FAQ

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How long does it take from the time an order is made till it can be received?

Once I have received a CD (in proper format) the transfer to vinyl takes about an hour. After cutting I take your order directly to the post office to be delivered.

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Do you cut vinyl?

I do not cut vinyl!

Vinyl is not cut primarily. Vinyl is pressed in a processing plant. Many people are so used to calling records "vinyl" that is very easy to confuse oneself between the difference of a dub over vinyl . I often find myself saying "I cut vinyl" out of mere habit. But I do not "cut" vinyl. I do, however, cut dubs(lacquer/acetate).

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How much track time can be cut to each side?

The amount of time on each record will strongly dictate the fidelity and presence of the record itself. I would suggest (for singles) that a time of about 5-8 minutes per side. This translates to about 75-100 lines cut per inch laterally on the record. A full length album (45-60 min) will obviously have grooves that are closer together. These grooves will have a stronger tendency to make the needle "skate" when played. Shorter length albums have grooves that are further apart allowing wider wave widths, eliminating the possibility of skating. Most DJ's prefer more lines per inch per record so the ability to scratch the record is more enjoyable without the fear of the needle dancing across the record during a gig.

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What is a Dub Plate (for personal/DJ use)

A dub plate is technically called an acetate or a lacquer disk. A dub plate is not made of vinyl; it is actually made of aluminum coated in 1/16" of lacquer. In my professional experience I find lacquer is more brittle than vinyl, but more resonant than vinyl. Dub resonance is the acoustic-like response that can be compared to the sustain of a heavier stringed instrument like a guitar. Vinyl's grooves tend to microscopically flex , thus eliminating some of the resonant response that dub-plates emit on their own. In other words, dub-plates tend to be more louder when cut properly. As you may have heard, dubs have a shorter lifespan than vinyl. This is not true. Dubs if taken care of and not used as Frisbees will treat you as well as you treat them. End of story.

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What is a Master Disk (used for mass vinyl production)

A master disk is used to make thousands of pressed vinyl disks. It is essentially the same material as a dub plate, but its diameter is 2" larger than the final product. A 12" double-sided vinyl originates from 2 one-sided 14" master disks (one master for each side of the final product). PLEASE FOLLOW ME ON THIS! A master disk is the most important step to getting your song/album out there on vinyl! There is no other way around this process. Lets say you have full length album that you wish to be pressed to vinyl. First, you would have to take your product (CD/wavefile/mp3 etc…) and send it to me. When both of the masters (for a two sided LP 12") have been cut they will then go through a process called "PLATING". Plating is nothing more than a molding technique that uses polymer-based adhesives mixed with silver, to make negative copies of the master disks. These copies are now ready to be sent to a pressing plant where the negatives will be placed into a press that stamps the vinyl to its final shape. Crude as this technology seems, this is the ONLY way that vinyl is made!

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I have a track that I want cut but, I know that it distorts and becomes very loud during play... I don't wish for it to be cleaned up and get charged extra for studio time so would it be okay if you just cut it anyway?...I don't care really. I just want the record.

No, I will not just go ahead and cut it anyway for two reasons

1. The record will sound like butt. The quality that I ensure is a direct a representation of my business and quality of my work. I refuse to cut if the client does not care for its quality and audio-appearance.

2. The Lathe is very touchy about this. Even though it can easily cut a record that is too loud than what it really needs to be, the risk of overheating the cutter-head and burning out the cutting-styli ($80) is not worth the efforts put out for a record that will sound hideous.

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I have an old record that I just love to death but, it has taken a beating over the years. Is there any way that I can restore it to its original ,or close, sound quality. If not, what can I do?

This is cool part. The record itself might possibly be close to death but, that does not mean that it cant be re-cut. All one needs to do is find the same song on MP3 or on CD format (wave files too) and mail it to me. I will then run a series of low and high pass filters on the track and even begin to equalize the song so that it actually sounds better than you have ever heard it before., I will guarantee that I can pull the sound quality "out there" to give it even more detail in fidelity and presence. It helps to describe to me over the phone of exactly what you would like to have improved in regards to sound quality. Like the bass or treble. Many people have come to me saying "..this is an awesome song but, it just never sounded like it was all there. it sounds kind of flimsy and weak. it doesn't have the same warmth and definition as some of my other great songs.... can you improve that?" I can indeed. My additional studio clean-up fees ,in a lot of cases, get waived due to the interest and pure love that the client shows for their favorite song. But I do not guarantee that the fees will be waived every time.

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Aside from audio engineering techniques, do you know any other "tricks of the trade" in regards to vinyl LP care and handling? ....how about this record I have that always skips or skates at the same spot...why does it do that?...was it something that I may have done?

