What Was The Last Vinyl You Bought?

Foals - Life Is Yours (pre order).

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Mine is ok it does seem to be a bit hit and miss with Optimal hope your replacement is ok.

Nat Birchall and Al Breadwinner -


Nat Birchall & Al Breadwinner, Mono LP


Interesting coincidence, I just posted those on the UK Jazz Thread, you should check out Vin Gordon African Shores.
Noting the stock Discog images, have you actually bought them?

Bummer! You do seem to be having a run of bad luck, welcome to the wonderful world of vinyl, I get your frustration, obvious faults like warping and scratches ought to be rejected by the plant but some issues like non fill (the worst defect imo, drives me nuts!) Isnt always easy to spot visually and unless a whole pressing run is at issue there will always be the odd one that gets through. Pragmatically I think dont its always realistic for mainstream plants pressing thousands upon thousands of records to be able to excercise the level of QC we would all like. Nature of the Beast, hope you get a better replacement.

Sadly Optimal have had consistent issues with non fill, particularly affecting the BN Classic for some reason, recent reports seem to suggest that they sorted it, hope their not slipping again.

:heart:

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Lunatic Soul - Walking On a Flashlight Beam (2014) … still my favourite of that year, just bought a spare. ‘Dark prog electronica’ is how I’d describe it.

Thanks. I’d never heard of non fill until recently. I discovered that the classic sign is the string of pearls effect, which is on this one in places, with other areas liking more dotty. I can’t fault Juno Records - they are sending a replacement, with no need the return the faulty one. I suppose I just put in in the bin, which seems very wasteful.

Classic records 200g… :grin: :sunglasses: :+1:

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I’ve used Juno records for as long as I care to remember, their service is second to none, prices often better than elsewhere and a proper independent music and equipment specialist unlike some corporate behemoths.
If the copy you dont need to return is unplayable, frisbee it out the window and use the sleeve for wall art.

Tip for you which I often make with Juno, listen to their sound samples before making a purchase, there quite LoFi but good enough to hear issues with pressings, especially if you can connect to your main system. I find the samples played from my phone via Bluetooth into my Bluesound or even just the stereo in my cab very useful, I’ve avoided many duffers this way (obviously wont show up warps or off centering, but noise, non fill, clicks, pops, crackles etc) A while back I alerted Mal (nice guy) to an obviously very noisy Paul Weller pressing audible on the samples, turned out all copys were affected and they withdrew their stock.
You can usually click on the sample thingy and move it to different parts of the record, I always have a listen to the intro of the first track on each side and towards the end of the last on each side, this is where non fill mostly occurs.

Edit, actually, looking closer at your pic, I think your record has a defect known as stitching. Similar audible result often confused with non fill but is a different issue.
Stitching doesnt bode well as it’s more likely to affect a whole batch of pressings whereas non fill can be random.

Stitching

Non Fill

This is What "Non-Fill" Looks Like | Analog Planet.

Yup, the “string of pearls” is a sure sign of non-fill, but annoyingly you can have non-fill that doesn’t leave such an obvious trace.

Not that its particularly important, either way it’s a pain in the arse, but non fill tends to affect a portion of the record hence the shhhh sound on each rotation or in patches (as I already pointed out not always clearly visible with naked eye), whereas stitching (very clearly visible) looks more like curcumferential (is that a word?) Little broken lines (like road lane markings) around the whole circumference of the record groove making that constant ripping sound rather than shhh…shhh…shhh sound of non fill.
At the risk of sounding pedantic I think HH’s record looks to me more like stitching.

(At least this is my understanding of it)

So a return to form for Optimal? :roll_eyes:

It has both! The classic string of pearls doesn’t show up in the photo but don’t worry, it’s there!! Two out of two.

I think the difference between stitching and non-fill is that the first happens at the time the Stamper is separated from the Mother and the second when the vinyl separates from the stamper. For the former, you would expect it to affect every single LP pressed from that stamper, however, with the latter (non-fill) it would only affect some pressings but hopefully not all.

My understanding is slightly different, Stitching can be as you describe (and would affect all records pressed from that stamper, I did point that out to H) but also where the vinyl doesnt separate properly from the stamper in the press (similarly to Stamper and Mother seperation) Non fill occurs differently as a result of the hot melt vinyl not flowing correctly when pressed between the Stampers and is usually more random, although depending on whatever the problem with the press causing the non fill issue to occur in the first place could result in a whole batch affected.

Non fill or Stitching if your not sure which it is I think can be identified audibly as I tried to describe. Non fill with the intermittent shhh…shhhh sound vs the constant ripping/crackle of stitching

Gawd Blimey! Double trouble grrrrrrr! :joy:

I thought the pic you posted is the actual record you have

Melissa Aldana - 12 Stars, Blue Note (2022) PRE ORDER

Proof of Purchase by request.

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Happy now

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No, it’s not itemised

WOW!

This mono album is my most silent record together with my only 45rpm among all 33 stereo albums, this pressing is absolutely stunning. If you don’t own this album yet and are a Miles fan, please go get it. Cheaper then most of my more expensive records and sounding as great. I am used to, especially on these older recordings, hearing the piano on vinyl linger a bit (for lack of words in not my language) on higher notes, but not here, every snare is hit tight and sounds precisely so.

Mono… what I usually do is get distracted that my subconsious usually goes looking for where the musicians are in the sound image. Not here, of course, a lot more centered, but still, a very wide stage and my mind just wonders and lets the music hit the emotions, as it should.

Not a lot more to say. I am very pleased to be so surprised by this one.

Rex’ vinyl #66

Miles Davis - 'Round about midnight
1957
Pressing 2021 / Columbia / Speakers Corner SC-CL949

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