What is inner groove distortion and how do I fix it?

What is - and How to Fix - Inner Groove Distortion on vinyl records

Inner groove distortion is just something that's inherent to records. It's an audible distortion that comes closer to the end of a record. Why is that? Well, consider this. If the diameter of a record is 12 inches, the circumference is approximately 37.7 inches. Now, let's pretend half of those grooves aren't there, the diameter of the record is 6 inches, and in this case, the circumference is 18.8 inches. This means that the closer to the end of the record you get, the more compressed the music is, and the stylus doesn't have as much time to trace the grooves. The same amount of music, in less space. 

This is one reason why oftentimes, you will find record makers favour spreading an album over two records, with larger runout grooves. Even if a record is, say, 35 minutes long, and could technically fit on one, spreading the music out over two records avoids as much of the inner grooves as possible. 

Can you fix inner groove distortion!? No, you can't, but the good news is that you can set yourself up to reduce it as much as possible.

First, make sure that your cartridge is aligned properly.  If you are using the cartridge that came with your Fluance turntable, it will arrive properly aligned. But if you have swapped your stylus or cartridge, we have a video for that. Click the card in the top right of the screen, or the link in the description to watch our video about how to upgrade and align a 
cartridge.

The good news is this: you can go a long way to reducing inner groove distortion by making sure your turntable is set up properly and taking care of it. And two: actually hearing inner groove isn't that common. So even though it's inherent to records, it doesn't mean that every record is going to sound crummy as it gets to the center.