Christmas Vinyl Manufacturing Times
In the run up to Christmas the pressing plants will get very busy with orders from the major record labels with their Beatles reissues and Metallica box sets. It is important to plan your release schedule properly and make sure your December releases don’t end up materialising in 2015. At Well Tempered we work towards our standard production time of seven weeks from receipt of lacquers, with your test pressings being delivered three weeks into that seven week cycle….
Approving Test Pressings / Checking Test Presses
Here at Well Tempered we always advise on checking your test pressings thoroughly before the finished run of artwork copies is pressed. When Approving Test Pressings you are approving the work that the cutting engineer has done, and also the galvanic process at the plant. But what exactly are you checking for? Years ago an acetate would be cut by the engineer at the time of mastering, so the artist would be able to check the test press against this….
Vinyl Records & Craft Beer | More similar than you would think. . .
As well as an obvious keen interest in vinyl records, I am also into my beer. You wouldn’t think that the two have a link, but they do. It is obvious that that the big brands have got the advertising budget to make their beer a big seller. A beer like Heineken ticks all the boxes. It is a good example of its kind as far as flavour and style goes… and obviously they have a huge marketing budget to…
vinyl manufacturing plants are struggling to keep up with demand for records | We got you covered!
According to The Independent, “Manufacturers are struggling to keep up with the resurgence in vinyl records” In other words, the vinyl manufacturing industry is having serious difficulty keeping up with demand. I’m not sure that the plant owners would agree with The Independent that the machinery they are using is old and creaky, but the message is sound – lead times are increasing, and this is kicking down the supply chain and hitting the labels. What used to be a four…
Ownership of Metalwork – ST Holdings Closure
Dear All, I’ve been contacted by many labels this week asking about the ownership of metalwork now that ST Holdings has announced it’s closure at the end of the month. The following is a extract from an email that many of you will have received recently from ST Holdings. “Metalwork & Paper Parts All metalwork is owned by yourselves. To claim control of the metalwork please contact the relevant pressing plant direct. Contact me to get the relevant pressing plant…
Self Distribution – A Good Idea?
Those of you not familiar with the traditional music distribution model of the physical format might at some point consider it a good idea to attempt self distribution. Many labels see growth in their direct-to-consumer sales month on month, hear about store closures, and wonder whether or not distribution could be done themselves. The thought of an extra £1 per unit on every sale is an attractive one, and the idea of being self sufficient in this day and age…
Exciting Developments in Music Distribution
Rarely do we see new music distribution companies instantly making such an impact on the UK music scene as Railbird Digital & Unearthed Sounds. In the modern day with so much emphasis placed on technology driven solutions, often what’s lacking is the personal service and passion for music that independent record labels long for. Finding a new distribution partner can be a hard task with so many options available these days. With many digital distribution companies more focused on streamlining…
Fracture – Loving Touch EP – Exit Records (exit049)
Next up on Exit Records is Fracture – Loving Touch EP | manufactured by well Tempered. The EP centres around ‘Loving Touch’, officially using Ralphi Rosario and Xavier Gold’s early Chicago classic ‘You Used To Hold Me’. Ralphi loves the track and you will too. It updates the production taking the track to 160bpm, adding some footwork hats and bass but not forgetting Fracture’s roots and forsaking the breaks. This drops! Loving Touch has already had loads of club play…
DMM (Direct Metal Mastering) vs Lacquer. Which should you choose?
DMM (Direct Metal Mastering) became popular during the 80’s but was soon less favourable as more cutting engineers went back to lacquer. It was co-developed by Neumann and Teldec, and instead of engraving the groove into a soft metal lacquer-coated aluminum disc, a DMM lathe engraves the audio signal directly onto a hard metal copper-plated master disc. The difference between a DMM cut and a lacquer cut is that the DMM is more precise, with sharper transients and better image “edge…