EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT PRESSING VINYL RECORDS
This page is designed to share my recommendations on various aspects, such as maximum side lengths (tl;dr), where to have your vinyl cut and pressed, and other important considerations. My insights stem from my own frustrations with some records sounding fantastic while others fall short. I’ll share the reasons behind these differences and offer my suggestions.
Unlike CDs, which either work or don't, the sound quality of your vinyl record can vary greatly depending on who handles it. After mixing and digital mastering are done, and a "vinyl pre-master" is created, the process involves three key steps:
Cutting the digital audio onto lacquers (or DMM, which stands for Direct-To-Metal Mastering).
Creating metal plates, or stampers, that are used to press the vinyl.
Pressing the vinyl records, which are then packaged and shipped to you.
When you contact a vinyl pressing plant directly, most of them handle steps 1 and 2 without you even realizing it. Some plants have their own cutting engineers and metal plating capabilities, but often these tasks are outsourced to other facilities, sometimes far enough away to require shipping, which can risk damage (though that’s a bit off-topic here). Besides the physical distance, communication becomes more challenging if issues arise.
Even more concerning, some companies, like Pirates Press, pose as pressing plants but are actually vinyl brokers. This means they don't cut or press the records themselves. They might take care of some packaging, but they don't directly handle the audio. Instead, they often outsource the entire process to "budget" pressing plants that prioritize speed and cost-cutting, allowing them to profit. However, this usually isn't in the best interest of your project from a sonic standpoint, leading to mediocre results or worse.
For record labels and those experienced with vinyl production, hiring a separate cutting engineer and pressing plant is standard practice. But if you’re new to the vinyl process, it can seem overwhelming. Still, it's typically worth the effort compared to letting a pressing plant or vinyl broker handle everything.
Vinyl Brokers? No Thanks.
Vinyl brokers offer a convenient service by managing all aspects of vinyl production—cutting, plating, pressing, packaging—but they also create a barrier between you and the people actually handling your project. To keep their business profitable, they often cut corners, which can compromise the sound quality.
If a website doesn’t show images of people actively cutting or pressing vinyl, you might be dealing with a vinyl broker rather than a pressing plant. Some brokers even label test pressings and jackets as if they’re from their own facility, when in reality, they’re using budget pressing plants.
When you let the pressing plant or broker handle the cutting, you lose direct communication. Cuts done this way are often more conservative to avoid playback issues, but they can sound weaker compared to cuts made by someone who’s committed to getting the best possible sound.
If you're working with a vinyl broker, ask them to be transparent about who’s really doing the work. This helps you ask the right questions and manage your expectations.
Quality Vinyl Manufacturing Isn’t Cheap—and It’s Not Worth Cutting Corners
Keep in mind that pressing vinyl isn’t cheap, even for records with poor sound quality. The setup costs for pressing just one vinyl record are quite high. This is why most places don’t offer very low quantity orders, like 50 or fewer. It’s simply too expensive to produce a small number of records due to the setup costs and time involved. Some companies offer 100 or 200 copy options, but with the current strain on the vinyl manufacturing industry, smaller orders can often be delayed. Many pressing plants now require minimum orders of 500 copies or more.
Also, be aware that high-quality vinyl work is in high demand right now. Before 2016, you could receive finished copies within a couple of months, but in recent years, turnaround times of up to a year or more have become common. Not all pressing plants have such long waits, but those known for producing the best-sounding vinyl are often more backed up. The situation is improving as more pressing plants open and COVID-19 supply chain issues ease. Just like all shopping, be skeptical of a company that can press super fast. If they can turnaround fast, they aren’t busy, and you have to wonder why they aren’t busy.
What’s Next? Finding a Cutting Engineer.
I strongly advise hiring a dedicated cutting engineer before sending your project to the pressing plant. I cannot stress this enough. I do not recommend using a vinyl broker or using the cutter at the plant.
