I would expect that if the brush is too harsh and damaging records that the records would be a lot noisier. Any damage would not likely result in pops and ticks, but a more general elevation of the background noise, and a decrease in detail. If you arent getting that, then you probably arent damaging the record.
Stole my wife's Clarisonic to clean records...
My wife picked up a Clarisonic Mia, a motorized brush about the size of an electric razor that makes hundreds of very small movements per second. After hearing the description of how it works I couldn't resist trying it out on a record. Here's a blurb from Clarisonic's website:
"Typical manual cleansing can leave behind dirt and oil trapped in pores. Clarisonic Sonic Skin Cleansing Systems use a patented sonic frequency of more than 300 movements per second to gently, yet thoroughly remove 6X more makeup and 2X more dirt and oil than cleansing with your hands alone."
What I did:
There are multiple brush types that are available and I went with the softest one that's intended for, "delicate skin types". I sprayed a generous amount of cleaner to the surface of the record and slowly went around the record with no other pressure than that provided by the weight of the device. I then vacuumed the record with my DIY record vacuum based off of a VPI pickup tube and holder purchased from ElusiveDisc.com.
What I heard:
I used three records to experiment with. One was a new pressing of Axis: Bold As Love and the others were well used copies of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Let It Be from a used record shop, all three had previously been cleaned with a Spin Clean record washer.
In all cases the biggest difference I heard was in the vocals. The cleaned record made my previous listen veiled by comparison and it sounded like I picked up a little more volume. Pops and general noise was down and overall the records sounded much more alive and dynamic for lack of better words. Axis: Bold As Love however, gave me some grief. After the cleaning cymbals sounded harsh and I was picking up on sibilance. I don't know if this is from the cleaning being too harsh or if it was there before and just hiding underneath crud.
What I did wrong:
Anxious to do an A/B test in hindsight I feel like I listened to the record too quickly after cleaning. After cleaning with the solution I didn't rinse the record and only dabbed up excess moisture (which was very minimal) with a microfiber cloth. I will rinse and air dry all the records tonight.
Questions:
My biggest concern is deciding if the brush is too harsh for the task of cleaning records. What would I need to listen for that would let me know if this routine is too abrasive?
Does anyone have any suggestions for different techniques I should be trying?
Any input would be greatly appreciated!
"Typical manual cleansing can leave behind dirt and oil trapped in pores. Clarisonic Sonic Skin Cleansing Systems use a patented sonic frequency of more than 300 movements per second to gently, yet thoroughly remove 6X more makeup and 2X more dirt and oil than cleansing with your hands alone."
What I did:
There are multiple brush types that are available and I went with the softest one that's intended for, "delicate skin types". I sprayed a generous amount of cleaner to the surface of the record and slowly went around the record with no other pressure than that provided by the weight of the device. I then vacuumed the record with my DIY record vacuum based off of a VPI pickup tube and holder purchased from ElusiveDisc.com.
What I heard:
I used three records to experiment with. One was a new pressing of Axis: Bold As Love and the others were well used copies of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Let It Be from a used record shop, all three had previously been cleaned with a Spin Clean record washer.
In all cases the biggest difference I heard was in the vocals. The cleaned record made my previous listen veiled by comparison and it sounded like I picked up a little more volume. Pops and general noise was down and overall the records sounded much more alive and dynamic for lack of better words. Axis: Bold As Love however, gave me some grief. After the cleaning cymbals sounded harsh and I was picking up on sibilance. I don't know if this is from the cleaning being too harsh or if it was there before and just hiding underneath crud.
What I did wrong:
Anxious to do an A/B test in hindsight I feel like I listened to the record too quickly after cleaning. After cleaning with the solution I didn't rinse the record and only dabbed up excess moisture (which was very minimal) with a microfiber cloth. I will rinse and air dry all the records tonight.
Questions:
My biggest concern is deciding if the brush is too harsh for the task of cleaning records. What would I need to listen for that would let me know if this routine is too abrasive?
Does anyone have any suggestions for different techniques I should be trying?
Any input would be greatly appreciated!
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