Production LP as plating master ?

[audadvnc]

A client of mine wants to reissue an LP that was originally issued decades ago; he has no master tape, and the only copies of the original material are on an LP or a CD made from that LP. I intend to make a disk-to-disk copy, but am wondering, for my own interest if nothing else ...

Would it be possible or advantageous to use the existing LP as a plating master? We would avoid a disk transfer loss by doing so, I suppose - but the existing LP would likely be ruined.

Any thoughts?

[opcode66]

I know there are issues plating a plastic disc. Flo tried to plate a poly cut with limited success.

Also there would be nothing to hold on to around the edges like with a 14" disc. Im pretty sure that extra inch all the way around is reuired for the process???

[Greg Reierson]

Give Desmond a call. He will know.

[cloop]

I'm a nube so don't start acting like i think i know what I'm talkin about cause I don't. It seems you could just make a tape copy of the lp. master that for cutting and procede lossless except for scratches. If this is just wrong please explain how and why. nube as i said.

[opcode66]

Yes, you could rip the album to tape or digital and cut from that. But, it would be less ideal than being able to plate it. As you pointed out, you would get a lot of background noise and scratches in the playback.

[audadvnc]

As opcode points out, one of the line-stoppers is the dimension of a production LP disk. Even if it were feasible to plate a vinyl LP, the process wouldn't take kindly to the dimensional issue.

Looks like I'll be either making a digital copy or doing a direct disk-to-disk transfer.

[Aussie0zborn]

I've plated a vinyl LP. And the LP was playable afterwards as if it had never been plated.

We cut a 12" circle out of a 14" lacquer, dropped the LP in its place and filled the gap with Araldite (glue). We made a direct stamper and pressed from it. The edges of the stamper cracked very soon at the point where the Araldite filled the gap. We didn't smooth down the Araldite prior to plating as this was just an experiment and we weren't putting too much time into it but even any irregularity in the stamper at the diameter of the gate will cause it to crack. (The "gate" is the edge of each mould half that meets when the mould is closed)

Some users of Lened presses use glue rather than an outer ring to hold the stamper down. Their stampers are barely more than 12" in diameter. Perhaps one of those plants can use a stamper of only 12" diameter which has been plated from a 12" vinyl LP?

In any case, I imagine you would want to de-click and de-noise the available audio before re-issuing the LP.

[Aussie0zborn]

OK so I took this up with someone who worked at EMI UK. EMI did this as and when required. I'm told they dropped the vinyl record onto a 12" hole cut out of a 14" lacquer, and ensured the seal between the LP and lacquer disc was as smooth as silk. They then processed it as per usual and again smoothed out the seam on the father and again on the mother before producing stampers. So yes, it can be done to produce production stampers but it is a long and tedious process and the recording would want to have some great importance to warrant it. I can't see anyone wanting to do it.

I've also heard there is a small plant in the UK that does this to produce small quantities of counterfeit records that are highly collectable and sold at very high prices which justifies the effort.