Need better sound from my records, where to start?

Thanks for the responses. I haven't bought many records in a year or so now, but at the time I was buying them I had rigged my own vacuum cleaning system, that helped quite a bit. I have certainly considered the purchase of a record cleaning machine, but was under the impression that a better cartridge than my $30 one was more likely the source of the problem. Well, I was ready to spend $300-$400 on a cartridge, so Ron, you'd recommend spending that on a cleaner first, even with the extremely low budget cartridge I'm using? And from Doug's response, it sounds like I'd better get some better alignment equipment as well.

I'm very interested in the Audio Technica OC9, however the pp-1 does not support MC. While my first preference would be to go with one that would work with my existing NAD phono stage, perhaps the Audio Technica paired with a Pro-ject phono box and some appropriate alignment tools would set me up for a good while. I couldn't find too much info about the Ortofon cartridges. Any further thoughts on those?

Ok. Thanks for all the help. I've ordered the AT 440ml. I was going to order the Shure, but quieter tracking would make a world of difference to me. I played with cartridge alignment more last night, and got things quite a bit better, including reducing surface noise and high frequency breakup. However my alignment tools were a limiting factor, so I ordered a stylus pressure gauge, and the alignment protractor from turntablebasics.com, as well as a test record and some additional cleaning supplies. I'm hoping that this setup will improve things tremendously, and teach me a lot about setup so that I'm more prepared when I make the big jump to a better table and cartridge. Better to learn on the cheap stuff! Thanks again for everyone's help.

Thanks for the input Psychicanimal. I have a couple hundred albums already, and like to buy albums for a couple of dollars that I'd rather not spend 15 on for cd. At this point, I don't need top of the line for vinyl, because most of my records are in mediocre condition, I just want it to be musical and enjoyable. I might find that this setup is good enough for me for many years, and will have less than $500 into my vinyl setup, including tools and cleaning supplies.

Well I had originally ordered a 440ml from the Needle Doctor, but after waiting a week without hearing anything from them, I called to find that it was on indefinite backorder. Some searching around yielded the same response from other retailers. I cancelled my order from them because I found the Shure v15mxr from www.djmart.com for $210. I couldn't pass it up at that price. I also ordered an alignment protractor from turntable basics, and a stylus force gauge and some cleaning supplies from the Needle Doctor. (As an aside, I found that my previous cartridge, set with the built in gauge, was off by 3/4 of a gram!!) Anyhow, the results:

Wow! So THIS is why vinyl is still alive and well. Surface noise is all but eliminated on my best albums, and even those that were virtually unlistenable on my previous setup sound marvelous now. On many of my records, even though there are a fair number of pops and clicks still audible, there is just so much more MUSIC coming from the album that I hardly even notice the surface noise. I can't stop listening to vinyl now. I own just a couple of albums on both cd and vinyl, but even on this modest setup, the vinyl just wastes my NAD c542 cd player. Unfortunately for my wallet, this cartridge has already revealed the limitations of my turntable and arm. Motor and groove noise are now apparent between tracks or occasionally during soft passages. I guess a turntable upgrade may be in my future. But not before a lot more vinyl!