ghost grooves

[Jesus H Chrysler]

When I emboss on poly, I encounter this phenomena wherein if the playback needle doesn't drop in the actual groove, it will still play a dirtier version of the song as it rides the land between the grooves. I assume that embossing displaces some material and creates a ridge on either side of the groove which is just enough to catch the needle and play this ghost groove. Anyone else experience this? If so how do you avoid it?

[tragwag]

happens all the time to me,
I think it has something to do with the needle riding the side wall of the groove.
I have not found a sure fire way to avoid this, but sometimes more depth helps.
Sometimes nothing helps!
Just a given flaw with the embossing/impressing as far as I've noticed.

[Jesus H Chrysler]

so it just comes with the process eh? Guess I'll keep working on it, One thing I tried that seems to help a little is to tilt the head outward from the spindle. In theory it should give a steeper groove wall on the inside of the groove and a smaller ridge for the needle to have to jump over on the way in. Not sure if it REALLY helps or not, but anything is worth trying. I don't want people buying a cut that I did playing it once on the wrong groove and going "this sucks, who cut it?"

[piaptk]

Definitely an unavoidable side effect of embossing/impressing. Peter Kings records do it too. I haven't really found anything that reliably fixes that, or tracking issues on cheapo, unadjustable turntables for that matter. As you probably know, there are so many crazy variables involved, it's impossible to figure out what it is that fixes most problems, because they end up coming back, and the original fix doesn't work. You just have to hold your tongue just right.

[tragwag]

I added an FAQ on my site about this, hoping that people will read it (HA!)
I had an issue of someone publicly bashing an order I made him, before contacting me, and it turned out the 'ghost grooves' were the only issue. So it's definitely effected me too, I would just hope that anyone ordering a cut from you will ask what the issue might be.

[ArchaicRecords]

I have aluminum discs (with recordings) from the 1930s. Apparently they were embossed as well, as you can hear the ghosting sounds between grooves if the stylus is not riding in a groove. The land between the grooves is not flat on these either, so, to play them, the playback stylus must be properly set in a groove or it will never fall in. I would say that embossing displaces the material, forcing it upwards above the disc, since it does not cut the material away - I understand there is no chip/swarf.

[Techie]

Occasionally I have the Ghost Groove thing happen on 78s right after I clean them. Any ideas about what might cause it with a shellac 78? I am using the proper stylus. It only happens on clean discs.

[Graham B.]

I've had this happen as well and found that what I'm cutting effects the ghosting sound. Sometimes a deeper groove minimizes the effect and sometimes a shallower groove. I feel like the weight of the playback stylus has the most effect along with the anti-skating. If the tone arm is weighted to one extreme or another and doesn't advance freely it rides off the center of the groove easier.