Skating and skipping are a result of the grooves on the record encountering each other on their parallel sides. A groove on a record must be flawless throughout the entire recording or the stylus will literally jump out of its setting and begin to wreak havoc on the rest of the surface of the disk. Damaging the stylus also. In most cases, there is usually a piece of dust or something that is bonding itself to the bottom of the groove which can actually be tricky to repair if one is not aware of the proper method used to solve the problem. A simple record cleaning kit called "D4" can be found in most music stores but you must STRICTLY follow the directions that it gives. You don't want to end up doing more damage than repair. There is also another factor that is a mastering-engineers worst nightmare...and that is the engineer being responsible for a poorly cut record who's grooves are not deep or wide enough. If the groove were to touch itself at any point in the cut ,the needle's stylus will up-rail itself as described before. If this microscopic nightmare were to be ignored while cutting a master=disk, then that little mistake in the groove will end up on EVERY pressing that will be manufactured .Sorry as I am to say about my fellow mastering engineers, if they dislike your music personally, they will most likely not care about a single little "pop" that happens usually in the middle of most defective records. Keep in mind my friends, I am one of the very few engineers that will put myself in your shoes and treat it as if it were my music too... I wouldn't want my record that I paid good money for simply to be half-assed.

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Would it be okay if I can come to the Record Cutter's studio sometime?. I mean, could I have a full tour of the machine, how it works, and detailed descriptions of the functionality of the system.

Of course and no there is no charge..laughing. I prefer that all my clients come to the studio, here in Virginia, at least once. I like a person to person relationship rather that just over the phone or by internet. To see this machine in the flesh is truly a magnificent experience. To watch the cutter-head do its thing just to say that you have seen it just once is well worth the memory. The machines are also quite beautiful and remarkable pieces of sound engineering. Just call and set up a date that you wish come by. If you like, you may bring as many well-behaved friends as you wish and we can have a record-cutting-outing . I have been cutting professionally for over 6 years now and still it is as much fun as the first time I saw one of these machines at work!. I suggest that you come see with your own eyes.

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! Important !

I have seen these DJ tools (scratch records) that have these looping tracks on them...no matter how long the record plays it just plays the same beat over and over until you have to move the needle to the next locked groove...can make these records too?

Yes but it is a very difficult and a time consuming process that runs the risk of having to stop and start the cutting process over again due to simple everyday mistakes that occur on my end. For every 3 dubs/masters that I cut there is a 50/50 chance that one of those 3 will get scrapped. Locked-groove records involve stopping and starting the cutting process over and over. This ,I find, is very annoying and I DO NOT like charging my clients more than what I have to charge them. Solution to having a looped record being made: have me cut the beat or loop so that it plays perfectly looped over a period of time. Many turntablists prefer my method rather than some spiffy little trick that was discovered by an m-engineer years ago. If you want an idea of what it would cost for the "locked-grooved" record as apposed to my method ..well.. be ready to pay about $500 or more...if we cut it my way, it will be the same master-disk price which is $100 per side. Remember, I put myself in the clients shoes so that it ensures your trust that you have with me, I want you folks to come back...not running away in sheer terror and empty pockets. :)

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How much would a record-lathe, that is capable of cutting master-disks and dubs, cost me?..... Are there any "stores" or companies that sell these machines?....How would I go about buying a record-lathe?

My machine ,overall, was $40,000 American dollars and that did not include the cutter-head which was an additional $9,000 American dollars. Now this does not mean that there are not other machines that aren't out there in the world. My first machine was also made by the Neumann company in the same year as my current two machines. It was under $10,000 AND it could cut masters too! The reason I have the Neumann VMS-66 with the very best cutter-head (SX-74) is because that is the highest quality series of machine that will exist EVER! No other machine will ever surpass the quality of other Neumann 66 series. the list of the top 3 machines by brand are as follows; 1.Neumann 2.Scully. 3.Fairchild. Scully and Fairchild are the names of the manufacturer's models. They are good machines and for a fellow who might not have a lot to spend on one, any of the three listed above are fine machines indeed.

There are no modern-day machines that exist. These machines are so well built, comparable to a German tiger tank or panzer tank, that they will last longer than we will!

So , they only reason why there are still vinyl records in existence is because fellows like my self have restored the machines to keep vinyl alive! Are you starting to follow me on the importance of their preservation ? I hope you do because, they're upkeep is essential to the very existence of vinyl LP's. There are no plans ,by ANY manufacturer on this planet, to making a newer version of a record lathe.. WHY? you may ask...because the few machines that still exist are built so well and perfectly that as long as they are preserved and restored there IS no need to make a newer version of them at this day and age.

I know of only one man in this country who ,besides myself, that can sell you a machine that is fully restored. here’s the problem, .....he is 80 years old and is getting older every day. When he passes away, myself and 2 other people on this half of the entire world. I am the youngest mastering engineer in the world! This information was obtained and presented to me by A.E.S.uk. (Audio Engineering Society of the United Kingdom)....these people practically invented sound! I do not wish to be the youngest for much longer! I wish to acquire and teach an apprentice. Once the purchase of this students lathe is complete, then the real work begins! So, call me if you wish to purchase machine!!