Hey all
Ok so I have just had my first cutter which is a completely refurbished Meissner 9-1065 delivered and it looks amazing. I am aware this is a very cheap cutter in the cutter world but I am hoping to get the very most out of it, its what my budget would allow. I am super excited about all this and want to really understand this all. I hope people feel mostly positive about this machine for the level it works at. I have a couple of steel needles and a sapphire needle for it.
As this device was getting overhauled I did research on record cutting and have found this site super useful. The lathe world is a bit daunting for me as a newbie and was hard to get to this point I'm at and now I have the machine delivered today I have a million questions. I am hoping someone or a few people would be kind enough to help me with some pointers/tips to get the most out of this machine, I have my main questions listed below. Ok so my questions are as follows:
1. Nitrate discs are obviously insanely hard to get hold of anyhow and harder for a beginner with no contacts or experience and I know they should probably be saved for higher fidelity machines but what should be my alternative for this machine and what could I do to ensure the very best results? I hear about polycarbonate and then turtle wax and lighter oil but is this correct? If so what are good steps and what kind of cutting needle is best for them?
2. Can I/Should I get an embossing needle to use on this machine? If it is suitable for it what steps should I take to get the best results for this machine?
3. What steps could I take to ensure the level going into the machine is the best? I have a cord that was created specially to convert the mic input into a jack so I can use a few different connectors with that to record different things. If recording from a computer music file how do I best feed that level in and how much should the overload light light up? is a little ok?
4. What would be the best typical result I can expect from this cutter? Any audio examples so i can understand it or maybe something I'll know so its relatable.
5. I sometimes hear squealing noises that varies in audibility when I am cutting, is that bad and what is causing that? Sometimes I idid not hear it.
6. Some/most of my recordings are super quiet with quite a bit of noise what can I do to help with that? A couple are much louder and less noisy but I have no idea why
7. On playback I can sometimes hear what sounds like a sort of higher pitched siren noise in the recording, any idea what that is and how could I reduce that?
8. I am hoping to use the 33rpm setting so I can playback on a normal record player I have, any issues with that or is it fine to do so?
9. When cutting I get a swarth which. I know is normal but I am having trouble keeping it away from the needle, I have a brush as advised but i must have a poor technique because I feel its still getting caught up on needle. Also I am sure this causes the sound to warble during recording as I can hear that on some recordings.
Ok Ii will leave it here for now and apologies for the length and number of questions, hope thats ok. I am sure that this post, or rather answers to any of these points, will be helpful for other newbies as well as I am sure some of these questions are issues for others.
Help with my first cutter - Meissner 9-1065
Moderators: piaptk, tragwag, Steve E., Aussie0zborn
Re: Help with my first cutter - Meissner 9-1065
Welcome, and congrats on your cutter! I know the feeling of getting your first machine, it's super exciting. As a newbie who is still learning a lot about all of this, I'll give you my take on your questions:
1 ) Polycarbonate is the way to go. Turtle wax is one option, but rubbing the surface with lighter fluid is an alternative. I know many people use it with great results as it takes the adhesive layer off the poly and also slightly softens the plastic to make it easier to cut.
2 ) It depends on the cutting head, you'll have to research. If it's crystal, you'll need to find a new head most likely. If it's magnetic, I highly recommend the sapphire embossing needles that Piaptk sells. He also has a great Newbies Guide that I would read, if you haven't already.
3 ) Not quite sure on this, maybe someone with one of these machines could answer that better in terms of how the controls specifically function. Might have to experiment to find out!
4 ) Don't expect anything great. This machine was not meant for professional use I don't think, mostly domestic and personal use, recording messages, greetings, etc. Sapphire embossing needles might get you higher frequency response, but it again it depends on the cutting head. I wouldn't expect tons of high frequency response.
5 - 7 ) Noise could be a result of any number of things. Playback pickup, chipped cutting stylus, too shallow a groove, etc. If you haven't already, read anything you can get your hands on about this lathe and other similar lathes. It's all on this website, just gotta search for it. You'll likely need some new parts and will need to re calibrate things.
8 ) I can't see why you wouldn't be able to do this?
9 ) Again - read up on swarf. Tons of threads here about it and options about getting rid of it.
Hope that helps!
1 ) Polycarbonate is the way to go. Turtle wax is one option, but rubbing the surface with lighter fluid is an alternative. I know many people use it with great results as it takes the adhesive layer off the poly and also slightly softens the plastic to make it easier to cut.
2 ) It depends on the cutting head, you'll have to research. If it's crystal, you'll need to find a new head most likely. If it's magnetic, I highly recommend the sapphire embossing needles that Piaptk sells. He also has a great Newbies Guide that I would read, if you haven't already.
3 ) Not quite sure on this, maybe someone with one of these machines could answer that better in terms of how the controls specifically function. Might have to experiment to find out!
4 ) Don't expect anything great. This machine was not meant for professional use I don't think, mostly domestic and personal use, recording messages, greetings, etc. Sapphire embossing needles might get you higher frequency response, but it again it depends on the cutting head. I wouldn't expect tons of high frequency response.
5 - 7 ) Noise could be a result of any number of things. Playback pickup, chipped cutting stylus, too shallow a groove, etc. If you haven't already, read anything you can get your hands on about this lathe and other similar lathes. It's all on this website, just gotta search for it. You'll likely need some new parts and will need to re calibrate things.
8 ) I can't see why you wouldn't be able to do this?
9 ) Again - read up on swarf. Tons of threads here about it and options about getting rid of it.
Hope that helps!