In December 2005, I produced and released the album Dark Side of the Moon A
Cappella on CD. It was a great accomplishment, recreating the entire
Pink Floyd album, all a cappella. It lines up within a couple seconds the
original Pink Floyd album and will sync up with Wizard of Oz, just like the
original album does. We had Grammy-winning mastering engineer Doug Sax master
the CD. Sales of the CD went very well for the first two years, then it was time
to try something a bit different with this project: release Dark Side of the
Moon A Cappella on VINYL!
I had done some research and found that people are still really into collecting
vinyl. It hasn't died like many might think. As a matter of fact, it's making a
bit of a comeback. There is just something about the sound that can't be
reproduced in digital form. When we listen to something recorded digitally, it
has been recorded at a certain "sampling rate". This rate describes how fast the
original audio is "sampled" or chopped up. General consensus is that the more
samples (or chops) you make, the better the sound. Higher sampling rates will
sound a bit better. High-Definition recordings are done at 96khz, as opposed to
standard CD rates of 44.1khz. Now, think of analog as having an infinite number
of samples or chops (no chops, really). Smoother, better. Analog does has some
drawbacks, though, that digital doesn't: noise. Some people actually like the
added noise. It also seems to smooth and warm up the sound. But this is all a
completely different discussion, right?
My plan was to release a Limited Collectors Edition of the album on vinyl. No
need to print 1000 copies, just a small run to try out the medium and see if we
can get Dark Side into more hands. 300 copies would do it.
Prepare Your Master Before anyone can press your record, you'll need to have a lacquer master
created. This lacquer master is used to make your "metals": the Mother and the
Stampers. I first had my entire album re-mastered from our high-definition
digital mixes (24bit/96khz), by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab. Then Kevin Gray,
of AcousTech Mastering, created our lacquers from the new master that Doug made.
Kevin created the lacquers for Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon 30th
Anniversary release on vinyl.
Find A Pressing Plant You'll need to do is find a pressing plant to manufacture the records for
you. There are a bunch of them out there, some better than others. I was
actually warned to stay away from one or two of them, so if you're
seriously considering this, please contact me and I'll let you know who
to avoid. I did some research and found that most of the audiophile releases
that are being pressed today are done by a company called Record Technology Inc
(RTI). When it comes down to it, most of the companies cost about the same. So
you'll need to go with one that you feel comfortable with. I had already worked
out that I would be having Kevin Gray cut the lacquers for the album, and he is
affiliated with RTI, so it was a natural fit.
About The Vinyl Itself
You'll need to choose a "weight" for the vinyl. The standard vinyl weight is
130g/cm2. Most likely, when you are quoted a price for pressing it
will be for standard weight. If you want a heavier weight vinyl (audiophile
quality), you can pay extra to get 180g (at almost twice the price). The Dark
Side record was pressed in 180g. There are even releases that are pressed on
200g vinyl, but you probably won't be able to find any plants that will do this
weight for you. The heavier the weight, the quieter the record and all-around
improved sound.
You can also choose colored vinyl, swirled colored vinyl, or even picture discs.
These will all add to the price. Most plants can do all of these "extras".
Prepare Your Artwork
If you've already released your album on CD, you won't be able to just re-use
the same artwork for your record jackets. A CD cover is only about 5" square,
while a record cover is about 12" square. You'll need your artist to re-create
the artwork at a larger size. You cannot simply scale graphics larger without
losing sharpness. It'll get all fuzzy or pixelated. So just be careful.
Some pressing plants will handle the printing of color record jackets and some
won't. RTI does not. I had to go with a separate printing company who could
print the record jackets for me. I went with Dorado Press and the process was
pretty smooth. They're a regular print-shop, that also prints record jackets.
You'll also need labels, the little pieces of paper glued to each record that
tells you which side is which, what the album name is, etc. Again, some pressing
plants will handle this printing and some won't. Once again, RTI does not print
labels (they do apply the printed labels to the records though). So, upon the
recommendation of RTI, I went with G&M Printing, a small printing company in
southern California that only prints these labels and nothing else. Very small
company, eh.
Test Pressings
They used to do Test Pressings when you were replicating CDs, but they don't do
it anymore. Your vinyl pressing plant will send you somewhere between 5 and 10
test copies of your album for you to "proof". You are going to have to listen to
these and make sure there are no problems with the pressing. Be sure to have a
turntable all setup and ready to listen to these or it will throw off your
schedule. Please, don't blindly (or deafly) approve these Test Pressings, or you
may find your final records to have problems. Save the Test Pressings for later,
they're kind of neat to have as a collectors item. Sometimes you'll find Test
Pressing copies on eBay.
How Long Does It Take?
It varies. Usually about 3-4 weeks for pressing, just like a CD. After the
pressing is complete, you can also choose to have the pressing plant sent you
your metals back. If you do this, be very careful with them! If you ever want to
press more copies, you'll need these metals (just leave them in the box and
never open them). If you're never going to press this album again, you can frame
and hang up the Mother on the wall, it's basically a metal record. Very pretty.
Conclusions
Should you release an album on vinyl? Probably not. I know that's not what you
wanted to hear, but it's the truth. It can be much more expensive than releasing
a CD and you might have trouble selling lots of copies. For Dark Side of the
Moon A Cappella, it made sense. For a collegiate record that is just another in
a series of annual releases from the group, maybe not worth it. It is really cool to hear your voice on vinyl, though.
Why make records?
Pros:
The sound: there really is a nice "sound" to vinyl records.
It's neat.
Cons:
Few people still have turntables
It costs more to produce vinyl than it does to make CDs
Vinyl records are much more fragile and heavy than CDs. Hard to sell them at
shows.
The process of making records is not as smooth and refined as the CD
replication industry. Expect delays and hiccups.
Some Sites With Vinyl Info/Forums: Vinyl Engine - This is a
very active forum for vinyl aficionados from around the world. Good articles and
reviews too.
Vinyl
Asylum - Good vinyl forum. It's a part of the Audio Asylum Forums.
Some Vinyl Retailers: AcousticSounds - The
largest online retailer of new and used vinyl.
eBay - Always good and interesting
deals to be found on eBay.
Terminology
180 Gram - This is the weight of the record itself. You can press a
record with either 140g/cm2 or 180g/cm2 weight. The
heavier, 180g discs, provide a much thicker and more stable playing surface.
These will be a bit quieter and should warp less. They also will not break as
easily if you drop them. Audiophiles prefer 180g records. There are even 200g
records being pressed, but you probably won't be able to press at this weight.
Dub Plate - Originally, Dub Plates were just test pressings. More
recently, DJs will get a single-pressing of a record made and this is called a
Dub Plate. It is made of thinner vinyl than a regular record and cannot be
played nearly as many times.
Jackets - This is the cardboard album cover.
Labels - This is the paper label in the middle of the record, usually
says the name of the record, the side, and other info.
Lacquer - This is the soft waxy master of your album, used to create the
metal stamper
Stamper - These are the actual metal plates used to form your record.
Sleeves - This is the thin paper or plastic envelope that the record sits
in.
Test Pressing - A run of 5 to 10 copies of a record that are printed
before a full-run of pressings are done, used as a "proof".
Virgin Vinyl - This is vinyl material that is completely new and contains
no recycled material. Not-so-perfect for the environmentally-conscious, heh.
Freddie Feldman is a CASA Board Member, Record Producer, and Owner of
VOCOMOTION Studios. He is a
Voting Member of the Recording Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (The
Grammys).
In December 2005, I produced and released the album 
