and your cartridge will last longer.
3. Install Diamond Cut Tools and open its record feature. When set up properly, the sound quality of this recording device will outperform any consumer tape deck ever made!
4. You are now ready to record your LP. Be prepared and only set the needle down just once on each side. Be sure and set the needle down as far to the outside of the lead-in groove as possible. This will help to insure the record maintains the least amount of generated noise just prior to the start of the music.
5. You now have a High Definition recording of your new LP, but we're not done yet. Listen very carefully to your recording for any little ticks or pops that can happen with even new vinyl. You will be able to easily remove them with Diamond Cut's Interpolate feature. You have now made your new recording cleaner!
6. Next, you will need to open Diamond Cut's Continuous Noise Filter and take a sample of some record surface noise between 2 songs near the middle of the record. When designing the filter signature, add extra points if necessary to make your filter line appear as close as possible to the noise line, then move the entire line down to where it is just above the noise line. Highlight the entire album and apply. Your High Def recording now has a better Signal to Noise ratio than your phono playback system could do by itself.
7. Go to the beginning of each album side & trim it down so you have about a 2 seconds prior to the start of the song. Open Diamond Cut's Fade-in feature, select Logarithmic, highlight just that 2 seconds and apply. Now your High Def recording will seem like it's starting out of dead silence! Do the same procedure at the end of each album side, but this time select Linear in the Fade-out feature.
8. Place a marker about 1 1/2 to 2 seconds before each of the subsequent songs (or where most logical), Quantize, and split the tracks.
9. You can now save the original WAV files, or save them in some lossless format like FLAC to save space - already in Diamond Cut for your needs. Most new cars and home theater systems will play that format through a simple zip drive. Or maybe you like MP3's. Diamond Cut has that ability as well. And your homemade HD to MP3's could be true 48kHz files - better responses than a CD - out to about 22kHz!
10. Now put your finished record away in a cool dry location and don't touch it ever again! Keep a log of all the minutes and hours the cartridge has been played and limit its use to about 200 hours - this should allow you to record 300 to 400 new LP's in all their splendor, before you need a new stylus or cartridge replacement. Also avoid setting the needle down between tracks as they will create permanent noise on the LP. Have a lower cost cartridge mounted for use with your older records.
I guess to simply put it, Diamond Cut tools is not just for the restoration of old music. It is also for the enhancement of your listening experience, but more importantly it is an invaluable tool for the preservation of your expensive new LP investments.
Happy listening everyone!
Donald Bohn
Comment