Slurred 'esses' on Vinyl LPs or 45s

[Craig Maier]

A common problem with Vinyl LPs or 45s are slurred 's' (esses) sounds. There are a number of causes of this. Nonetheless, the problem can be solved via the Diamond Cut Productions DCart10 De-Esser (de ess) found under the Effects Menu and contained within the Dynamics Processor. You can read about it in the help file for more details.

Craig

[Craig Maier]

So, what is the root cause of the slurred "esses" problem on vinyl records? I would break it down into two categories. The first involves the production/manufacturing process of the disc itself and the second involves the record owners audio system and it's setup. I will describe some of these.

Production/Manufacturing:

1. One of the tracks on the multi-track was overloaded during the recording session(s).
2. During the mix down to the half-track master, too much treble boost was used exceeding the slew rate capability of the mastering process.
3. The Cutting Lathe power amplifier was over-driven during the master cutting process.
4. The Cutting Head power amplifier had weak output tubes (often these amplifiers were left on constantly, and the output tubes would become weak without notice - - - most records were cut using vacuum tube power amplifiers prior to around 1970).
5. The cutting head cutting stylus was worn out or improperly aligned with the cutting surface.
6. The record manufacturer over-used the stamper of the record in question. Generally, a stamper was good for around 10,000 pressings, but to save money, often the manufacturer would not replace them until they hit the 25,000 mark. Worn out stampers produce high frequency distortion.

Customer Record Playback/Transfer:

1. The end-user (you) have a worn out stylus or you are using the wrong stylus (the software documentation has a list of styli sizes based on record type).
2. You are tracking the record too lightly - - - (this is a common error)
3. Your turntable anti-skating is improperly set.
4. Your record was over-played and the high frequencies have become deformed on the disc surface.

How do I know if the problem is on my side of the equation?

How do you know if the problem was injected during Production/Manufacturing or Customer Record Playback/Transfer side of the process?

1. If every record that you play has distortion of the top - end (slurred esses, for example), then the chances are that the issue is on your playback system.
2. If only an occasional record exhibits this distortion problem, then the record itself has that defect.

If you have assured yourself that your record playback equipment is in proper working condition, then you must consider the use of the Diamond Cut Productions De-Esser found under the Effects Menu. It can dramatically reduce the problem. (Effects/Dynamics Processor/De-Esser box checked). You can read more about the Dynamics Processsor in the software documentation.

I hope that this has been somewhat useful.

Craig

[sus4chord]

Craig - I think I know what you are getting at here, but not exactly sure. Could you provide a link to a short audio clip to hear what is going on (and perhaps a before/after) to show what can be done to fix it?

[Craig Maier]

I should have thought of that before fixing the issue on my LPs. All of my LP and 45 music has been fixed. I will post something next time I encounter the problem (but all of my 750 LPs have already been transferred and processed). The issue is quite obvious when you hear it however. It is a high frequency distortion - - - a raspy sound on violins and a slurred 'ess' sound on the pronunciation of the letter s.

[ebrjvd]

At the playback side the cause (apart from disk wear) is often a worn pickup stylus and/or too low tracking force.
Many people think that low tracking force will reduce record weaar, but the best results are usually obtained using the max. stylus force recommended by the cartridge/stylus manufacturer.

Jos

[Craig Maier]

Jos,

Yes, you are correct. A worn out stylus will product that sort of distortion. And, from my experience, it is better to track heavier than the manufacturer recommendations. Certainly tracking lighter will not only produce a distorted transfer, but will also damage your record. For example, if my cartridge manufacturer recommends 1.5 grams, I will move it up to 2.0 grams (and then re-set the anti-tracking via a blank record side). It may produce a little more wear on the stylus, but the transfer is more likely to be clean and undistorted using that method.