Best place for low-volume, hi quality vinyl?

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Phobos
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Best place for low-volume, hi quality vinyl?

Post by Phobos » Sat Sep 04, 2021 9:49 am

I have never actually made a "record" in my life, and I'm 48. It's always ended up on CD or some digital medium. How does one go about getting actual LP records made? I'm sure the per unit price is high, but is there a best way/best place? This is a 45-minute album.

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digitaldrummer
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Re: Best place for low-volume, hi quality vinyl?

Post by digitaldrummer » Sat Sep 04, 2021 12:09 pm

I have not used any of these personally, but they are some I've looked into a bit when one of my bands was considering it (but everything on hold for now)

https://kunaki.com/ - pricey per disc, but no minimum... I use their CD service all the time and its OK (CDs are fine but sometimes the print color has some variability - but if its too far off they are good about sending replacements).

https://www.atomicdisc.com/products/vin ... in-jackets
Last edited by digitaldrummer on Mon Sep 06, 2021 5:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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trodden
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Re: Best place for low-volume, hi quality vinyl?

Post by trodden » Sat Sep 04, 2021 8:37 pm

I've used a handful of pressing plants over the last 25 years, and I had the absolute BEST experience with the last record I put out, in 2019, using Cascade Record Pressing in Milwaukee, Oregon. Their website doesn't seem to be "working" currently, I'm wondering if they're closed due to Covid reasons? But easily the best customer service I've ever had in the two and half decades of putting out records. Quality product as well, I've paid more for crappy QC/pressings at other plants/companies.

https://cascaderecordpressing.com/

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losthighway
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Re: Best place for low-volume, hi quality vinyl?

Post by losthighway » Sun Sep 05, 2021 12:45 pm

We had Burlington Record Plant do our last LP at only 200 copies. It stands out as a better cut than our label's other recent vinyl releases done at other places. Part of that was Carl Saff cut the lacquers, and Burlington works with a really good plating service.

They've also had people do limited edition, short run vinyl at a lathe cut place. These tend to be 20-30 copy pressings that cost around $20 a piece. Not a big money maker but if you have a small minority of collectors who don't mind paying $30, or if you don't mind losing a little dough for a prestige piece to accompany your streaming, that's one way to go.

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roscoenyc
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Re: Best place for low-volume, hi quality vinyl?

Post by roscoenyc » Mon Sep 06, 2021 7:09 am

A to Z Media, which is a very good company based in NYC has a short run specialist branch called Solid Merch.

They do great work and they also offer DMM, which I'm a real fan of.

https://www.solid-merch.com/vinyl-pressing/

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Re: Best place for low-volume, hi quality vinyl?

Post by permanent hearing damage » Tue Sep 07, 2021 10:08 am

I wonder if having someone you trust cut the lacquers would take some of the QC issues out of this question? I almost never let the plant cut them. might save you some $$ as well.

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Re: Best place for low-volume, hi quality vinyl?

Post by Recycled_Brains » Tue Sep 07, 2021 2:43 pm

Have Matthew Barnhart at Chicago Mastering Service cut the lacquer, send it it to Burlington Record Plant in Burlington, VT.

Top fucking notch.
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trodden
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Re: Best place for low-volume, hi quality vinyl?

Post by trodden » Tue Sep 07, 2021 7:04 pm

permanent hearing damage wrote:
Tue Sep 07, 2021 10:08 am
I wonder if having someone you trust cut the lacquers would take some of the QC issues out of this question? I almost never let the plant cut them. might save you some $$ as well.
Totally. I had Adam Gonsalves at Telegraph Mastering in Portland, OR (who Cascade Record Press suggested) cut the lacquers after our dear friend Scott Craggs (MoreSpaceEcho) did the master for digital and the "pre"-master for vinyl.
Last edited by trodden on Tue Sep 07, 2021 7:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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trodden
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Re: Best place for low-volume, hi quality vinyl?

Post by trodden » Tue Sep 07, 2021 7:06 pm

trodden wrote:
Sat Sep 04, 2021 8:37 pm
I've used a handful of pressing plants over the last 25 years, and I had the absolute BEST experience with the last record I put out, in 2019, using Cascade Record Pressing in Milwaukee, Oregon. Their website doesn't seem to be "working" currently, I'm wondering if they're closed due to Covid reasons? But easily the best customer service I've ever had in the two and half decades of putting out records. Quality product as well, I've paid more for crappy QC/pressings at other plants/companies.

https://cascaderecordpressing.com/
Looked into what's going on with the website. They're taking the opportunity to rebuild it since they have orders booked into the THIRD QUARTER OF NEXT YEAR! I guess that's what happens when there's a year long pandemic. People concentrate on writing/recording/pressing records instead of the live shows, I know that's what we in blackQueen have been doing the last year.

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Re: Best place for low-volume, hi quality vinyl?

Post by Recycled_Brains » Wed Sep 08, 2021 7:39 am

permanent hearing damage wrote:
Tue Sep 07, 2021 10:08 am
I wonder if having someone you trust cut the lacquers would take some of the QC issues out of this question? I almost never let the plant cut them. might save you some $$ as well.
Yea, don't have the pressing plant cut the lacquers. And get a reference lacquer if you can.

Lots of good cutters out there. Carl Saff, Matt Barnhart or Bob Weston at CMS, Dave at Lucky Lacquers.... You're not adding a lot of cost, but you're adding a lot of attention to detail and care for the craft. I doubt the pressing plants offer that at the same level.
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losthighway
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Re: Best place for low-volume, hi quality vinyl?

Post by losthighway » Wed Sep 08, 2021 4:23 pm

Anyone get the latest on availability of blank lacquers?

A year or two ago when I was talking to Saff he said they were in short supply after the fire, and I know that scarcity has been slowing down everyone's projects for a while.

I know there's a Japanese source, and some cutting rooms have been sitting on a cache.

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Re: Best place for low-volume, hi quality vinyl?

Post by Recycled_Brains » Thu Sep 09, 2021 7:33 am

losthighway wrote:
Wed Sep 08, 2021 4:23 pm
Anyone get the latest on availability of blank lacquers?

A year or two ago when I was talking to Saff he said they were in short supply after the fire, and I know that scarcity has been slowing down everyone's projects for a while.

I know there's a Japanese source, and some cutting rooms have been sitting on a cache.
Had the same experience with our record. No references available and there was a slightly longer than usual wait for the cut to get done. Nothing crazy though. Unfortunately, the 1st round of test presses didn't meet my standards, so I had to have the lacquers re-cut, which is kind of ironic, but it was worth all the extra hassle.
Ryan Slowey
Albany, NY

http://maggotbrainny.bandcamp.com

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