vinyl press

[Mr.Wrong]

can someone explain tha process. was talkin with a buddy bout it so id like to know how it goes. specifically when "writing/etching" the vinyl how many RPM is it spinning at, wut kinda equipment is used ie. computer specs. ghetto setup to professional setup... if somebody can gimme a runthrough that would be nice. post wut ya got


also how are picture discs made// dyes or wut

[dSl-DuDe]

this is all i've seen, looks impressive

http://www.vestax.com/products/vrx2000.htm

[decypher]

your gonna need a professional to master the track to mix down to vinyl, and sound good. It costs ALOT OF MONEY.. u can get dubplates pressed but it is made with cheaper material and doesen't last nearly as long..

[Mr.Wrong]

when cutting the vinyl it MUST be at either 33&1/3 or 45 RPM
true or false?

[automatic]

ok...first off you need to understand the difference between cutting a record (or a dubplate) and pressing a record.

commercially released records (pretty much all of the ones you buy at the record store) are pressed. how it works is the song is cut on to metal plates, then the plates are sandwiched together with a gooey hot vinyl "hockey puck" in between which gets presssed in to the grooves. the metal masters are cut at regular or half speed depending on the set-up (i believe). the slower they are made the better the pressings will sound. the metal masters cost ALOT ($1000 cdn+), but once they are made the actual vinyl being pressed is relatively cheap, so unless you plan on pressing over a thousand records then this is not a cost effective method.

cutting records (or dubplates) involves taking a blank platter and revolving it underneath a cutting needle that cuts the song on to the record one plate at a time. traditionally dubplates were acetate, not vinyl, because vinyl is too soft to cut onto precisely, it'd be like trying to do intricate wood carving on a stick of warm butter. acetate is harder, but doesn't wear as well and most dubplates sound like crap after about 20-50 plays. dubplates can be had for about $40 cdn, but it's both an art and a skill to cut good dubs, and for something that is quality expect to pay around $75

the vestax unit looks good, it uses specially manufactured strengthened vinyl, not acetate, so they claim their dubs last longer. it's also supposed to work out cheaper per disk. as for sound quality, i doubt it measures up to the best dubs and high-end (one track per side) commercial releases.

[automatic]

and when cutting vinyl, i believe it's cut at half spped, not too sure...

[automatic]

oh, and the vrx-2000 is supposed to sell for $15000 cdn with plates 10 a piece. so if you sold the plates for $25 you could make back your investment (not counting replacement cutting heads one every 50 plates, who knows what they cost) if you could cut 1000 and sell them, though you'd spend a lot more advertising your services.

chopstick cuts good quality dubs for relatively cheap, but you really have to know how to have your tune mastered for deep rich sound before you can get a dub cut. click the "studio" link http://www.chopstickdubplate.com/

[decypher]

lol dan, i dont think u got that kinda cash flow :)

[PHOTONIC]

ya its a bit pricey