Digging Into The Groovy Production Process Of Vinyl Records

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Contrary to popular belief, vinyl records are not things of the past. They have actually made a big resurgence in the 2020’s. According to Recording Industry Association of America, in 2022, vinyl records outsold CD sales for the first time since 1987. Many media outlets report alternative, indie and classic rock as the being top-selling music genres on vinyl. However, hip-hop must be given its due for utilizing vinyl as an instrument itself.

The art of cutting and scratching (DJing) is one of the principle elements of hip-hop culture.

As a result, the music known for its raw, rapid-fire lyrics sells on vinyl quite well. “Owning hip-hop vinyl is like owning a piece of cultural history,” says Vinyl.com, “For many, collecting hip-hop records is a way to preserve and celebrate the legacy of hip-hop culture, linking past and present through tangible artifacts that tell the stories of pioneering artists and iconic albums.”

How are vinyl records made?

The first step, of course, is the completion of the music by artists. High-quality audio files are then mastered by a mastering engineer. He or she then cuts grooves into a lacquer-coated aluminum disc using a lathe and stylus. This embeds the music on the flat disc you stick a turntable’s needle on.

From the lacquer master, a series of metal plates are created through a process known as “electroplating”. It starts with a “father” and then a “mother” before getting to a stamper, which is the negative of the grooves. The stampers typically last between 500 and 1,000 record pressings before needing to be replaced.

“The first step is that the ‘father’ is being made.”

As explained by Citizen Vinyl, “the lacquer is sprayed with silver to create in order to create a surface for electroplating, then submerged in a bath full nickel sulfamate and small pellets/balls of pure nickel; these balls are being connected to the master disc by electrolytes.”

“The father disc goes into the same bath to produce a ‘mother disc’,” their website continues, “The mother disc is the actual record that can be played, but it will not be used to play music, since the mother disc is used as a mold to produce stampers which are used to press the vinyl record. The stamper/mold is loaded into a pressing machine especially made to press vinyl records.”

Pressing records involves creating “pucks”.

Canadians will love this! Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pellets are heated and extruded into a hockey puck shape. The puck or “biscuit”, sandwiched between paper labels, is placed in a hydraulic press fitted with stampers. There is one for each side. Under about 150 tons of pressure and heat up to 150 degrees Celcius, the vinyl flows into the grooves. Within about 30 seconds, the record is formed, cooled and ejected.

Excess vinyl is trimmed away before the records are inspected visually and sonically. This is often done by random sampling and test plays. Approved records go into inner sleeves. Jackets showcasing the album artwork are printed and assembled. They are then shrink-wrapped for distribution.

The vinyl resurgence is so much more than a nostalgic hipster fad.

From the careful craftsmanship in pressing plants to the warm crackle of a needle drop, vinyl offers a connection to music that’s both tangible and real. For more manufacturing expertise, please don’t hesitate to call Flux Connectivity at 1-800-557-FLUX or email us at connect@fluxconnectivity.com. You may also fill out the form on our Contact Us page!

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