How are Vinyl records made today?
"Pressed" (traditional) or... "Straight to Vinyl" (commonly referred to as a "Lathe Cut")
The mastering service that we offer is for an overall mastering of your stereo or mono mix files. This includes further vinyl optimization, Frequency Equalizing (EQ) and maintaining the dynamic range (as originally recorded) for higher quality playback.
I LIKE THIS! - HOW DO I ORDER MINE?
A renewed interest in the independent recording artist is gaining momentum as we move into the third decade of the new millennium. Independent artists are constantly seeking new ways to break through the seemingly futile economic landscape of digital music releases and the chronically diluted DIGITAL distribution that follows. (a CD album commanding a $15 to $20 price can be reduced to near $0.00 in a matter of just a few days as it circulates on the internet).
Independent artists can now offer their fans a truly “classic” rendition of their works that include the “tactile” experience of exploring the additional graphic and text material that typically accompanies a vinyl record.
More and more of these creative, determined artists are discovering that the best navigational track for them is to provide “hard copy” versions of their works in the form of tangible , vinyl records.
Artists’ works recorded, mastered and cut at Master Groove Cutters™ will bear the brand of a superior record product, and serve as a timeless memento of the event, adding to the market value of the record over time.
In addtion to the traditional cutting on metal-core, Lacquer Masters for mass-production (record pressing of 300 or more), we proudly offer Premium Quality, Lathe Cut Vinyl Records in stereo (or mono) at 33 1/3 rpm and 45 rpm. Each record is hand cut and one-of-kind. There are no two pieces alike. This is a different process than store-bought vinyl from a pressing plant. It's a completely different process.
Lathe cuts are hand-scribed, in real time on a manual cutting lathe. If the record is 20 minutes long, it takes 20 minutes to cut, plus the setup time to make a high quality record. Because they are cut in real time, one-by-one, we typically limit orders to 25 units (please also see our Copyright Guide for more reasons to choose this number of records to cut).
We charge a flat fee for the mastering based on the length of your record. Our lead mastering engineer and lathe operator Stephen Sea, can be contacted by email: vinyl@mastergroovecutters.com. to answer any questions you may have.
