Vanrock and embossing

[ilium]

So far I have not had much luck with embossing with the Vanrock.. I mean it'll do it but it's super noisey. From what I understand you want to angle the cone against the direction of the disc is turning by 7-20 degrees. There doesn't appear to be anyway to adjust the angle of the head on the Vanrock or am I missing something?

cone_angle.jpg

[markrob]

Hi,

On the Soundscriber machines, they bent the shank to make the tip trace at the correct angle. Maybe you could do something similar. See fig 5 in the patent page below:

Soundscriber Patent.jpg

Mark

[socialroots]

Hello, I just came backfrom okinawa and there I had a chance to see my friend embossing with his vanrock , but he wasnt using a steel cone, but a sapphire styli facing backwards, no leaning back , nothing, works for him quite well on PC. He also uses tungsten cones with sucess . My rek o kut came with a horizontal head and I picked up some of Farmer Johns tungsten cones awhile back and was embossing quite well without the ability to lean back. My results werenever hi fi, but mono good fi, good match with my music. May I ask what media you are embossing on? Are you putting on enuff weight? Embossing will never be an exact controlled formula to get a good cut, just the nature of that particular method. Sometimes inconsistent, but with embossing good results can be attained, and more afforadble than cutting, trial n error is the only way to getgood results with your set up, and every set up will have different needs to adress, but good results are attainable. Good luck with your cutting journey, the vanrock is such a cute machine!

Bless up from Taiwan,
patrick

[ilium]

May I ask what media you are embossing on? Are you putting on enuff weight?

PVC from RECORDBLANKS.COM

How much weight should I be using?

I'm not sure I have heard an example of what embossing with a steel cone should sound like but there seems to be way more surface noise than I was expecting and even just recording with no input is quite loud just listening to the device recording.

[piaptk]

I sell embossing sapphire cones that use a straight up and down angle similar to cutting that will work on the van rock. You have to cut polycarbonate with them. Pm me for details. Mike

[nikc]

Hi There,
I have had success with embossing with steel cones. and i just angle the head a little bit, (I can only do it a bit on my MSS head).
But I guess if you can angle it at all you'd get problems
I put about 3oz weight on needle (using a fish for fishing weighing scale).
I spray WD40 on the disc first, then clean of with washing up liquid. (this really helps)
I use a heating lamp to warm up the disc (this doesn't make that much difference).
Getting the right cone, makes the difference.

The best sound Ive got has no surface noise, though embossing will always be a quiet groove and have a bit of an vintage sound.

hope you get success
Nik

[discosdecorte]

Hi!

I've been searching posts about succesfully embossing with an ATOM/VANROCK but couldn't find any. Please point me to any forum thread or user that could help! The best results I get are very very very noisy

Best regards,
Fer

[piaptk]

What discs/needles are you using?

I emboss with a van rock on polycarbonate using the embossing sapphire cones we sell all the time. Never as quiet as on a 6n, but totally listenable. The van rock doesnt have much in yhe way of weight or angle controls so you may have to adjust the ampunt the needle protrudes from the head to get it right.

You might consider coming to my www.lathecutcamp.com in November if you need help getting started.

[discosdecorte]

What discs/needles are you using?

I emboss with a van rock on polycarbonate using the embossing sapphire cones we sell all the time. Never as quiet as on a 6n, but totally listenable. The van rock doesnt have much in yhe way of weight or angle controls so you may have to adjust the ampunt the needle protrudes from the head to get it right.

You might consider coming to my http://www.lathecutcamp.com in November if you need help getting started.

Hi!

As you know, I've send you details about the discs/needles via PM.

Man, I wish I could go to that camp, seems awesome... but I'm from Spain

Also, i'm afraid my english skills are not enough to understand this statement: "you may have to adjust the ampunt the needle protrudes from the head to get it right" Could you please explain It with other words?

PS Looking forward to get your cones

Best regards,
Fer

[piaptk]

You dont have to push the needle all the way into the hole before tightening down the screw. You can pull it out a little bit more before tightening it to get more weight, or if you need less weight or angle, you can take a tiny bit off the end of the stylus with clippers so it doesnt stick out as far.

[discosdecorte]

You dont have to push the needle all the way into the hole before tightening down the screw. You can pull it out a little bit more before tightening it to get more weight, or if you need less weight or angle, you can take a tiny bit off the end of the stylus with clippers so it doesnt stick out as far.

Ok, I see... but if I pull out the shank a little I should manually lift up the head before recording in order to avoid the platter to hit the needle. And I suppose that after that, when the platter is vertically under the needle, I should let It drop gently in the blank in order to record, right?

Thanks again
Fer

[piaptk]

Yes, i have to manually lift and lower the head at the beginning and end of the cycle.

[discosdecorte]

Yes, i have to manually lift and lower the head at the beginning and end of the cycle.

Thanks for all your help and tips!

[discosdecorte]

I'm not sure I have heard an example of what embossing with a steel cone should sound like but there seems to be way more surface noise than I was expecting and even just recording with no input is quite loud just listening to the device recording.

Regarding this... My ATOM seems very noisy too, even with no input signal connected to the machine there's a lot of noise when monitoring via headphones. Also, with input plugged and playing back, monitoring via headphones is painfully TOO LOUD even with the VU below 0. Is that something usual in this machines or there is something wrong with mine?

Best regards,
Fer

[discosdecorte]

Hi again!

Is there an ATOM / Vanrock user who can tell me how much a long shank needle protrudes when it is fully inserted? I think I have height/weight problems with my ATOM:

1) maybe there is something obstructing the hole where the needle is inserted, so it cannot enter completely. In fact, I have to manually lift the head to prevent the plate from hitting the needle, so maybe this is what happens.

2) I've tried the weight adjustment and it doesn't work (I always get the same weight), so maybe this is why my needle is always too low.

If I bend the needle or cut a tiny bit with tweezers I get better results, but with some materials I can't do this (tungsten, e.g.)

Thanks in advance, fellow trolls.

Best regards,
Fer

[ilium]

I'm not sure I have heard an example of what embossing with a steel cone should sound like but there seems to be way more surface noise than I was expecting and even just recording with no input is quite loud just listening to the device recording.

Regarding this... My ATOM seems very noisy too, even with no input signal connected to the machine there's a lot of noise when monitoring via headphones. Also, with input plugged and playing back, monitoring via headphones is painfully TOO LOUD even with the VU below 0. Is that something usual in this machines or there is something wrong with mine?

Best regards,
Fer

As far as I can tell the monitoring amp inside the ATOM is just not very good and not reliable. I have managed to cut records with a diamond stylus that sounded good and did not have surface noise.