SCA Vinyl Record Tracker — Vinyl Care & Stylus Wear Monitor

Catalogue tools tell you what you own. VRT tells you what's happening to your collection.

Which records are overdue for cleaning. How many hours your cartridge has accumulated. When your stylus is due for attention. For serious listeners, that's the difference between managing an analogue system with precision and hoping your records take care of themselves.

Why it matters

Every play leaves a history. Every stylus accumulates hours. Every cleaning matters.

Research published in 1954 found that complete removal of dust and grit from record grooves can extend the useful life of both records and styli by up to 60%. At ten tonnes per square inch of stylus tip pressure, contamination in the groove is not passive — it grinds. The consequences compound invisibly, play by play.

VRT turns record care from something remembered vaguely into something known, measured and managed.

What it does

At the centre of VRT is the Play Log. Every listening session is recorded — the album played, the cartridge used, the turntable and tonearm configuration, and the play duration. The workflow is designed to be fast, with barcode scanning, pre-filled defaults and one-tap repeat saves.

From that log, VRT derives:

• Record treatment status — plays since last Record Restore treatment, with flags for records overdue for care.
• Record Restore stock — fluid levels monitored in ml, with low-stock alerts before your maintenance routine is interrupted.
• Stylus tip cleaning reminders — play-count-based prompts that appear at the point of logging, before the record plays.
• Cartridge service monitoring — cumulative stylus wear hours from logged play times, with service thresholds set per cartridge.
• Collection intelligence — play counts, usage history and care records per album.

The dashboard brings all of this into one view: cartridge health, Record Restore readiness, recent plays and system configuration.

Core and Pro

VRT is available in two tiers.

Core covers play logging, dashboard, album management, equipment setup, Record Restore tracking, playback history and backup. Everything you need to run a disciplined care routine.

Pro adds analytics, data exports and advanced playback history tools for listeners who want deeper insight into how their collection is being used. Licence status is shown at all times in the navigation bar — upgrade whenever you're ready.

Your data

Your listening history, collection records and care data are held securely on SCA infrastructure, isolated by account.

VRT does not use your data for advertising or analytics. No data is shared with third parties. Accessible from any device — phone, tablet or desktop — without home network configuration.

Part of the SCA vinyl care system

VRT is designed to work alongside Record Restore as part of a complete vinyl stewardship system.

Record Restore — the spread-to-peel enzymatic treatment system that restores records at the groove level. VRT tracks your treatment dates and flags which albums are overdue — so Record Restore is applied when it's actually needed, not guessed at.

VSS Vinyl Record Sleeves — archival-quality inner and outer sleeves that protect the cover and eliminate sleeve scuff. Available through Secret Chord Analogue. Because the record inside is only as safe as what it lives in.

No other system gives you all three. Most collectors protect the cover or clean the record or track the gear. The SCA system closes the loop.

Who it is for

• Audiophiles and serious listeners
• Vinyl collectors with valuable or heavily played collections
• Record Restore users who want a measurable, disciplined care routine
• Listeners who want to understand cartridge and stylus wear over time
• Anyone who wants to protect their records while continuing to enjoy them

You move from owning records to managing an analogue system with precision.