FAQ
What type of gear do you use?
Our focus is always on a faithful reproduction of the source material with a super-quiet noise floor. Many years and a lot of money and experimentation have gone into gear selection to this end. As such, we typically don't disclose the specifics of our set-up and prefer to let our end results speak for themselves. We've never had a single complaint in all our years of doing business.
Why would I restore an LP rather than go buy the CD?
Most of the vinyl we restore are one-off recordings--rarities that may be the only copy in existence. But we can digitize commercially-made products just as well. In many cases, if a CD is available, it will sound better than a restored LP. There are exceptions, of course. But primarily you will want to restore an LP when there is no CD available, or if the CDs that are available don't meet your needs. For instance, with shocking regularity, we encounter "newly remastered" CDs that inexplicably sound horrible. So those are cases when digitizing an older LP will provide superior sound quality to buying a new CD.
But aren't all those clicks and crackle part of the allure of vinyl?
Absolutely! If you enjoy that unmistakable vinyl sound, more power to you! Our basic service will be perfect for you, allowing you to have straight digital files made from your vinyl, with all its charming imperfections. This way you can rock your vinyl collection anytime, anywhere—on a home media server, iPod, or in the car. Certain projects, however, require a pristine sound as close as possible to the original master recordings; that's where our step-up restoration services come in.
Can I just send you digital files to be cleaned?
Yes indeedly doodly (as long as you still own an original "official" copy of the album as well). This will usually knock the price down since we won't have to wash and digitize your albums first. In fact, if you've previously hired us to do a digitize-only service, we can go back and restore those same files for you any time down the line.
What about other source formats?
In addition to all flavors of records (vinyl, acetate, lacquer, 33, 45, 78), we can digitize your cassettes. Got material in other formats? Let's chat.
What if I'm not in the Oakland, CA area?
If you'd like to ship your albums to us, we'd be more than happy to ship them back to you after processing them. You'd simply be responsible for all shipping costs. In the San Francisco Bay Area, we can also usually work something out for local pick-up and delivery at little or no cost.
Why should I hire you instead of this guy on Craigslist who said he'd do it for $10?
Because that guy is a clown.
What else can you do?
Mhat can also recite the alphabet backwards.