Record-playing Rituals?

Good thread and I several neat things. I have to laugh at myself (and us) as I read the comments because this dance we do produces the great results "we" are looking for, but it quite funny actually as obsessive behavior. I'll add to this theme by admitting my VPI 17F reservoir only tastes distilled water and never any cleaning liquids. Yuck! I didn't like the idea of what cleaning fluids might leave behind in the tank. So I have to I squirt on the cleaning fluids with a hand held applicator even though I have this record cleaner. My wife just shakes her head. I do use post-its on each record's rice paper sleeve to jot down last cleaning date, number of times played, how I like the music/performance, and VTA + with anti-skate. Somehow, I hear anti-skate change effects when I do large VTA moves. Do you? Albert's computer generated labeling sounds very appealing as here on my PC, but then using the post-it seems so easy and just manual enough to be vinyl friendly. I really relate everybody routine here especially with the hip based move for flicking the record dust off the record brush and blowing compressed air into the record sleeve seeming to be important transition points for the very next move in the routine. Yikes, I've always found that the little bow job on the record sleeve has a certain emotional satisfaction just before sliding my vinyl treasure in its home. I'll finish by saying, "it's really about the music".

It's nice to hear that someone else also jots down VTA info for each record. Different records, different weights, and different profiles all determine where "proper" VTA is. And yes, many of us do know the difference, thanks for bringing it up. I'd hate to really get into my whole cleaning regimen, many would consider me overly anal.

This is a great thread!! Albert, that procedure is facinating. When I used Last preservative,years ago, I felt that it rolled the treble a bit, so I stopped (Stylast did the same thing) . Is that why you use Image Restorer as your final step? Does it maintain the positive LAST solution effect while restoring the treble and give you the transparency of the distilled water rinse?
The cover cleaning comments were real helpful, cant wait to try them. I wont tell you how I did it, but the name WINDEX and PLEDGE were associated on laquered covers. Dont shoot me, its the best I could think of.
Detlof , if you heard more noise, its possible that you dryed the record too much with too many revolutions. I like to dry the surface to the point of, still slightly damp. Of course, you may already know this.
Rcres, I also used to realign VTA with different thicknesses when I used the FR-64s Tonearm with the Incredible B-60 stabilizer. The knurled knob adjuster during play, should be required on all tonearms. Of course the Linn strategy that the pillar must be locked (white knucles)tight, is a philosophy taken by many tonearm designers, and one that I dont really agree with. The VTA adjustment issue was more important that that, in my opinion......Frank

Frap. Yes, the effect of the Last solution has already benefited the vinyl a few moments after application. The final wash with the Record Research fluid is a minor miracle in retaining Last's benefits, while removing the (solvent?) obscuring tonal balance.

I also understand that the Last Record Preservative is effective at getting "under" microscopic particles that are typically not dislodged with normal cleaning procedures. Once they are released, the final wash with Record Research fluid gets the LP clean to a microscopic level.

On the comments concerning a final wash. I know that the RR fluid is manufactured with lab grade water. This is typically hundreds of times more pure than the distilled water from the grocery store. Water is a powerful solvent at lab grade purity level, and combined with the cleaning agent in the RR solution, makes for a perfect final wash. I believe that an application of distilled water afterwards actually leaves behind more contamination that stopping after the RR fluid.

In either case, the sound is best when the Last treatment is followed by a short additional cleaning. Let me know if any of you try my Novus cleaning trick on the covers. Best to you all!

Albert, could you please give me a source for the RR fluid. That would be very kind. Frap, thanks for your suggestion, but its not the drying process, its the bad quality of triple destilled water, which caused the trouble. Albert is quite right there. Besides, I don't think we are compulsion neurotics, rather we are acting in a perfectly rational fashion, because our procedures, different as they may be in detail, do indeed serve succesfully to improve the sound of LP-playback. (Worrysome thought: Don't they say, that the truly crazy always think themselves perfectly sane?)Last thought: So what, main thing it serves the music. Cheers to all in this great thread!