Looking to cut Dubs in Chicago

[FoleyDub]

Looking to cut some acetate one offs here in Chicago. I am currently working with someone in Cali, but im looking to cut shipping out and maybe even get my songs the same day. Any feedback or direction is appreciated. Currently they charge me about $30 per disc, both sides.

[concretecowboy71]

I would say you were getting a great deal, seeing as the dub plates currently cost around 20 bucks just for the plate alone. How do they stay in business?

Opcode is in Chicago. You might PM him and see what he would charge you.

[opcode66]

Not doing one-offs anymore. Too much time for almost zero in return. I'm only cutting master lacquers. It affords me more time to work on mods and inventions for the lathe.

[FoleyDub]

All completely understandable. Im not to sure how this guy makes money, but it seems like he does it for everyone in the music scene im in.

I appreciate the responses, I was hoping there was some unknown guy in his basement that could help me out, hahaha.


Cheers,

[opcode66]

$30 per disc both sides means this person is working for free. Actually probably less than free. As Clint said, a blank 12" lacquer is about $12. When I did one-offs, everyone wanted 20+ minutes per side. To audition the audio, get it tweaked, get setup to cut, and actually cut the sides, it would take something on the order of a few hours. That combined with the possibility of errors while cutting resulting in a wasted disc or trashed stylus means this person is making next to nothing. Ideally, if you are cutting professionally, you want to make enough to not only cover your expenses, but also pay yourself something as well as start to reimburse yourself for you investment in your lathe. $30 two sided dubs is unsustainable. Unless they are being cut on a very low end lathe. Either this person is willing to do work for nothing, they are cutting on a portable suitcase cutter, or they work at a studio with a lathe and are pilfering stock of dubs to do side work on the company dime. I just can't see that as a profitable venture for the person who is actually paying for the lathe and stock of discs.

[Steve E.]

What he said. And the dubs are more expensive than that....plus wear on stylus!!

[opcode66]

After the most recent price hike they are now $16 per disc if you don't buy full box.

[FoleyDub]

Wow, thats all crazy news.

I usually just get a 10" disc. One track on each side.

Seems like he does alot of these for people in the genre, but hoenstly after the numbers everyone has provided, IDK how he is doing what he is doing either.

Transition Mastering in the UK, also does it for 30#s. But after shipping to Chi, its crazy expensive.

Appreciate all the feedback. Ill continue to look around, and figure out what may be best for me.

[mossboss]

Pilfering!!!
What a disgrace
Been a victim of this behaviour?
Absolutely devastating experience,
Not nice
Sooner or later they are found out, always ends in tears
Greed and People
Arghhh
Cheers

[jtransition]

When I started 16 years ago I used cutting dubs as my education into lacquer cutting,We still do them now and whilst there is not a great mark up I squeeze them in between my rent paying jobs.It generally takes 20 mins to cut a 5-7 min track onto both sides. I view dub cutting as more of a sevice to the vinyl community than a money spinner.
We charge ;
7" £35
10" £30
12" £50
I only cut lacquer dubs because plastic sounds shit.
Ymmv

[ejemmons]

Perhaps I may be able to do you some good: I am in the last stages of bringing a Scully tube system to life, fully MIDI automated using Nuendo (my bread&butter workstation) and Crestron processors and touchscreens. The only thing left is variable pitch/depth, still restoring the 261C, but fixed pitch dubs are doable. I shall document this project here once the room looks a bit less like an elephant's graveyard! The amps are Westrex 1574-F, my rev, since I got in and mucked about with them a fair bit, beyond the Grundy mod to 6146's in the output. No prices have yet been set for anything; that's a bit in the future, so whilst this thing is in its infancy, there are deals to be had... PM please on that!

[opcode66]

I only cut lacquer dubs because plastic sounds shit.

Not if you cut them correctly and use a quality diamond. I can send you some test cut if you don't believe me. I even have one posted here.

The background audio is a rip of a plastic cut. You tell me if it sounds like shit to you. The video itself is me cutting the dub.

[dietrich10]

Perhaps I may be able to do you some good: I am in the last stages of bringing a Scully tube system to life, fully MIDI automated using Nuendo (my bread&butter workstation) and Crestron processors and touchscreens. The only thing left is variable pitch/depth, still restoring the 261C, but fixed pitch dubs are doable. I shall document this project here once the room looks a bit less like an elephant's graveyard! The amps are Westrex 1574-F, my rev, since I got in and mucked about with them a fair bit, beyond the Grundy mod to 6146's in the output. No prices have yet been set for anything; that's a bit in the future, so whilst this thing is in its infancy, there are deals to be had... PM please on that!

post pics in a new thread? sounds a fun look

[JLN]

I only cut lacquer dubs because plastic sounds shit.

Not if you cut them correctly and use a quality diamond. I can send you some test cut if you don't believe me. I even have one posted here.

The background audio is a rip of a plastic cut. You tell me if it sounds like shit to you. The video itself is me cutting the dub.

Todd,

Doesn't sound like shit. Sounded fantastic. Nice presence; nice wide panorama; low noise and very good EQ.
Love the lathe BTW!

Good work man!

Jeff

[FoleyDub]

What is the difference between Polycarbonate Dubs, and an Acetate one?

Longevity?
Sound?
Feel?
Nothing?

If I can get multiple tracks on the same side of a poly carbonate (say maybe 2 each side), for $65 bucks, pretty much the same price im paying for acetate now...But wouldn't PolyCarbonate last longer? Possibly even sound a little better especially with the set up Opcode66 has?

It doesn't sound like Opcode66 is necessarily looking to do this, but its all just questions I have i suppose.

Thanks in advance,

[jtransition]

I only cut lacquer dubs because plastic sounds shit.

Not if you cut them correctly and use a quality diamond. I can send you some test cut if you don't believe me. I even have one posted here.

The background audio is a rip of a plastic cut. You tell me if it sounds like shit to you. The video itself is me cutting the dub.

Todd thanks for your generous offer but for this to work it would need to be a cut of a track that i am familiar with. A utube link is not very helpful for sound comparisom purposes.
If people are happy with lathe cut records then then good luck to all involved,I have done comparions over the years (admittedly not with one of your diamonds )and to my ears lacquer sounds a lot better.
YMMV