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Thread: CD gone bad - Espiritu - "Crisalida"

  1. #1

    CD gone bad - Espiritu - "Crisalida"

    I love this album from the Argentinian band, Espiritu. While listening to the CD recently, I noticed a bunch of diginoise and other digital problems. There are no scratches nor smudges on the surface of the CD. Upon looking more closely, I could see part of the label from the other side of the disc. That can't be good! I understand the playback problems now.

    This disc used to play perfectly. I probably bought it about 20 years ago. I checked the digital files (which I ripped about 10 years ago), and they still sound perfect.

    Has anyone else seen something like this with CDs? I've seen disc-rot, but you usually see visible signs of corruption with that.

  2. #2
    Is that the Music Hall pressing? Because that’s the one I have.
    Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Progbear View Post
    Is that the Music Hall pressing? Because that’s the one I have.
    Yep. Music Hall MH-1.0.026-2.

  4. #4
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    I would imagine that a lot of CDs from the 90s have rotted, just like laser discs. There was so much hype behind the technology back then, but CDs hadn't yet endured the test of time.

  5. #5
    I deal a lot in Classical CD's, and I'm continually amazed at how many discs pressed in the mid-80s still play perfectly fine. CD rot seems to factor in certain small pressing plants (ZNR had issues with both Pre and Easter Island pressings). Bronzing is another issue that can (though not always) affect playback - the Classical labels Hyperion and Unicorn-Kanchana were/are notorious for this happening to their early '90s releases. --Peter

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Progbear View Post
    Is that the Music Hall pressing? Because that’s the one I have.
    + 1.

    On reading this I immediately had to run and check my copy, but it looks alright. Granted it's not among my very fave Argentinian CDs and consequently not one I spin too often, I also took a look at a couple of other Music Hall issues (Arco Iris et al.), and it'd seem they're actually starting to get somewhat worn out. South America was always a pond of partly dubious quality as far as prints are concerned, for instance with the Marcoumar vinyl repressings which were notoriously lousy.

    I have seen this kind of tendency with CD-Rs, of course, but until recently I didn't find that all too problematic. I guess in time it will be, as I spent a whole lotta dough on this format.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
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    By and large CD seems to be a resilient format, in my experience, and a lot of CDs I own were bought second hand. But there are exceptions.

    PDO UK was the main pressing plant (not PDO Germany) which had problems with bronzing, up to the mid 90s. There was another European plant with this issue, maybe Italian, but I've forgotten what it was. I've encountered a few older discs like this.

    I've had one pressed by Mayking which had that classic disc-rot 'clicking' noise in the background, and it wasn't bronzed.

    One thing to watch for are those foam inserts in 'fatboy' double CD cases which stuck to the disc surfaces and basically destroyed them. What a stupid idea that was.

    Some discs made by Nimbus had 'sticky' disc surfaces, although I haven't read about this affecting play. Similarly, visible pinholes when you hold some discs up to light don't affect play.

  8. #8
    The Italian Classical label Nuova Era is prone to the physical bronzing, but not sure if I've had any of them with the affected playback (bronzing usually manifests itself at the end of the disc and will sound like scratchy surface noise more associated with old vinyl 78s - which is always fun trying to determine if this is legitimate or not on those Pearl CD's that re-issued many of the 1910's/1920's recordings!).

    I just had one of those fatboy releases yesterday I decided to toss out because the foam melded with the disc; probably would have played fine, but just wasn't worth trying to salvage. The foam inserts I gather mostly did that when exposed to heat/humidity or perhaps smoke also contributed. I've come across plenty in my time where the foam inserts are just like new.

    Peter

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    ^I've had a double CD where that had happened, foam tore up the surface. I thought it had corrupted because there were some crackling noises (as you get on CDs with disc rot). However, later I got hold of another copy which was fine and the songs in question towards the end of the disc had been taken from a record! So the 'bad' disc probably was OK. But I wouldn't be keen on putting discs with a surface like that in a CD player.

    At one point PDO UK apparently had a replacement programme which was wound up about ten years ago. Sometimes you get away with the bronzing, if it's not too severe.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    By and large CD seems to be a resilient format, in my experience, and a lot of CDs I own were bought second hand. But there are exceptions.

    PDO UK was the main pressing plant (not PDO Germany) which had problems with bronzing, up to the mid 90s. There was another European plant with this issue, maybe Italian, but I've forgotten what it was. I've encountered a few older discs like this.
    OPTI.ME.S is the other one you’re thinking of. I had a few CDs that had a bronze-ish color, most of them Fonit Cetra CDs pressed by OPTI.ME.S. The only ones that bronzed to unplayability were two Jade Warrior CDs (and I wound up upgrading to Elements anyway so I could have those and two other albums besides).
    Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...

  11. #11
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    ^Yes that's the one, I think. I've seen a fair amount of old Island discs which have the dreaded disc rot, actually.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by GeneTull View Post
    I would imagine that a lot of CDs from the 90s have rotted, just like laser discs. There was so much hype behind the technology back then, but CDs hadn't yet endured the test of time.
    It's the first time I'm hearing of CD rot on an Argentinian press. I only thought it was occurring on UK (PDO) and Italian (OPTIMES) CD pressings.
    Macht das ohr auf!

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  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by spacefreak View Post
    It's the first time I'm hearing of CD rot on an Argentinian press. I only thought it was occurring on UK (PDO) and Italian (OPTIMES) CD pressings.
    This does not look like any CD rot I've ever seen. There is no bronzing or other discoloration. The reflective coating under part of the CD has become partially see-through. Very strange...

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by roylayer View Post
    This does not look like any CD rot I've ever seen. There is no bronzing or other discoloration. The reflective coating under part of the CD has become partially see-through. Very strange...
    Like having thousands of pinholes in it? That's what happened to my ZNR Traité De Mécanique Populaire pressing on Buda Records (1992). Never seen such thing and a very unusual form of CD rot.
    Macht das ohr auf!

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  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by spacefreak View Post
    Like having thousands of pinholes in it? That's what happened to my ZNR Traité De Mécanique Populaire pressing on Buda Records (1992). Never seen such thing and a very unusual form of CD rot.
    Yikes! I've never seen anything like that either. No, the reflective surface is partially transparent for part of the CD. I can faintly see the label through it.

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