I think its just right.

I found out that the 15min side is lite, then when its turned over to the 10 min side it heavy, it also looks like the record is slightly warped.

Who is pressing the vinyl? RTI in So Cal presses all the vinyl for Q-bert's records. They cost a bit more but I never hear any turntablists complaining about there stuff.

RTI is indeed the plant that presses the Serato records. I was there while they were running a batch. I personally think the weight is PERFECT.

DJ Fallout... it just sounds like your record is warped to me.

I have the exact same thing FallOut... you need to be popeye to do a spinback on my 10min sides

LOL. Tell me about it. Its a shame both sides dont feel the same, as if I had damaged the grooves on the 15 min side then wanted to turn to the 10 min side, Im stuck with super heavy vinyl or would have to buy another one, which would pee me off as I like to get my dollors worth.

I got the same problem too. Oh well...

I just bought some new Control Vinyl and I have the same problem thats being discussed here. But I didn't have this problem w/ the vinyl that came with Serato. Why does one side feel heavier than the other

I would call records of this description 'concave' or 'convex'.
I would call a warped record one where the needle does not remain at the same height for one or more revolutions.

The 'light' side of the record will be concave as you look down at it while playing on a turntable. To exaggerate it would look like you were looking into a dish or bowl. There is little friction because the circumference of the surface area in contact with the splipmat will be at its smallest. The fix for this (or to weighten the feel) is to fill the centre hole of the vinyl, the one that the spindle goes through, with stickers, so that it is tight to the spindle. I suggest fitting one narrow sticker at a time through the hole and the testing it on both sides to check it will fit on the spindle, it will wear in (outwardly) with play. You want it to be real tight, and if you stop the record and push and pull the record from the edge towards the spindle and then away from it, there should be no movement. If done correctly this may improve sound quality because the record will not knock or run against the spindle during playback.

The 'heavy' side of the record will be concave as you look at it while it plays, like an upturned saucer. For some reason the centre hole is always much tighter this way, which adds to the heavy feel. You will probably find that the label area is not in contact with the slipmat (depends how bad the pressing is), and that the outer edge causes a heavy feel due to it almost digging down into the slipmat (to exaggerate).

When tightening the hole, be sure to check the record will fit on the spindle both ways up, and if you stop the record during playback with your hand you do not want the platter to stop, this rarly happens though.

The 'light' side can be great for scratchers, espcially when the hole is plugged up. The 'heavy' side will be good for mixers who touch the vinyl mid-mix to adjust speed, means you can be more brutal with it and still be accurate. If your records perform in this manner, perhaps try playing to their strengths. Just remember: "tighten that hole!"

if you want to do a spinback on your heavy side, kill the power 1st, then spinback the vinyl, or pull back the vinyl and platter in one motion and it will spin freely.

ive been buying vinyl for years and even when I get a perfectly flat vinyl, the first thing I do is make sure the hole is tight, and if its not I tighten it, it also great for tracking, because there is less, or no, lateral movement for the needle to deal with.

hope that helps

oops no edit,
'heavy' side will be convex

good info here

I disagree a little bit senator. I mean, to each his own - I'm all for that. I deal with this situation a little different.

This is hard to explain, so I expect a little bit of "hate" for posting this. The fact that the vinyl is curved like a bowl is correct. Think of a basketball... it could spin very easily on a flat surface, because there is very little contact on that surface. This example relates to the slick [or light] side of the vinyl.

In contrast, if you try to spin an upside down bowl on a flat surface it'll feel like the "heavy" side of the vinyl.

As a quick fix [here's the hard to explain part], I slightly bend the record while rotating it within my hands. By doing this, your basically bending it flat. It's only vinyl, so you don't have to show your strength here and break it. You only have to bend it slightly all the way around - just enough to make it lay flatter on yo platter.

i dont see how that disagrees with me Deez :o)

Im not saying bending doesnt work, but ive tried bending by hand and have had no joy, i think vinyl is good at remembering the position it is 'supposed' to be in unless heated, and it doesnt get too hot here in the UK lol

no hate, and i wouldnt expect any for your genuine comment, nice one.

