Show HN: Vinyl record and sleeve grading tool | Hacker News Reader

Show HN: Vinyl record and sleeve grading tool

raphaelyancey.github.io

63 pointssambf11 comments

This is a great tool but the interface are a bit simplistic, the the point that it distracts from the utility. I assume you know this though.

It wasn’t clear to me that the grade at the top changes as you choose options. Most tools would show the score at the end of the process. I scrolled to the end and then hit the email sign up, as if it was the button to see results.

I’d suggest to make it impossible to select mutually exclusive options. For example, selecting that the record is still sealed cuts out a lot of the questions, but there is no indication in the interface.

a sealed record can be in poor condition in a number of unexpected ways. sealedness is only an indication of 0 uses (most of the time), not of a perfect life

Warped, most notably. Notoriously bad for Laserdiscs with intact shrink-wrap IIRC.

In particular, shrink-wrap sealed records from the 70s, when exposed to heat from storage or from direct sunlight, can warp the hell out of the record and sleeve as the shrink contracts and expands. I would even say this is a common problem for sealed records of that era.

I’m sure that’s true, but the questions about things like playback and visual inspection for scratches obviously cannot apply if you have never opened the record. The questions about warping and condition of the packaging still apply.

Missing the real-life seller grades:

  EX- / VG++(+)  
  M+  
  Skip on A2, otherwise MINT  
  SOLID PLAY COPY

(Kidding, nice tool!) Goldmine does have a bit of a no-man's-land between NM and VG+, though.

Good timing showing this on Record Store Day

"a badly warped record is most of the time (if not all) also audibly warped."

I find that there are other variables involved. I have warped records that are standard 33rpm, which play fine. If the record is 45rpm, there is a much greater tendency to skip.

The type of music also matters. With Music with a greater dynamic range, or with more "quiet" parts, you can "hear" the warps as the needle bounces up and down. With louder music, this noise will be hidden by the music.

Nice tool, I'll try a few more examples.

The results have indeed to be taken with a grain of salt, as you would with the original GM guidelines. Personal judgment and feeling will eventually bend the grade a bit. Thank you for the feedback!

Photo examples of each option hidden behind [?] Callouts would help when deciding what "a little" means.

Audio samples for various levels of noise would help a ton. Would even be fun to write a fool which could detect it.

Great ideas.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com