FAQ

What are Lathe Cut Records?

Lathe Cut Records are made using one of the oldest methods of recording sound. A good way to understand it is as the opposite of a record player in which the record needle rides inside the record groove picking up minute sound vibrations which then are amplified out to a speaker.

A Recording Lathe does the opposite by amplifying sound into a record cutter head that carves those sound vibrations into a groove on a rotating platter.  If you have ever seen a record getting mastered before being sent to the pressing plant - that is essentially what we do over & over.
Take a look at 3:00 to 5:00 on this video to get a grip on what we do all day long.
 

How do they sound?

We use refurbished Presto K-10's and Presto K-11's with professionally re-stored Presto 1-C cutter heads and get about as good of a sound as you can get with Lathe Cuts.
They work for us but if you are looking for Hi-Fi - these probably aren't for you.
These sound more akin to an old soul 45 - not the new Daft Punk 180 gram vinyl.

They play and sound great to us though.
Here are some things to keep in mind.
- The grooves aren't as deep "Pressed Vinyl" so occasionally it takes dropping the needle more than once to get it into the groove properly.
- If it is not sounding right it also helps to adjust the tonearm weight (make it heavier towards the needle cartridge) & reduce or adjust anti-skating.
- If your turntable does not have these, a good trick is to put a penny ( nothing too heavy!) on top of the needle cartridge to add a little more weight and keep it in the groove.
This is most common with Crosley or newer plastic light turntables 

Lathe Cut Records are a little quieter than pressed vinyl. Turn it up a notch. 

Like we said 99% of the time it works perfectly without any fuss - these are just some tips if you encounter difficulty with playback. Everyone's record player is different and there are a lot of newer low quality ones on the market these days. 
 
Every record is tested before it goes out.

All records are Mono and play at 33 1/3 rpm.

They do not degrade after repeated listens and will last as long as traditional vinyl if taken care of properly.

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