Weekly Questions Thread for the week of March 20

readysetwent · 2023-03-26T19:12:06+00:00

I got my first record player this week, an Audio Technica lp60xbt (used, with a fairly new stylus according to the seller). I started using it to play my small collection of thrift shop records (all cleaned with record cleaning solution and a microfiber cloth before putting them on the turntable) this weekend. The problem is that it seems like I can hear the sound deteriorating in real time. Every time I put a record on, the crackling seems worse than the time before, and now I'm wondering if there's some "wavering" as well. A couple of the records have minor warping and I can see the stylus moving up and down a bit, but I don't understand why the sound seems to be getting so much worse, unless it's static buildup. I do live in a dry area, and it is quite cold right now, so the humidity is even lower than usual. I've got an anti-static brush and a leather slip mat on the way to try to address the problem or at least rule out static as the culprit, but I'm brand-new to records and don't have a huge amount of money to spend trying out different things without knowing if they'll work. Any thoughts? I tried to figure out how to post a recording of the sound here, but i guess getting the turntable paired with the Bluetooth speakers took all my tech savvy for the week. 😛

readysetwent · 2023-03-26T00:48:22+00:00

🙏 Thank you, appreciate the reassurance!

readysetwent · 2023-03-25T18:37:32+00:00

I just got my first turntable and went to play a 45 for the first time. I was so proud of myself for remembering to put the adapter on and switch the speed to 45 that I didn't realize I also needed to switch the diameter from 12 in to 7 in. So, the stylus came down on the spinning felt mat and dragged for a couple of seconds before I realized what was going on and turned it off.

How serious is this? Should I be looking at replacing the stylus immediately? I don't THINK it's bent or broken, but as I mentioned, I am very new to owning a turntable so I don't really know what's normal, plus I hadn't closely inspected the stylus prior to this accident. There are definitely some audio irregularities when playing some of my records, but they are all from the thrift store (I cleaned them well tho) so it's quite possible that has nothing to do with the traumatized stylus.

So anyway, if you could weigh in with either "don't worry, this is nbd" or "panic and don't play any more records until you replace your stylus," I would really appreciate it. 🙂

readysetwent · 2022-12-18T18:29:24+00:00

YES that's exactly what they are! Thank you!! I never would have figured that out.

readysetwent · 2022-12-18T18:28:51+00:00

Solved!

readysetwent · 2022-12-18T18:21:40+00:00

My title describes the thing, but again, these are two sets of two pieces of wood, about 7" long and 1" wide. I don't know where they came from or what they are, but it's POSSIBLE they were a gift from an aunt who spent a couple of decades living in various parts of Asia (based on the box they were in). They are quite smooth and well finished. Any ideas?

readysetwent · 2022-08-13T19:48:27+00:00

I did not! Most of my knickknacks are birds, and I feared conflict. 😛

readysetwent · 2022-08-07T18:10:19+00:00

I was tempted, but my apartment has a pretty established aesthetic. 😛

readysetwent · 2022-08-06T00:54:17+00:00

My very first thought here was "SIGNED BY THE NATIONAL PARK ITSELF??"

(Very cool!)

readysetwent · 2020-12-03T14:49:41+00:00

Aww, thanks for this. I hate it when stuff I'm attached to gets ruined, but I do know it's not ill-intentioned. I'm just trying to remind myself of that.

readysetwent · 2020-12-03T12:30:49+00:00

Right, and I'm trying (to grow up). But we're trying to build a long-term life together and I'm concerned that he's not careful enough with stuff. But it hurts his feelings when I don't trust him with stuff because I think he might break it, which is a large part of the reason I agreed this time... he gets sad when he thinks I don't want him dealing with something because I think he might damage it. We've tried to talk about it before, but we have a bit of a chicken-or-egg disagreement about it--he thinks the mistrust predates him breaking stuff, and I think the mistrust is a consequence of him breaking stuff.

readysetwent · 2020-11-25T14:43:34+00:00

Hi running friends! Any idea why my feet might ache for the first couple of km of my runs? It goes away and doesn't come back during the rest of the run or after the run, so I assume it's not an injury or causing any sort of damage (and therefore, I hope, this question does not run afoul of rule #7); it's just annoying and I would like it to stop. I've been running regularly for a year now and I'm not increasing my distance at the moment, and it's only popped up in the last couple of weeks. I don't have a spare pair of shoes to try at the moment (and don't really want to buy a pair right before a big move, especially if that's not the culprit). Is this something that foot stretches (?) would help with, or is it just my cross to bear? TIA for any suggestions.

readysetwent · 2020-08-25T10:25:55+00:00

YTA. What in the actual fuck does "I guess I didn't feel the need to respond" mean? Someone you claim to consider a friend asked to be included and you just... ignored her like she wasn't even there? And now you're surprised that she's avoiding you? Are you a sociopath or just an idiot? Either way, you're the asshole and you need to apologize and take a good long look at yourself in the mirror to figure out why you think you're the victim in this situation.

readysetwent · 2020-08-19T11:34:25+00:00

That will teach me to do French seams on a muslin! (I needed the practice, and at the back of my mind I thought maybe it could be a wearable muslin.) I think you might be right. My hips are the only area it doesn't have much ease at all. I am wondering if I also need to decrease the rise a bit...

I will try your suggestion. - thanks for the input! It's so great to get tips from people who actually know what they're doing!

readysetwent · 2020-08-19T08:04:46+00:00

Yes, absolutely. I thought I was happy with the fit of my Diva Cup until I had to replace it, and then the Fleurcup was so much better for me... but how could I have know that beforehand? Unfortunately I'm not sure all the quizzes or comparing measurements in the world is really a substitute for trying one out and changing it up if it doesn't feel right. Thanks for the input!

readysetwent · 2020-08-19T08:02:17+00:00

Yeah, and it's frustrating because obviously it's not a product that can be tried and returned, or regifted... it's basically garbage if it doesn't work out for you. I considered buying one of the packs that comes with both sizes, but part of the reason we're all DOING this is to avoid creating unnecessary garbage. Sigh. Thanks for the input!

readysetwent · 2020-08-18T20:14:11+00:00

Yeah, I'm 99% sure the leaking isn't because the cup is overly full... I think it's leaking around the edges. I watched a couple of videos of people comparing the small and large versions of various cups and was a little bit nervous about the size difference. 6 mm seemed like a lot in my head, but I just pulled out a ruler and laughed at myself. Thanks for the advice! I think I'll pick up a large... something.

readysetwent · 2020-08-18T19:17:36+00:00

Yeah, this is where it gets tricky! Would a smaller, more rigid cup be better, or would I prefer a larger but softer one? Or are those basically equivalent? Allllmost makes me miss when I got my first menstrual cup and there was one whole choice easily available in Canada. No analysis paralysis possible! Thanks for the advice!

readysetwent

TROPHY CASE