INTRODUCING ARCHIVAL 3.0

As of December 2020, Perfect Vinyl Forever has released our Archival 3.0 service. This is a major change to our service offerings comprising major advancements to our results.

Background

One important differentiator between using a record cleaning service vs. buying your own consumer record cleaning equipment is continuous improvement through innovation. At Perfect Vinyl Forever, we create our own processes, our own cleaning chemistry and physics, and our own equipment. We have complete control over every aspect of our record cleaning processes which provides the ideal environment for continuous improvement and we at PVF leverage it to our fullest advantage.

Perfect Vinyl Forever was founded in 2017 and since then we have cleaned tens of thousands of records for our clients. With that volume of records cleaned, we are able to directly observe the results of our processes when applied to a very wide range of records, including records with wildly varying needs. We’ve seen some of the most enviable, high end pressings pass through our facility (we call upon every drop of our integrity to ensure they don’t, ahem, get lost in the mail…). We’ve seen records in the most unfortunate state (who paints walls with an exposed record on the turntable?!). Each record is treated with equal reverence; we do everything possible to make that copy of the music as close to perfect as it possibly can be.

Through all of these experiences, we learn. We learn a lot. We observe. We obsess. We research. We lose sleep. We test. We fail. We try again. We test some more. We break through. We innovate. We build new machinery. We test again. Then, finally, we release a new version of a process. This usually is done without much fanfare. Repeat clients may see a version number increase and notice something extra special about that order of records. But Archival 3.0 is different. It is groundbreaking. The results are unlike anything we’ve achieved before. And this time, we are not going to be quiet about it.

Our previous Archival services added a pre-treatment, for records with built-up contaminants, to our standard UltraDeep process. We soaked the records in a proprietary solution which included industrial grade enzymes for their strong yet safe cleaning properties. But there are limitations to what enzymes can do. Enzymes only dissolve very specific substances called substrates. This isn’t a problem if you know exactly what substrate you are trying to remove. For instance, lipase, one type of enzyme, will break down oils and fats. It is used, for example, as an environmentally friendly solution to clean up petroleum oil spills. In this case, the contaminant is singular and easily identifiable. To broaden the efficacy of our enzyme recipe, we used a blend of three different industrial enzymes to clean the most likely substances on records - oils, saliva, paper fragments and dust. All of these are noise generating and groove obscuring contaminants but also act as binders for inorganic contaminants, meaning they attract and retain other similarly misbehaving substances. This process worked very well. So well, it led the industry. But we thought we could do better by breaking from traditional advanced record cleaning practices. If we leverage the power of a different kind of chemistry we will enhance the overall effect of our cleaning processes. So, we did it.

Archival 3.0

Archival 3.0 replaces enzymatic cleaning with two unique cleaning solutions. The first step is designed to safely remove the manufacturing residue that exists on every vinyl record pressed since 1948. This residue consists of plasticizers which are soft plastic substances that migrate to the surface of the record during the pressing process. While necessary when forming the record during the pressing process, once the record is released from the stamper, the usefulness of this substances ends, yet the substances remain, obscuring critical details of the musical experience. The manufacturing residue acts as an “infill” to the sub-micron details in the groove of the record. As long as it remains on your records, this ‘skin’ obscures critical life-like musical details that place a barrier between you and the music on your recordings. The stylus floats on the compliant surface of the groove, allowing for inter-groove wall stylus vibration, also known as stylus chatter. All of these sonic artifacts are significantly lessened by removing the soft manufacturing residue, exposing the true signal pressed into the more rigid PVC that was carved into the lacquer during the mastering process. These revelatory musical details are actually present in the records you own to a much greater degree than you hear with these contaminants obscuring it.

After 10 minutes in the first Archival 3.0 cleaning solution, the records are rinsed in lab grade ultra pure water then soaked for another 10 minutes in our second cleaning solution. This solution is formulated to remove all organic and inorganic artifacts in the groove of the record, while having no effect on the base PVC polymer that is the record itself. This step reduces or eliminates most of the record noise. Whether from a vintage record with built up contaminants or a newly pressed album, the second step of the Archival 3.0 process removes these noise inducing substances that create undesirable clicks, pops and crackle during playback. The records are rinsed once again in lab grade ultra pure water, then are physically cleaned with our UltraDeep 2.0 process.

After being chemically cleaned with the Archival 3.0 pretreatment process the records are physically cleaned with our UltraDeep 2.0 process. UltraDeep utilizes ultrasonic cavitation cleaning to get deep into the grooves of the records to remove residual Archival 3.0 cleaning agents while revealing the finest of details within the recording. First, we use 135 kHz cavitation with a light mixture of detergents and surfactants to release any lingering contaminants. Then, we use lab grade ultra pure water with an industry leading 220 kHz ultrasonic cavitation rinse tank ensuring all contaminants and cleaning agents are completely removed from the surface of the record. Records are then dried in our triple filtered record dryer, then placed in brand-new, top quality inner sleeves with date-of-service labels. They are repacked into your mailer and returned for your enjoyment.

Changes

Archival 3.0 benefits ALL records equally. Previously, we recommended Archival process for older records with embedded contaminants. Records with minimal surface noise did fine with our UltraDeep process alone.

Now, we recommend all records utilize the Archival 3.0 process. UltraDeep 2.0 is offered as a lower cost option for those who want to evaluate state of the art ultrasonic cavitational cleaning, with our unique fluid solutions, by itself. For the ultimate vinyl experience, the additional expense of Archival 3.0 processing is well worth the investment.

Records previously cleaned with one of PVF’s processes will reveal new sonic improvements if re-cleaned with Archival 3.0, with no downsides. For our clients who used our services we recommend putting our claims to the test by sending in some previously PVF cleaned records and some records that have yet to be cleaned for your next order. This will give you a very good well-rounded baseline to help determine which records to send in next.

Results

Expect more with Archival 3.0 - We are confident we will meet, if not surpass, your expectations. Expect more musical details, more accurate spatial cues, more natural tonal balance, more instrument seperation and definition, more transient impact, more decay, more resonance, more accurate timing, and more life and emotion from your vinyl sourced music than ever before.

Also expect less with Archival 3.0 - Less surface noise, less impure sonic characteristics, less stylus chatter, less veiled sound, less listening fatigue, less vinyl frustration, less time cleaning your records at home, less confusion regarding record cleaning claims and less cost to clean your records.

The sonic improvements will be similar to a significant upgrade in your cartridge or phono preamp. In some ways, it’s even beyond that because the best equipment available can’t find hidden music. For record collectors, we will improve the play grade two to three levels. This corresponds to a significant increase in the value of your record collection.

What you should not expect is a completely noise-free playback experience. There are limitations to vinyl, just as there are limitations to all formats of recorded music. Your records will be quieter, much quieter in most circumstances. But that does not mean completely free of all surface noise. This is a compromise we vinyl lovers have had to make and the concession continues, but to a significantly lesser degree.