overwhelmed by record rituals


Hi all-

I'm new to vinyl and starting to build a collection. Because I am just buying new audiophile quality vinyl (so far) it never occurred to me I should be washing the vinyl before I play it. So far my process has been to use a bit of Last stylus cleaner on the stylus (maybe after every 3 or 4 plays) and to use an Audioquest brush on the record before dropping the needle. I am starting to get some pops and clicks, though, so wondering if I should be doing more. I read through record rituals and I am a bit overwhelmed and looking for a simple process. My first question is if I should invest in a record cleaning machine before I invest in more vinyl? Is VPI a decent (modestly priced) one? Second, this article in Stereophile on Last record preservation made me wonder if I should be doing that?
http://www.stereophile.com/content/last-record-preservation-treatment
So I guess that would mean my process might be VPI (or other record cleaner) for a new record (and periodically, I'm assuming, after that) followed by a one time treatment with Last record preservative. Using the carbon Audioquest brush and Last stylus cleaner as I have been all along?

Any guidance?

Thanks!

mc
mcanaday

Showing 2 responses by zd542

I would experiment with some of the cheaper solutions before buying anything expensive. Last is good. I have some stuff called Finyl that seems to work OK. Try a few different brands and see if they can do the job. If they don't work out, then look into getting a machine.
Has anyone tried cleaning records with glue? A while back someone told me about it but I thought they were crazy. But then he showed me a video (youtube, if I remember correctly), and as crazy as it sounds, it looked like it might really work. I was always afraid to try it because I thought that if I didn't do it right I may damage my cartridge.