Mastercuts

The mastercut, also known as lacquer foil or acetate, is the starting point for every vinyl pressing. In the cutting process, the audio material is cut into a blank coated with lacquer. This lacquer cut serves as an analog master from which all further production steps are based – in simple terms, all finished records in production are copies of this master.

However, the master foils cannot be used directly in the pressing plant. Instead, they are used in the electroplating process as templates for the production of metal stampers (dies). These dies are used to press the final records. The quality of the master foil therefore has a direct influence on the fidelity and durability of the pressed records. Maximum precision and care in this step are essential to ensure optimum sound quality.

NEUMANN VMS 70

Our mastering studio is equipped with a Neumann VMS 70 lathe cutting machine. This was extensively modified by Wilson Audio in 1993 in order to adapt it to modern requirements. The machine has been in our studio since 2006, where it was further optimized and thoroughly restored in collaboration with Charly Rottenkolber (CPP Studio). Since then, it has lent its incomparable sound to numerous pressings. We use a digital simulation of the mastercut to identify and eliminate potential problem areas before each transfer.

THE DUOPHONIC SOUND

We send our mastercuts to all well-known pressing plants throughout Europe.

So if you appreciate our special sound but would like to handle the pressing yourself, we will be happy to take over the recording of your production.

We also offer special audio mastering for vinyl productions.

Most music productions leave the recording studio optimized for digital distribution. Due to certain characteristics, vinyl records have special features in terms of frequency reproduction and dynamic behavior.

POSSIBLE PLAYTIMES

	45 rpm	33 rpm
12″	6 – 11 minutes	17 – 22 minutes
10″	5 – 7 minutes	12 – 14 minutes
7″	3 – 5 minutes	5 – 6 minutes

The longer the playing time and the bassier the sound, the quieter the record will be. Shorter playtimes allow louder cuts (+2 dB – +6 dB), while longer playtimes are quieter and can lead to more background noise and sampling distortion.

MASTERING FOR VINYL

Records are analog sound carriers and the sound recording is subject to physical conditions. Each cut of the master film results in sound changes compared to the digital original – however, the greatest differences in frequency response occur when the playback system samples the sound.

Our aim is to transfer the production true to the original. We check every master thoroughly before cutting the master lacquer, and we are happy to make small technical adjustments free of charge. In order to achieve the best possible sound on the finished pressing, it is nevertheless helpful to observe a few rules:

Stick to the recommended playtimes.
Quiet songs with little treble should be placed at the end of the sides.
Avoid stereo components in the bass range below 180 Hz.
Avoid digital distortion and maintain a safety margin of at least -0.5 dB True Peak.
Avoid a treble-heavy mix and use a de-esser if necessary.
Avoid excessive compression/limiting of the sum; an LUFS value of -10 dB is acceptable.

If you don’t have the necessary equipment and experience, we recommend professional mastering. We also offer mastering services in our studio.

TRANSFER OF THE AUDIO FILES

To upload your production data, we will provide you with access to our secure mailbox.org cloud service once you have placed your order. We also accept file hosts such as WeTransfer and Dropbox.

Ideally, you should deliver WAV files in 16-32 bit with sampling rates between 44.1 kHz and 96 kHz. It is best to use the native sampling rate in which the project was originally created. Other digital formats that we accept are FLAC, AIFF, DDP, DAT and CDR. For analog 1/4″ tapes, we also have a perfectly calibrated OTARI tape machine.

Please also send us a track list with page layout and break information. The desired engraving should also be specified when submitting the data.