AUDIO GUIDELINES

A great-sounding record always starts with high-quality program material. Below, you’ll find essential information on vinyl mastering, lacquer cutting, and the recommended playback times for 12-inch and 7-inch records. Be sure to review the audio guidelines carefully to help ensure the best possible sound for your vinyl pressing.

VINYL MASTERING TIPS

Vinyl, like any other format, has its own limitations. To make sure your music sounds great on a record, please comply with general mastering for vinyl standards:

Peak Level: < 0db
Low-frequency cut at 10hz
Low frequencies below 250hz should be in mono
Be careful with extreme peaking above 16khz
No negative phase returns
Stereo width between +0.5 and 1
File formatting: .wav / .aif
Audio quality: 24bit; 44.1- 48Khz

An image of Richard Simpson, a disc cutting

Read more about mastering tips from the master himself: Richard Simpson.

PLAYBACK TIME / VINYL LENGTH

Loudness and frequency spectrum directly affect playback times on a vinyl record. Extended playback times may result in the loss of low-end, low volumes and poor quality. For the best quality results, please keep your record sides below 20 minutes.

Recommended playback time for a standard vinyl record:

12″ 33 RPM – up to 22 minutes per side
12″ 45 RPM – up to 15 minutes per side

A grainy image of a Black Pumas vinyl record being played.

SUBMITTING AUDIO MATERIAL

Please compress an audio folder using the .zip extension before uploading.
The uploaded folder must either be delivered individual audio files for each track named to index record sides, for example, A1-Name, A2-Name, B2-Name”. Or you delver each side of the record as one long audio file.
If you require gaps between tracks, please add silence at the end of each track for groove spacing.
Please fill out the cue sheet below and upload it with the audio files.
Upload the audio and cue sheet to Dropbox, name it your Order Number, and share it with us (the artwork has to be uploaded in the same folder).

A grainy image of the VU meters of an old mixing console

Download our cue sheet here.

MASTERING FOR VINYL

Mastering is essential for the vinyl format in order to avoid distortion and mechanical playback issues and, generally, to make the record sound as good as possible.

If your music is not mastered or needs re-mastering, we highly recommend ordering professional mastering services with us.

Mastering from various formats: CD, tape, DAT, or digital files.
Convert a digital master to a vinyl pre-master.
Analog / digital in-depth mastering with high-end equipment.
Attended mastering and cutting session in Copenhagen.

MASTERPLATES & STAMPERS

We can press from both lacquer and DMM (Direct Metal Mastering) master plates. If you have a specific preference, would that be lacquer or DMM, please let us know when placing your order.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Does copyright law apply to me?

Absolutely. We cannot press records with uncleared samples, unlicensed cover songs, or unlicensed master recordings.The permission is granted by Nordisk Copyright Bureau. Please clear the rights for your music and send us documentation.

Do you press from external lacquers?

Yes, you can send us lacquers & DMMs for pressing.

How can I optimize the sound quality for my record?

For an assured path to optimized quality, consider assigning both mastering and lacquer cutting tasks to the same engineer.

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?

Check out our FAQ to find more answers to your questions. Otherwise, don't think twice about contacting us. We are more than happy to help.