Thanks senator. You are right about it remembering... it will go back to it's old shape after a while, but it will also flatten with time as well. I only bent my vinyl when I first got it every once in a while, but now it's normal. I'd rather use my old SSL vinyl @ the 5 min. mark rather than my new SSL vinyl. So I guess it works over time.

one thing I must add, because I didnt really directly address the first problem in the thread:
when the record is tight to the spindle the 'pick up' is far quicker than a loose record (or standard one), when back-cueing, scratching or sampling vinyl. Even if little of the vinyl is in contact with the platter/slipmat the spindle will pick it up to the correct speed, when done correctly there should be no 'lag'

senator, good post. Maybe you should post it in a dedicated post in the tips+tricks section, so others can see its a generic SSL vinyl fault, its just how vinyls are.

Love to see cordial posts. You guys are such pros!

This is an irritating problem. I wish it were just flat. I don't ever use my Bsides because of this. I'm glad to see other people are having this problem, I thought it was something my record store was doing to the wax.

I have had better luck with the vinyl I get directly from Rane for some reason?

Well I'm not glad your having the problem I suppose. I should say I feel your pain...

If you get the chance you gotta always do the platter test. When your at the record store, put the record on a flat surface and push in the middle to make sure their isn't any concave or convex on each side.

Vinyl does have memory, so bending only last a few minutes, I solution you can do is to take any old slipmat, cut out a 1/2 inch board and double side tape it on a slip mat and vice versa. Of course this was with vinyl and some records were hard to find. But that is why serato is great, the vinyl isn't hard to find one of a kinds, so just buy some new ones. Yes, it still cost money but hard to find songs that your probably playing with cost a lot more.

S

I heard what helps is to put the record in between two piece of flat glasses and leave it in the sun for some hours, not too short, else it will have no effect, and not too long or you might end up with melt vinyl chocolate. I heard the real men put it into the oven for some minute. ;-)

Good info in here guys, thanks!

I only ever use the B side because of this,

someone once told me you can fixed warped vinyl by sticking the disc between two pieces of glass and then sticking it in the oven on a low heat.

You copy cat :-D

Ive experimented with trying to repair concave vinyl.

what I did was place the vinyl between two pieces of heavy coffee table glass. instead of heat from the sun I used steam from an iron on both sides. then I let it cool for some hours.

the result was zero. I thought that probably I wasnt getting it hot enough.

then I tried applying direct heat from the stove, just enough to feel the vinyl become slightly playable. then I got it back between the glass as soon as possible.

this time the result was worse. I believe the vinyl started cooling to quick, as in immediately.


then I tried to heating again with the iron, allot hotter then I dared the first time, maybe even dangerously hot.

the result was not improved.

I couldnt spend anymore time after that.




I havnt given up on the idea of being able to fix concave vinyl between too pieces of glass.

but I have concluded that it is allot harder then it is worth, especially if it only cost $10 to buy a new one.

maybe it would work all day in the sun, all night cooling. but I doubt it would get hotter then the steam from the iron. prolonged heat could be the trick, but I doubt it.

I think that heat will cause more concavity no mater if it is being pressed between glass. the reason is the differences in the vinyl between the layers that have grooves, and the layers underneath. they heat and cool at different rates. once the vinyl is struck you can never heat the two layers equally, and that difference is part of the reason for the warping. I may have read this some place, or Im just imagining.

maybe there is a way, possibly not

A-HA, a solution to this problem...engraved titanium control vinyl!

that titanium platter would be nice. stylus might only last 45 seconds, but at least the record would never warp.

geek mode: What about having 3 layers, one vinyl layer at the bottom, one platinum layer in the middle and one at the top. ;)

One result I KNOW works over time is when you got a lotta records stuffed into one crate. If you have a lot of records (and especially in one of those long milk crates, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. I've seen records that looked like Pringles come out flat over time. I've also seen the opposite - records that WERE flat, but were bent in a particular position for an extended period of time.