i would say just try again, and call if you can, though i'm not sure if that's an option from brazil?

does it sound like terrorizer?

All the shellac records have been mastered for vinyl using the DMM process. But at Abbey Road, not GZ.

You can get both excellent sounding results and horrible sounding results with either method (DMM or Lacquer). It has more to do with the cutting engineer, the electroplating, and the pressing plant than simply DMM vs Lacquer.

The differences between DMM and Lacquer cutting (from the mouth of a mastering engineer at Abbey Road):

"DMM was developed originally to reduce surface noise and clicks and
pops on the vinyl. It can do this because being a metal part you can grow several copies from the DMM without damaging it and these can become your stampers which means the stamper used for pressing is only one generation away from the DMM plate.

The fact that it is only one generation away cuts down on clicks and
pops.

When using Lacquer you have to grow "A Negative" then "A
Positive and then grow the stamper from the positive this being 3
generations away from the Lacquer and therefore more opportunity for
adding clicks etc.

The other advantages to DMM we have found over the years are:

1) Inner groove distortion appears reduced.
2) Inner groove treble loss " "
3) Appears to handle sibilance better.
4) Pre and Post echo practically non existent.

There is a difference in sound though and I would say DMM has a slightly brighter sheen to it where Lacquer has a warmer sound.

I liken it to DMM being similar to digital sound and Lacquer more of an Analogue sound. "

Full disclosure - my studio owns a lacquer cutting lathe and I cut lacquer masters for a living.

bw

ah this is exactly the kind of coherent explanation i was hoping someone could provide...

i guess i agree w/ brightness vs. warmness, i imagine also having your parts made @ abbey road vs. having GZ do them makes a difference.


i wasn't aware there was vinyl mastering done @ your studio, any recent releases of note i can check out to hear your work bob?

Also GZ will cut the DMM by simply playing back a 16-bit audio CD that you send them.

A place like Abbey Road will cut the DMM directly from your analog tape if you like, or 24-bit files, etc.

I'd suggest finding a place to cut your masters from something better than a 16-bit audio CD.

-b

Bob Weston wrote:Also GZ will cut the DMM by simply playing back a 16-bit audio CD that you send them.

A place like Abbey Road will cut the DMM directly from your analog tape if you like, or 24-bit files, etc.

I'd suggest finding a place to cut your masters from something better than a 16-bit audio CD.

-b

i actually had friends who went through serious difficulties sending reels to GZ to have their record cut with those, but they were at least led to believe that they were cut this way. wouldn't it be a real kick in the balls if they just dumped them to a CDR and made the plates w/ that...

cc wrote:

Bob Weston wrote:Also GZ will cut the DMM by simply playing back a 16-bit audio CD that you send them.

A place like Abbey Road will cut the DMM directly from your analog tape if you like, or 24-bit files, etc.

I'd suggest finding a place to cut your masters from something better than a 16-bit audio CD.

-b

i actually had friends who went through serious difficulties sending reels to GZ to have their record cut with those, but they were at least led to believe that they were cut this way. wouldn't it be a real kick in the balls if they just dumped them to a CDR and made the plates w/ that...

I stand corrected. I had some issues with supplying mastered audio to GZ. They didn't want my 24-bit files. They said that they can't play them back into the lathe, and only wanted a 16-bit audio CD. We never discussed tapes, though. I was just assuming that they couldn't accept a tape.

bw

well let me just say, that before the record was cut, the box with the master tapes sat for a month un-signed for, was returned, sat out in the rain in boston for an afternoon, and then was mailed again, and this time was sucessfully recieved. thus, i dont know if i'd necessarily advise going this route...

also as long as we're discussing, i was told richard simpson, one of the cheaper places to cut a lacquer doesn't take 24-bit files either, or more specifically, the label that had one of my recent projects cut there said that he wanted the 16-bit CD not the 24-bit...

cc wrote:call if you can, though i'm not sure if that's an option from brazil?

Well, yes, but am I going to spend money on an international phone call to someone who can't be bothered to reply to an email?

cc wrote:does it sound like terrorizer?

Not directly, I don't think, here:

http://www.myspace.com/areyougod

cool man thanks for the link. good luck with it.

honestly i've been doing a label with friends for 5 years now, we've done a decent amount of releases, and i have to say, it's remained as difficult dealing with most of the manufacturing people as it was on day 1. shit kinda sucks. i can't wait til the future when music is encoded organically on living tissue that i can just get grafted onto my arm and access via my brain at will. people will be pining for the cold clarity of digital formats like CDs and DATs then. it will be the new retro cool, and no one will even know what vinyl is. til then... "calling to say the test presses are approved"