How to avoid pops and clicks in the cut

Introduce yourself! Recommended for people who are just starting out, as opposed to experienced lathe cutters who are new members.

Moderators: piaptk, tragwag, Steve E., Aussie0zborn

Post Reply
User avatar
lolbergg
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2025 10:12 am

How to avoid pops and clicks in the cut

Post: # 68630Unread post lolbergg
Fri Jan 02, 2026 11:46 am

Hey all! I'm not sure how much of a newbie question this is, but since I just started out, I'll post this here.

I'm cutting on a Dinsync NC-V8 lathe with a friend, and so far we've made good progress. Set everything up according to the admittedly a bit vague manual, and made our first cuts.
I mapped the cutterhead with a parametric EQ plugin in my DAW, inverse RIAA is currently also done in the box. (planning on DIYing the inverse RIAA later)

So far so good, I got some cuts that have a decent frequency response, and while they could be a bit louder, I'm happy with the current state as starting point.

I have one bigger issue though, that I could not solve yet:
There are always pretty loud clicks and pops in the cut. They are always there, when cutting silence as well when i'm cutting a program. With louder material they are partly masked, but can still be heard.
Turtle wax anti static was used to treat every blank before cutting. (MyShank blanks)
So far I tried about 5 blanks, all exhibit this issue.
Rake Angle of the MyShank stylus is about 8°
Blanks were heated to about 31°C before cutting.

Any idea what the issue is?
I'll attach a video showing the clicks. The 100Hz sine was part of the calibration routine I cut, so that can be ignored.

Thanks!
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

User avatar
drdub
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Nov 28, 2005 11:43 am
Location: AUSTRIA
Contact:

Re: How to avoid pops and clicks in the cut

Post: # 68682Unread post drdub
Wed Jan 07, 2026 8:54 am

Heyo,

the pops and clicks are also there when you play it on a different turntable right?

Cause while cutting static can build up and it's audible when playing back the record while cutting but not when you play it somewhere else after cutting.

What does the groove look like? Check under a microscope. Can you see the pops?

-Dr. Dub
Get your Dubplates & Lacquer discs at:
*** www.drdub.com ***

User avatar
lolbergg
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2025 10:12 am

Re: How to avoid pops and clicks in the cut

Post: # 68711Unread post lolbergg
Fri Jan 09, 2026 11:10 am

Hi, thanks for your reply. Yes, the clicks are audible no matter where the record is played back.
Don't have a good microscope unfortunately, just a small handheld one. Will try if I can see them there.

If I can see them (or not) what would be your conclusions in either state?

Post Reply