Cheap vinyl record pressing full#

Pretty much any record pressing plant will have a minimum run requirement, and this is usually 100 records. The Quantity of Records in the Pressing Run There are a few factors that can impact the final overall cost of pressing a vinyl record. PVC pellets are molded into small “patties”, and the metal stamper is then pressed down, flattening these patties and imprinting the music onto them to create the record.įor more on what a record is actually made from, check out our This Is What Vinyl Records Are Made Of post! What Factors Influence the Cost of Pressing a Record? This is the step where the actual vinyl record is produced, and the music pressed onto it.

Cheap vinyl record pressing full#

With this metal stamper a test pressing of the record is usually run, and the recording is reviewed by the engineer, artist etc to ensure the recording is faithful to the original before a full run is pressed, as well as catch any sound anomalies or flaws. Step 4: Test Pressings as a Quality Check The lacquer is then treated with various metals and chemicals, which fuse to solidify and create a metal stamper in the mold of the lacquer. This lacquer serves as the mold for the next step. Once the audio’s been mastered and is ready, an engineer will then use a lathe to cut the lacquer disc of the audio recording. This is the ideal format – others can work, right “down” to CD quality audio at 16-bit 44.1kHz, but MP3 files just don’t cut it as a master file for cutting vinyl.įor more on the debate around whether digital or vinyl is better, check out our post here.

The standard format for a vinyl master file is 24-bit 96kHz, as either a WAV or AIFF. Mastering gets the audio ready for the next step of the process – the vinyl lacquer cutting stage – and there are various requirements of the mastered audio source file to ensure the best possible vinyl pressing is achieved. Step 1: Pre-Master the Audioīefore the record is even pressed, the audio needs to be mastered properly so that it’s ready to be committed to vinyl. To help understand what’s really involved in pressing a vinyl record, and how the various stages affect the overall cost, let’s take an overview of the process. The Steps Involved in Pressing a Vinyl Record More information on how these costs can fluctuate is in the final section of this article. This cost can rise considerably when any of the cost elements listed in the above table are adjusted. So, the average cost to press 100 12” vinyl records is $1225. Cost element Average cost Example cost for a pressing of 100 records Lacquer cutting (per side) $190 $380 Plating (per side, 2-step) $170 $340 Center labels (per label) $0.05 $5 Inner sleeves (plain white) $0.15 $15 Jackets (stock black or white) $0.75 $75 Pressing set-up fee $190 $190 Test pressing (5) $65 $65 140g black vinyl record (per unit) $1.55 $155 Total demonstrative cost for pressing run of 100 records: $1225 In the following table, we’ve put the average cost across the four quotes we received for each element, for a stock/standard pressing of a two-sided 12” record with plain labeling, sleeves and jackets. To give a clear idea of the cost of pressing a vinyl record, we got detailed quotes with a breakdown of overall cost from four different plants. How Much Does the Record Pressing Process Cost? We’ll also get into the factors that can have a real influence on the cost of pressing a vinyl record in this article, but first up let’s look at breaking down the actual cost itself. To help understand how and why the overall cost can vary, I’ve broken down the various stages of the record pressing process in this post and how they can influence the overall cost of pressing a record. These various other factors can make the overall cost either lower or higher, but the average of $1225 for a run of 100 records is based on the most economical options. The cost of pressing a record can rise when colored labelling, artwork and various other factors are modified. Most record pressing plants will not produce a run of less than 100 records, to ensure a return on investment of initial set-up costs. The average cost to make 100 vinyl records is $1225. They told me they were planning to do a run of 100 vinyls of their band’s next EP, and we discussed the costs involved and how many records they’d need to sell and at what price to break even. It’s something that’s crossed my mind more than once, and while I always had a rough idea of the general cost involved, my intrigue was renewed when speaking to a friend who plays in a group. Ever been listening to one of your favorite records and wondered: How much does a vinyl record cost to produce?