What is the first thing you do when you unwrap a new vinyl record?


That is, apart from kiss the person who gave it to you!

You might play it, catalog it, archive it, clean it or simply store it.  I am sure there are many other things you do!

128x128richardbrand

@asvjerry brand new records can have a significant amount of mold release agent on them that can cause surface noise. Always better to clean them before playing. YMMV. 

I generally look at the surface of the vinyl to ensure it has no bad scratches or isn't warped. Eventually I clean them with a vacuum machine, destat them, and finally play. I'd love to have a Degritter or similar, but I can't justify the expense since I'm spending more on streaming these days than on LPs. Sometimes I'll place the LP on my turntable to ensure the center hole isn't too tight. A few LPs had that issue over the years. 

Definitely clean it via ultrasonic first and most importantly, catalog it, listen to it in full, and write down my impressions of it in the catalog, about the sound quality, pressing quality and music quality. With over 2k vinyl, it is a critical aspect of what to choose to play next. 

as with others here, I clean it in my US RCM and put it in a rice sleeve, if it was not supplied with one. Then I listen for pops and clicks and skips. Then a few days later, I listen to the music.

I lookup the record ID on discogs, add it to my collection. Get a protective sleeve for the cover and then play it ! laugh

I zap it with my Zerostat then clean it on my Nitty Gritty RCM--first using the MoFi Super Deep Cleaner and then their regular record wash.  I apply the cleaners by placing the LP on a rubber record mat in its shipping box, so there is a solid surface against which I can apply the pressure of the record-cleaning brushes. Then I place the LP back on the rubber mat and apply LAST preservative.  It is often necessary to clean the LP again (with a dry carbon-fiber brush) after placing it on the turntable, as dust will have landed on it.  After listening to the record I add it to my collection on Discogs if I'm going to keep it. I usually place the LP in a new inner sleeve, especially if it came in a paper or cheap poly sleeve.

This procedure, along with using the Zerostat and the dry brush before each play, has worked to keep my LPs in near-mint condition over decades of play.