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Topic: Plastic record sleeves cause static? (Read 4831 times) previous topic - next topic
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Plastic record sleeves cause static?

I remember reading somewhere that the clear cellophane record sleeves could cause static buildup and attract dust to a record, is this true?

I'm asking because I received a Christmas gift of Ozzy Osbourne's "Diary of a Madman", 30th anniversary picture disc. It was new, never opened. The record itself came in one of those thin crinkly plastic sleeves instead of the usual paper. On the very first play, I heard way more dust crackling and popping than what is usual for a new record. What else could have been the cause of it?

I actually digitized that first playthrough, so I can post short clips of the surface noise in question if y'all think it's necessary or would be helpful in determining the cause. (Sounds like dust in the grooves to me...)

Plastic record sleeves cause static?

Reply #1
I actually digitized that first playthrough, so I can post short clips of the surface noise in question if y'all think it's necessary or would be helpful in determining the cause. (Sounds like dust in the grooves to me...)


Clean the damn record before playing...always.
Plastic sleeves produce electrostatic charging of the record.

Plastic record sleeves cause static?

Reply #2
Quote
I remember reading somewhere that the clear cellophane record sleeves could cause static buildup and attract dust to a record, is this true?
Hopefully, it's an anti-static plastic.  Does it seem to be "attracted" to the vinyl, or does it cling to the vinyl?

Quote
On the very first play, I heard way more dust crackling and popping than what is usual for a new record. What else could have been the cause of it?
I'd be surprised if it picked-up that much dust between the time you removed it from the sleeve and when you placed it on the turntable.  Maybe it's just a bad pressing...  Maybe the put all of their effort into the picture??? 

I don't know if it's true, but I just found this:[/b]
Quote
Although pleasing to the eye, the overall sound quality of these recordings are not comparable to the better sounding black vinyl discs. This is due in part to ultra thin outside layers of clear vinyl which supports the grooves.


Plastic record sleeves cause static?

Reply #3
Picture discs are often worse in terms of the "wooshing" / rumbling vinyl sound - sometimes much worse - than normal black vinyl.

Sometimes plastic cases (or plastic inners) stick to vinyl - I don't mean in a static kind of way, but in a cling-film kind of way. I don't think they use such plastics for record sleeves any more though. It doesn't usually affect playing, though it can leave visible marks.

Clicks and pops I cannot explain, except the kind of poor quality control that can give such things on new black vinyl too, very occasionally.

Cheers,
David.

 

Plastic record sleeves cause static?

Reply #4
All of my picture discs are subjectively noiser than their black vinyl counterparts, regardless of cleaning, and sometimes they are significantly noisier. I always logically put it down to the cause suggested by DVDdoug - the clear vinyl layer is thinner than the vinyl on a normal black vinyl disc. The fact that many of them were also slightly warped didn't help, and again I always attributed this to the imperfect mechanical sandwiching of five thin layers rather than the pressing of a single thicker layer in a black vinyl disc.