This thing sits behind my stereo cabinet and is only connected to audio. I added a decent USB interface and set up ClickRepair to auto-launch when Windows reboots. ClickRepair does have another mode that attempts to decrackle the lower-level groove noise, but there you're getting into trickier territory ala the much-maligned CEDAR and NoNoise systems, and even the developer admits it's best not to use it unless you have to.ĬlickRepair had a real-time version (sadly, no longer available), so I built a mini-PC from a $100 ASUS that's about the size of a thin hardback book. My compliments to the developer, whose algorithm seems better than most at rejecting false-positive detections, and does it elegantly with minimal CPU usage. Clicks tend to be out of phase, so they can usually be identified and then removed by interpolating the removed samples. That's not a huge task in the digital domain. This app has a mode that solely focuses on pops and ticks, just the big stuff. On another thread at Hoffman, I learned of ClickRepair, an application lauded by needle-droppers who digitize rare vinyl (as well as some troubled souls who make digital copies of their bog-standard LP issues for god knows why). I should add that with more recent releases, there's also the real possibility the vinyl might actually sound better, even if from a digital master, because the limitations of LP cutting don't allow the mastering engineer to brickwall the mix. for a living, so at the end of the day, the last thing I want is to be looking at another backlit screen. I like LP's because they have huge cover art, you can actually read the liner notes without magnification, and maybe most significantly, when I have guests over who want to play something, we're not sitting around staring at playlists on screens and dicking around with bluetooth pairing. I've experimented with some fairly fancy-schmancy turntable and cartridge setups over the years, but I'm not one to make claims about the sonic superiority of vinyl. I'm not one of those analog true-believers. Most of the reaction there was negative, solely because the signal path is digitized, thereby breaking the holy AAA chain. So.Ī couple of years ago I saw a thread in the Hoffman forums about the Sugarcube, a $2K device that transparently declicks vinyl. I also enjoy good (read: "transparent") audio. I also enjoy many genres that feature a wide dynamic range. Though I've culled out most of the truly thrashed LP's over the decades, I also have a lot of sides that are in less-than-stellar quality. Oh, and I'm no fan of modern country, but that should go without saying.Īs a result of the above hunter/gatherer methods, I have a lot of records that never made it to digital. Really, the only thing I'm not interested in is mainstream classic rock - I've had enough of that pumped at me over radio to last two lifetimes. My tastes are pretty broad - I started as a punk/alternative kid, but later got into soul, jazz, exotica, international, krautrock, early electronic, the more esoteric end of classical, vintage country, etc. I don't think I've ever paid more than $15 for a record, new or used, and the vast majority of my stuff was had for $1-5 each through the salvage operation described above, yard sales, thrift stores, or used bins. As a collector, I'm definitely at the low end of the price scale. Stick with me - I'm getting to the hardware bit. I met a lot of fascinating people this way, including a guy who'd been a Walter Matthau's stunt double for much of his career, with several thousand jazz LP's collected over a lifetime in Los Angeles (unfortunately, two Japanese investors had flown in a few days before and snapped up most of the Blue Notes, but there was still a lot to be found.) Had an ad for years in the local paper under the head "Sanford & Son Vinyl Salvage," and took calls from people enthusiastic for me to rummage through their collections and cherry-pick for $1 a pop. I've been collecting vinyl since I was a teen in the 80's and really went ape in the 90's when everyone sold off their collections for CD's.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |