Your tracks on wax: How to press your own record

The most important thing to think about is the length of your tracks because that will determine what size vinyl you press. The more you try to fit on means the shallower the grooves will be which equals a quieter record.

“The closer to the centre of the vinyl that we cut, the lower the level and more risk of audio distortion. This is why we will always recommend tracks longer than 5 minutes be cut to 12-inch vinyl,” Alan Brown from Australian service Vinylgroove told us.

This also means you need to carefully select your tracklist, as the closer to the centre of the record the needle is, the more inner-groove distortion will appear. So maybe think again about which track is A1 and which A2 if you’re releasing a four track EP.

What genre you’re producing can also influence the type of record you press. For instance, Brown says loud audio like drum 'n' bass and techno should be cut at 45rpm, a speed best suited for singles.

“The faster speed actually stretches the bottom-end out and prevents any needle jumping and distortion which also reduces the amount of time per side of the record.”

A lot of places come with a mastering service either in the cost or as an extra charge. But if you want to do it yourself then there are a number of key things you need to keep in mind.

- Because vinyl is a physical medium, you're going to experience distortion if the track contains any extreme frequencies. For example, club music is mostly dominated by the low end, so a low shelf eq on some of the lower frequencies (kick drum and bass) will make them quieter, and will compensate for the equipment's mechanical limitations. The same principle applies to hi-hats and cymbals but at the higher end of the frequency spectrum.

- Make sure everything from 250hz and below is in mono otherwise you will get skipping on playback because of the way those frequencies make the needle move.

- Don’t brickwall that compressor as it doesn't transfer well to the analogue system or stylus and they destroy dynamics and cause distortion.

- Get rid of any sibilance (that's the sss-sound) in vocal tracks.

- It seems obvious but you need to bounce down your track in the highest quality possible. 24 bit, 44.1 kHz WAV or AIFF files are best because no sonic information is lost during the process. Some services will cut mp3’s but prefer not to.

So you've chosen your pressing service, made sure the tracks are the right length and even gotten the all-ok on your perfect mastering techniques. Almost all services will send you a test pressing to listen to before you go full steam.

These are absolutely key to your process. Made of PVC, they go through the same processes as your main batch, meaning any issues in your mix will show up and you can adjust. It's also a good stage to make sure all the tracks are in the right order and on the right side of the record!

When listening back, Gotta Groove Records suggest you listen back to the pressing all the way through on a variety of different turntables. "You can't control what your end consumers will be listening on, but you can at least gain some perspective on how the cartridge/stylus in particular can make the record sound different."

By now, you've got 300 records sitting in your basement and you need to actually get them out there, it's your music after all! Welcome to the murky world of distribution.

While we won't go into too much here (as you've at least now got your record in your hands), it is an integral part of the operation if you have been reading this piece in the hopes of starting a label.

When approaching a distributor, Mitchell Goor of Triple Vision Digital, a Netherland's-based service says there are a number of things to keep in mind when making your decision.

"It's always good to outline the services a distributor offers and see if the financial commitment in combination with the work needed is something they can put up with for at least 4-5 releases. Go for the distributor who takes most of the workload and/or distributes music from likeminded artists/labels," he says.

"The best tip I could give is to have a detailed plan ready. You want your distributor to be enthusiastic from the start. Have 3-4 ideas of releases ready and pick up the phone to have a (non e-mail) chat with the distributor. See if you are both on the same page, and don't be afraid to point out which matters are important for you. You should get enough input from the distributor and feel the desire for them to work with you. On the other hand, stay humble and realise your own responsibility to make the label a success."

[All photos and video courtesy of Vinylify.com]

Louis Anderson-Rich is Mixmag's Digital Intern. Follow him on Twitter