Cutting a hidden/alternate track - VMS80

[johnoisamanc]

Hi..

Does anyone here have any info on creating alternate grooves and the geometrical/cutting theory behind making this work on an album? I had a client ask about it. I know this has been achieved on a VMS80... Anyone done this? How would you go about connecting the alternate groove with say track two on the main groove?

[Aussie0zborn]

The "hidden" track was usually a parallel groove so the grooves never met. Some records were cut with two parallel grooves, each groove containing a different song. Other such records were used to supplement board games eg: a horse race - each of the five grooves had a different horse winning so depending on where you drop the stylus you get a different winner.

It sounds like you want two parallel grooves in the first "track" of the album that each flow into the regular groove in the second track which then plays normally for the rest of the album. Good idea but I've never heard of this before. I would say you will waste a lot of lacquers as you won't want to use automatic pitch control in the first track with the parallel grooves but will want auto pitch control from the second track onwards. You also need to consider the swishing sound or very loud click that you are liable get where the two groves feed into one. I would think you would need to create mothers and "de-click" them at this point.

We've discussed parallel grooves here before so a quick search might shed some more light on this topic for you. Paul Gold mentioned that he did try it and if I remember correctly he bypassed the auto pitch control.

Are you proposing to cut this on a VMS80 ?

[rsimms3]

Two parallel grooves into one groove has been done with the new Jack White album. Go to 4:00 to hear about it. Watch the whole video for the full menagerie of elements to this record from inside out to locked grooves etc.

[Aussie0zborn]

That's a neat trick - kudos to Jack White. I can imagine a lot of lacquers were used to get it right.

His album is interesting in that it contains:

- an outward/inward side
- grooves under the label
- the parallel grooves on track one contain a full band version and an acoustic version of the same song before it merges into track 2 to play like a normal record.
- three different speeds on the one album (33.3, 45 and 78 rpm)
- and ofcourse the moving hologram in the deadwax area of the record

That video is well worth watching. Thanks for posting it.

[Snakeheadfishlab]

Now that's the stuff!


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[chenry57]

I cut a 7" called RPM turntable football this winter. Was quite a hit as a record store day release. 5 parallel grooves on each side. Cut on a VMS 70.
http://vimeo.com/m/87093273

[leo gonzalez]

hi john, ive done parallel groove on vms-80 running on fixed pitch but never joined grooves like that. you have to have your eyes glued to the microscope and follow the groove and lift head when it reaches the adjacent groove.

my trick is to hold the head with the thumb when head drops at the lead in and then catch groove on the scope and fine tune with land pot.

fun stuff!


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[Aussie0zborn]

I cut a 7" called RPM turntable football this winter. Was quite a hit as a record store day release. 5 parallel grooves on each side. Cut on a VMS 70.
http://vimeo.com/m/87093273

Neat! Great video too.

[johnoisamanc]

Cheers!

Yeah this I think the new JW album
has caused some recent odd requests haha. All good for us right?

Thanks for the info. I know that a Monty Python record was cut I this way. I can see how a fixed pitch with bags of land could work with two separate cuts..bit joining them? Surely a one in a million chance if changing pitch to cut into the main groove?

I've also been expediently with lock out loops but can't quite seem to time it bang on. I timed the speed of the fast run out but it has to be so darn precise and does your dummy run and spiral
Positioning.

Anyone got tips on this??

Thanks again

[Greg Reierson]

Cool idea. That video is awkward hipster gold. Cult classic for sure.