Vinyl Record Materials & Mastering Sources

Post: # 18222Unread post **sifis1983** Thu Feb 16, 2012 11:37 am

Hi there! That's my first post in this forum..

So, I'm writing my final paper work for my College in music technology.
The whole issue is about turntables and vinyl records..

A subchapter of the whole work is about vinyl record making..
What I'm searching right now is about vinyl materials and compounds.

What kind of formulas uses the factory to make the "biscuits" and what about the materials that people use for their DIY lathes or dubplate cutting? (Somewhere I ve read that the best material is a sheet of polycarbonate or Lexan for DIY projects) And what about 180g vinyl records? If there is any article-book or e-book that can explain all these issues I ll be happy!

Also, the next big issue is about vinyl mastering.. So I'm searching for sources that can give me information about the technical aspects of the process that a mastering engineer must follow for vinyl mastering. I know that there are a few physical limitations (stereo effects, loudness,bass etc) but I want to know how to solve these problems...

I know that I'm asking too much... but if you help me (for my own knowledge and of cource for my college work) I would appreciate it
Thank you...

Post: # 18247Unread post **Angus McCarthy** Sat Feb 18, 2012 1:53 pm

Welcome!

I can certainly say you've found the right place to ask these sorts of questions. We have plenty of both amateurs and professionals who frequent the forums. It may take a while to get replies though, things often move slowly around here.

I'm wracking my brain for published, citable sources for the info you're looking for, but I'll have to leave that to the others. Check out the Reference sub-forum, I believe there are links to some literature in there, though it may not be entirely free to read. A lot of the details of what goes into making records has historically been word of mouth and passed around internally - that is, when it wasn't kept under lock and key as "trade secrets". I can tell you that everything you're looking for has been discussed here at one time or another, though how you'd cite that in a paper is beyond me.

For starters though, probably every type of plastic has been used for DIY and lo-fi disc cutting (and even cylinders come to think of it!). Soviet bootleggers used to emboss onto old Xray sheets. There are myriad videos showing how to emboss and cut onto the face of CD-rs, and even old Laserdiscs. The most popular materials seem to be Lexan and plastic picnic plates, the latter especially since you can't really get too many NOS home recordable discs from the 30s and 40s any more. The blank discs themselves have become collectable!

Good luck on your research.

Post: # 18248Unread post **petermontg** Sat Feb 18, 2012 2:13 pm

Hi

Most common are

Pressing - PVC.

Master for stamper - acetate.

Dub plates - acetate.

Lexan/ makrlon are all polycarbonate compound just different brand name.

and acrylic also. Am sure somebody else could add more to it. you can find info on these compounds on wiki.

Post: # 18300Unread post **sifis1983** Wed Feb 22, 2012 9:27 am

Thank you for your replies! I really appreciate it...

I find an intresting article about vinyl formulas and vinyl pellets made from various companies...

http://vinylfanatics.com/index.php/articles-mainmenu-38/238-the-long-and-winding-road-to-a-classic-vinyl-record

However, I decide to avoid this big big issue about the vinyl formulas because it contains too chemistry on it...Also there are "trade secrets" as Andy said and it's very difficult to find answers... Anyway, the very basics about vinyl formulas are in various wikipedia articles...

Regarding the mastering process, I can find a lot of articles than can help me for the limitations of the medium, but not for the exact process that a mastering engineer must follow...
So, I decide to have a contact with a mastering engineer, to get the info I want...

Thanks again...

Post: # 18301Unread post **tragwag** Wed Feb 22, 2012 10:10 am

im a student as well, doing some personal research on vinyl and mastering. my school happens to have an AES E-Library subscription which helps a lot. That is a database of all the papers presented at their convention from 1953 til now.

Post: # 18304Unread post **Angus McCarthy** Wed Feb 22, 2012 2:53 pm

Asking a professional mastering engineer is definitely your best bet there. Really, though, the process is the same for whichever medium the final product is destined for, just fined tuned to the characteristics of each one.

(It's a perennial problem these days that not as many studios know how to properly finish off audio destined for vinyl release - let alone realize they should! I've got several big-label discs in my collection that sound as though they'd just sent the same mix that they had for the CD release.

)

Post: # 18306Unread post **sifis1983** Wed Feb 22, 2012 3:52 pm

Yes! Tragwag! I have seen this great anthology!

DISK RECORDING VOL.1: GROOVE GEOMETRY AND THE RECORDING PROCESS

Unfortunately, I must pay 37E (for non-members) to buy it, because I can't access the AES library... in addition, is temporarily out of stock...

Could you find this anthology to me in pdf format?? I'll be very very very happy to read it!

Angus: that fine tune charateristics is what I'm looking for...
And yes! I believe that about the sound comparison of CD and Vinyl...

Post: # 18307Unread post **opcode66** Wed Feb 22, 2012 5:00 pm

To my knowledge, no one has ever scanned the entire book to PDF. And, no one ever should since it is still in print. If the AES are currently out of stock then be paitient. They will do another printing. It is not that expensive and this resource is worth every penny.

You should pay for the things you use. Piracy is not promoted nor encouraged on this site. If everyone pirated everything then there would be no incentive to make anything worth while to anyone...

Post: # 18309Unread post **mossboss** Wed Feb 22, 2012 5:37 pm

Here and Hear
Cheers

Post: # 18316Unread post **sifis1983** Thu Feb 23, 2012 12:35 pm

opcode66, I can pay for this, even if I get it in pdf format.. I can understand that is worth every penny... Although, I woudn't say no to somebody, if it gives me this for free... this is not piracy... It's called solidarity...

Also, I'm a student and I want this for my research and for my own knowledge.. I m not lucky because my college don't have access in the AES.

I'm not fully support piracy... I think piracy is good, if a person can handle it with consciousness..

but I don't post here to find a solution in piracy problem of our times...

So, can you reply with a good source that contains information for my research??

Thanks...

Post: # 18325Unread post **greybeard** Thu Feb 23, 2012 3:13 pm

- essentially, the anthology you mention (and its companion) from the AES are almost 100% reprints from what is available in database form, as mentioned by tragwag. Your academic library will be able to give you access to the AES database, and you just have to adhere to their rules if you don't want to get slapped.

Anyway, why do you not become a member of the AES, then each paper will only cost you USD5 (and not USD20), and you can buy all the papers in the anthology you want in pdf form. The sum will of course come to a bit more than 37E .........

Post: # 18326Unread post **sifis1983** Thu Feb 23, 2012 4:05 pm

Well, I'm just waiting to be back in stock...

I prefer to have it as a physical item, not pdf.

But, please this is not a post about this anthology...
There are many good articles of the issue on the internet... !

Post: # 18356Unread post **Angus McCarthy** Fri Feb 24, 2012 7:01 pm

Yes, but as we've touched upon, it is devilishly difficult to find internet articles that are properly citable.

Learning about record production and writing a well thought out paper on the subject is not the difficult point. The difficulty is in finding sources your professors will accept. Your best bet - I hate to say it - is to shill out the money for the membership and the archives. (That's higher education, for ya...

)