We can mix just about any Pantone color you want. We also have a wide range of special effects!

PREMASTERING

Premastering is getting your audio ready for the lacquer cutting engineer. You can skip this step if your audio is already mastered and you supply an accurate cue sheet.

A cue sheet must be supplied for the cutting engineer to follow so he knows when to add the spiral between songs. Here is a document you can download and return with your audio files.

33 or 45 RPM?

If your record is under 12 to 16 minutes per side you have the option of cutting it at 45 RPM for enhanced sound quality. At 45 RPM the record is turning faster so there's more groove area for the music. It's analogous to the way an mp3 sounds better at 320 kbps compared to 192 kbps.

12 Inch Singles and EPs

Putting just one or two songs on a side will you give you the best possible sound quality. A 12" single will sound much better than a 7" single.

Vinyl Pressing Info

Audio Mastering:

Your mix engineer or mastering engineer should prepare a mix knowing it will be destined for vinyl. To get the best sound and playing time on vinyl:
- pan the bass to the center and consider that bass frequencies will use up a lot of space on the record. If you want to exceed 20 minutes per side the bass may have to be reduced.
- cut back the level of the cymbals and other high frequencies
- put the highest-energy mixes at the start instead of the end of a side
- don't use any out-of-phase effects
- a typical overly loud CD mix will use up a lot of space on vinyl, so the volume will just have to be reduced to compensate. You might as well make an enjoyable normal mix with good transients instead of a super-loud squished mix. To make a loud vinyl the ideal solution is to put less music per side.

File specs:

For best results supply one digital file for each side with a cue sheet file. If you supply a separate file for each song you have to tell us if we are supposed to insert extra space between every song. We accept files in 16 or 24 bit, and sampling rates of 44.1, 48, 88.2, and 96 kHz.

- a normal 12" record is about 16 to 20 minutes per side, and acoustic music can be cut with little compromise. The more extreme your music and the more you exceed 20 minutes, the more you have to be careful in your mix.

We can also accept 2-track analog reel-to-reel tape at 7.5, 15 or 30 inches per second (transport and setup fees will apply to send your reels to the mastering engineer). We can cut analog 15 and 30 ips masters without converting to digital.

Stampers

Your lacquers are sent to an electroplating facility to make metal stampers. One stamper is required for each side of your expedurlrecord, and each stamper is good for about 1000 to 1200 regular-weight vinyl records. If you want to make 2000 records, you must buy 2 stampers per side. For heavy-weight 180-gram records, each stamper is only good for about 500 to 600 records. Stampers are only guaranteed for the first run. Our standard packages include the 2-step stamper process so we can make several stampers from one lacquer. If you anticipate sales of up to 6000 units you can opt for 3-step plating.

Test Pressing

Once the stampers are ready, it is customary to make test pressings. You can skip this step at your risk (you benefit by saving time and money). The main risks are that there is a skip in the record or some excessive distortion. The louder the record, the greater the risk of distortion or skipping. But if the level is too low, the surface noise will be more apparent. The cutting engineer is trying to find the sweet spot where the record is as loud and good-sounding as possible without the needle jumping out of the groove. In practice there is only a problem with skipping in around 1 out of 1000 cuts, and if the engineer knows there is no test pressing he can hold back the level by 1 or 2 db to reduce the risk.

Ticks and pops

We wish our vinyl could be perfect, but that just isn't realistic. There will be some minor surface noise.

Paper Labels

Paper labels are required for each side of your record. You supply the artwork. Please advise if you want 1 colour, 2 colour, or full colour labels. We can also supply plain white labels, and on small runs it may be cost-effective to put printed adhesive labels over the white labels.

Inner Sleeves

Plain white paper sleeves are included with your records. You can upgrade to poly-lined sleeves, poly sleeves, or custom-printed inner sleeves.

Jackets

We also print full-colour cardboard jackets with your artwork. Our jackets are printed in Canada.

Pressing

Once you have approved your test pressing the machines are started to press your records.

Packaging and shrinkwrap

Your records and jackets are then inspected, assembled, and shrinkwrapped.

Boxing and shipping

Finally your records are packed into shipping cartons and shipped to you or your distributor.

Prices

Don't hesitate to contact us for a custom quote on record pressing!

Toronto 647.478.4273 / Montreal 514.878.8273 / Toll-free North America 800-777-1927

* NB: Turntimes are only estimates and targets. The turntime is not guaranteed and we are not liable for any "lost sales" or other expenses due to missing your release date. If lacquers or stampers have to be redone this adds some time to the process.

Final quantity may vary up to 10%. It is standard practice for the customer to be billed for any extra copies that are shipped. In the event of a shortage we will refund the difference. We recommend keeping this in mind when placing your order quantity.