VINYL MASTERY
Jan 1, 2005 12:00 PM, By Richard Simpson
The vinyl-manufacturing process has changed little during the past 40 years. But with the advent of digital recording technologies, the manner in which music and sound are captured and stored for replication has changed. Furthermore, vinyl is no longer strictly a consumer delivery medium; many artists commission custom pressings strictly for live performances. If you ever plan to have your own material pressed as vinyl, it's important to understand the process of how vinyl is manufactured and what you — as an artist or a producer — can do to ensure the best results.
A BRIEF HISTORY
I started cutting records in the late 1960s — The Monkees, The Guess Who, Lou Reed, David Bowie, the whole RCA Records catalog, basically. And by cutting, I mean using a lathe to cut master lacquers at an RCA pressing plant. In my early years at RCA's New York plant, we had six cutting rooms. There, we cut three sets of master lacquers for each new release, sending a set each to New York, the Midwest and Hollywood. These pressing plants produced thousands upon thousands of records to fulfill orders from record distributors. I transferred to RCA Hollywood in 1972 to run a new mastering room. At about that time, the involvement of the artist and the producer became more apparent in the mastering of records, and a closer contact between the cutting engineer and the artist developed. Mastering became a more im-portant step in the recording process — no longer a routine tape-to-disc transfer, but an added effort to help enhance the sound using whatever means possible to make the best-sounding record. The early '80s marked the last heyday of large amounts of pressed vinyl, as shortly thereafter, CDs became the choice of the consumer. But with the growth of hip-hop, rap and electronic music and the rise of the DJ as performer, the vinyl record has survived.
THE REFERENCE DISC
The production of a record starts with the cutting of a reference disc; this is the process of transferring a mix from CD, DAT or tape to lacquer so that the artist and producer can hear the mix in record form and make any final EQ adjustments, if needed, before the master lacquers are cut. Once the master lacquers are cut and sent to the plating plant for the production of the metal stampers (the metal plate that actually makes the impression on the disc), it's on to the pressing plant for mass production. A lot of today's projects choose to skip the reference disc to avoid the extra charge; this is a mistake that many artists and labels make. If you skip this step, opting only to get a test pressing from the factory, and find that you would like a few minor EQ changes, it's too late — unless you are willing to pay for the mastering and plating all over again. The reference disc alleviates this problem. So remember to have a reference disc cut first.
Dub plates, acetates and slates are different names that have been given to the reference disc throughout the years. Today's artists use dubs for live play and as a tool in remixing. A dub plate is made on the spot: You can walk out of the cutting room with a dub that is ready to play that night at a club or on a radio mix show. Paul Oakenfold orders anywhere from 10 to 30 dubs at a time of unreleased mixes by different DJs and producers looking for club play and exposure. Although records are still the major choice of most DJs — like The Angel, who comes in on a regular basis to have new mixes put to dub for club play — groups such as Jurassic 5 and Ugly Duckling prefer to press up a handful of their instrumentals to vinyl, as they play many shows and dubs wear out too fast. In this situation, producing a short run of vinyl (show vinyl) is a better choice. It costs about $400 to get 10 copies, but these are real vinyl and won't wear out. Show vinyl is a must for scratching, as dub plates, which are fragile and wear too easily, are not meant for scratching.
MOVING AHEAD
The best way to produce your music on vinyl is to make an appointment with a cutting studio. Be present if possible, and have a reference disc cut. Take the dub and play it on a system that you are familiar with. You should check the disc for EQ and overall level and compare it with other records that you like. It might take more than one dub, but once you are happy with the sound, you are ready to have the master lacquers cut and the metal stampers produced for mass production. During this time, you should have your label information laid out in camera-ready form for the production of film and the printing of the labels. One more important fact may be the most important: The loudness of your record is mainly determined by the playing time. The shorter the side, the louder it will be. I recommend 12 minutes or less per side for 12-inch singles, even shorter for drum 'n' bass and dance tracks.
Although I thought that I would be looking for another job more than 10 years ago, I still get two to three calls a day, as well as numerous e-mails, all asking the same questions: “I have a show this weekend; how do I get my instrumental tracks on vinyl?” “I have a chance to have my song played on the radio, but I need to have it in record form. What do I need to do?” “I need a 12-inch single to promote my full-length CD. What should I do?” The best thing you can do is contact a reputable duplication house. If you're having trouble locating one, ask around and check local musician message boards. And while you're at it, check out my Website: www.richardsimpsonmastering.net.
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