These are the cutting engineers I’ve used, I trust, and recommend - they can also handle any genre:
The digital pre-master I create will be the source for lacquer cutting. Then that lacquer will be sent to the pressing plant to make your actual vinyl records. It’s certainly a process, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask any questions.
WHO DO YOU RECOMMEND TO PRESS THE VINYL RECORD?
While there are undoubtedly other great options out there, I can only speak from my own experiences and recommend the follow record pressing plants:
There are many vinyl brokers out there. So many. They keep costs down by outsourcing to other plants and to other countries. For better or worse, they handle the entire production process—cutting, plating, pressing, packaging—but they often reduce direct communication with the actual engineers and people working on your project. To stay profitable, they may cut corners, which can compromise audio quality drastically.
If a vinyl company lacks photos of actual people cutting or pressing vinyl, you're likely dealing with a broker, not an actual pressing plant. Your results may vary.
WHAT IS THE RECOMMENDATION FOR VINYL SIDE LENGTHS?
Below is a guide to recommended vinyl side lengths based on various vinyl sizes, playback speeds, and desired sound quality. While these guidelines provide a useful starting point, please get in touch with me with any more detailed questions.
Vinyl Side Lengths at 33 ⅓ RPM
12″
16:00—18:00 = Great
18:00—20:00 = Good
20:00—22:00 = Ok
10″
0:00—12:00 = Good
Vinyl Side Lengths at 45 RPM
12″
7:00—10:00 = Great
10:00—13:00 = Good
13:00—15:00 = Ok
10″
0:00—9:00 = Good
7”
3:00—3:30 = Great
3:30—4:00 = Good
4:00—4:30 = Ok
WHY ARE MY VINYL PRE-MASTERS FILES MORE QUIET THAN MY REGULAR MASTERS?
Because we are turning down the limiting in the pre-masters so the cutting engineer has everything they need to cut at the right level. While limiting does increase the average level of a digital track, it can ironically necessitate your vinyl album to be cut at a quieter volume to keep it from being overrun with distortion. TL;DR - I trust my cutting engineers, who prefer less loud pre-masters, as counterintuitive as it may seem, these actually result in louder vinyl records.
SHOULD I GET A TEST PRESSING?
The test pressing allows you to verify that the mastering and cutting engineers' work translates correctly to vinyl. It’s essential to check that the EQ, compression, and overall sound are as intended. Any issues detected during this stage can be rectified before mass production. You'll be listening for any unwanted noise such as pops, clicks, or hissing that might have been introduced during the pressing process. If the record plays smoothly with out mist racking here, it should be even better for the real pressing.
Most of the time you'll receive a few test pressings. If most of them play good and there is 1 that's a little wonky you should be ok. The first few off a new stamper tend to be noisy.
WHAT IS A LATHE-CUT RECORD?
A lathe-cut record is made by directly engraving the audio signal into a blank disc using a lathe. This is done in real-time, meaning the audio is played and cut simultaneously, much like how master discs are cut in traditional vinyl production. Unlike traditional pressed vinyl, which uses PVC (polyvinyl chloride), lathe-cut records can be made from various materials, such as polycarbonate, acrylic, or other plastics.
The sound quality of lathe-cut records can vary widely depending on the equipment used, the skill of the person doing the cutting, and the material of the disc. Generally, they don't offer the same fidelity as pressed vinyl due to the more manual nature of the process and tend to have more surface noise. Please be aware that some lathe-cut records are only cut in mono.
IS THE PLURAL OF VINYL, "VINYL" OR "VINYLS"?
You can call it whatever you want. I love vinyl and you do, too. That's what matters. We can love it together.
Personally, I consider vinyl an adjective, mostly. So the singular would be a "vinyl record". And the plural would be "vinyl records".
Sometimes I use it as a noun. For example, "Let's go shopping for vinyl." Personally I never say, "Let's go shopping for vinyls." The plural is inferred.
There you go, and knowing is half the battle.
