Premastering for Vinyl Records

the process of getting your audio ready for the vinyl lacquer cutting stage. If your audio is already mastered for vinyl, you will not require pre-mastering services. Below is what you need to know to have your audio files vinyl ready.

• 24 bit 96kHz WAV or AIFF format file is the vinyl pre-master standard. Other file resolutions are acceptablee, down to CD quality audio, 16 bit 44.1kHz
• File resolution should be the highest available, but should not be converted up to a higher resolution.
• MP3 audio is not a suitable source for vinyl production.
• The source audio files should be provided as a single WAV or AIFF format file for each side, with track spacing as it is intended to appear on the record with an accompanying PQ sheet, indicatting track IDs

The lacquer cutting system (the next step in vinyl manufacturing) is capable of putting very high peak levels on the record, but only ideal playback systems in optimal conditions will be able to play the sound back without distortion. Since we need the record to be playable on all types of equipment, it's necessary to limit the High Frequency information. It's recommended to provide a vinyl premaster that already has a balance of high frequency suitable for vinyl production. 

Excessive level in the very low bass can cause the record to skip. Excessive stereo information in the bass appears as vertical movement in the groove, so it's sometimes necessary to remove the stereo component of the music as well as any out of phase information in the very low frequency range. The cutting system is equipped to correct minor issues with the bass however, more severe problems will result in a record that can't be cut or that sounds very different from the source audio files provided. It's recommended to provide a vinyl premaster that already has low frequency level and stereo content that is suitable for vinyl production. 

As a general rule, the longer a side is, the quieter the record will be. Our general guideline for maximum side length is 20 minutes for a 12" 33 rpm record and 14 minutes for a 12" 45 rpm record. However, it's the bass content in the music that takes up the physical space on the disc, so it's sometimes possible to have a longer side without compromising the level or audio quality. Not all masters benefit significantly from shorter sides. As well, some styles of music are more ideally suited to a higher playback level, in which case shorter side lengths (15-18 minutes for 12" at 33 rpm, 9-12 minutes for 12" at 45 rpm) are recommended. For 7” record pressing, our general guideline for 3 – 4.5 minutes per side for a 7" 45 rpm record and 5 - 7 minutes per side for a 7" 33 rpm record.
 

The deeper (louder) and wider the cut (more bass), the more space (therefore time) it consumes on the record. 

We cut your record at the maximum level possible within the confines of the vinyl medium. The factors determining the level are a combination of the HF and LF issues explained above, and the running time. The longer side of the record determines the level for all sides, unless otherwise specified. 

• Start IDs for each song, not just each side, since sometimes it's hard to tell where one song ends and another starts. Also, they're handy for checking each song.
• Write down accurate timings for each song AND total side time including pauses. So much time is wasted by the cutting engineer having to figure out times, and it's imperative to know before cutting 
• A complete detailed list of songs per side