How Vinyl Records Are Made (feat. Third Man Records) | WIRED

We visit Jack White's Third Man Records vinyl pressing plant in Detroit, Michigan to find out exactly what goes into the creation of a vinyl record; from cutting and pressing to making sure they sound great.
Find out more here: thirdmanpressing.com
/ thirdmanpressing
Director: Katherine Wzorek
Director of Photography: Kevin Hewitt
Editor: Louis Lalire
Talent: Broc Barnes, Warren Defever, Ed Gillis
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Associate Producer: Samantha Vélez
Production Manager: Eric Martinez
Production Coordinator: Fernando Davila
Camera Operator: Kevin Ward
Audio: Frank Biondo
Production Assistant: Ryan Hewitt
Post Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen
Assistant Editor: Justin Symonds
Still haven’t subscribed to WIRED on KZbin? ►► wrd.cm/15fP7B7
Listen to the Get WIRED podcast ►► link.chtbl.com/wired-ytc-desc
Want more WIRED? Get the magazine ►► subscribe.wired.com/subscribe...
Follow WIRED:
Instagram ►► / wired
Twitter ►► / wired
Facebook ►► / wired
Get more incredible stories on science and tech with our daily newsletter: wrd.cm/DailyYT
Also, check out the free WIRED channel on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV.
ABOUT WIRED
WIRED is where tomorrow is realized. Through thought-provoking stories and videos, WIRED explores the future of business, innovation, and culture.

[@KatazuiOfficial]

As a musician, once you stamp your own record of your own music, it must be the best feeling in the world.

[@murraymurray8111]

Was my favourite moment ever unpacking and holding my first album on vinyl

[@KingRiverVlogs]

@@murraymurray8111 agreed, my first picture disc was very important as well

[@hardcoreoma]

Yeah hearing my first spotify song in 128kbps was the best feeling

[@therealjd1503]

So glad that people still want to hear music in this format. Hopefully it never becomes a lost art.

[@JonJonGreene]

Yeah they're doing very well, I'm very young (basically shouldn't even know what records are) and I love collecting them!

[@damsapollo]

i dont think it’ll die down soon… manufacturers in fact do need to keep up with the high demands though (which is easier said than done).

[@alanrogs3990]

But the mastering is becoming a lost art sadly. So is quality control. So many records these days are warped or off center.

[@bassrooten2217]

@@myopiczeal you love the obsolescent culture don’t you

[@joesmith4443]

@Lincoln Hirschi actually it was cassettes not the CD that were threatening their extinction. Cassettes were portable and you could play them in your car and on a Walkman.

[@jopo7996]

The vinyl record making process is really groovy.

[@satelliteimagerymusic]

please leave dad

[@girltarist]

Wait................ It's that why groovy means cool??????????? 😱👍

[@manjacovus5342]

Jopo... go to your room.

[@Dayvit78]

Badum shhhh

[@mom_im_losing_it]

So are the folks that make them.

[@voicesofvinyl]

They offer tours of their pressing plant and mastering facility in Detroit for $10. If you're into music, vinyl, and find yourself in Detroit, I highly recommend doing the tour and checking out their location.

[@weirdshibainu]

Thanks for the info. 10 bucks is a bargain

[@DanielSchmidt94521]

Retro

[@KaijuFan7000]

I hope I don't find myself in Detroit, but good to know!

[@DanielSchmidt94521]

@@KaijuFan7000 Every place has it's problems.

[@KaijuFan7000]

@@DanielSchmidt94521 i'm aware, just kidding around

[@Dazlidorne]

I've always thought it was cool that they hand write information on the record in the area around the label. Sometimes they even put random messages there.

[@bababooey3499]

Yeah, i was gonna play one of my metallica records and i saw by the label it said "vinyl up your a*s" 💀

[@stuartjames6983]

Often the mastering engineer. Prime example was George Peckham "a porky prime cut...."

[@joshuabaca6257]

I have Metallica master of puppets remastered. It has “obey your remaster” etched in.

[@dyldog]

@@joshuabaca6257 also says that on the plastic wrapper over the cover art if I’m not mistaken

[@mysticedge4]

On one of my vinyls the A side says Hi and the B side says Turn me over 😂

[@Carlito810]

Makes me understand why they're so expensive, also makes me question how the first record/mass produced records were made

[@sudicalwig]

pretty much exactly the same way

[@balticstain7150]

They don't need to be expensive that's a marketing thing they could be half the price...

[@jacklawer6389]

Back in the 70's 8 bucks for a record, now like 40 Rip off

[@Carlito810]

@Jack Lawer 8 dollars in the 70's also has as much buying power as around $60 today lol

[@_PuppetMaster86]

@@jacklawer6389 Even back in 2020, LPs went for about $20, and if it's a double LP, maybe $30, but now, like you said, a single record can cost you $40 and up. It's crazy.

[@kevinreylek2366]

Thank you to Jack White and the whole Third Man crew of experts for keeping this beautiful craft alive!

[@ahsenserhat9270]

Lol it's not a losing art

[@Serrot304]

@@ahsenserhat9270 it has its audience but it's still niche, like the guy in the video said too there's only one company making the lacquer they need

[@JumbleTasteSpinning]

This video is why you should keep your records with love and care. This thing has soul in it ❤

[@ryan49805]

Jack is THE MAN for keeping this medium alive!!! Shout out to this very skilled crew as well… 🏆 🏆

[@alanrogs3990]

Uh no, he is not. But he helps.

[@gtb_daytona]

worth to say, they use an old way of pressing - with lacquer cut. In mid 80s DMM was invented - Direct Metal Mastering - without a lacquer cut step, so it makes a whole process cheaper and gives a better sound quality

[@TimersAndMore]

Never knew how Vinyl Records are actually made, until now. The different colors are also a nice addition they can give to the vinyl records.

[@alanrogs3990]

It's like eating a beautiful sandwich.

[@KayoMichiels]

And then you have picture discs and even odd shaped ones.

[@GodWeenSatan]

​@@KayoMichiels i would like to see how they make the pictured ones

[@LageYouTube]

@@GodWeenSatan Probably quite uninteresting. Picture discs are just prints of an image pressed between two transparent plastic discs

[@duprie37]

​​@@GodWeenSatan The picture is imprinted on flat PVC and then a grooved film with the audio is stuck on top. That's why picture discs don't sound that great.

[@Basham86]

This process is pure magic. I just wish there was better quality control these days

[@Vyzard]

I like how instead of writing WMD, which could be interpreted as weapons of mass destruction, he writes WAR instead

[@1998Danielon]

hahahaha I didn´t think of it potentially meaning 'weapons of mass destruction'! :D But it's cool to see another point of view on it.

[@balticstain7150]

vinyl rules not just the sound but the amazing artwork and additional information they can put in it can be so interesting ...

[@bradwilliams1691]

And to think that as of the 1st of March 2023 - Dark Side of The Moon has been continually pressed for 50 years. And still going strong.

[@iswordlogici7760]

Vinyl is such a cool format. I'm super interested in all things analog and learning about how all this stuff is made and how they were is so interesting

[@propagafun4368]

The sound when stylus lands on records is one of the best feeling

[@feelingminnesotarecords]

This is fantastic to see! We currently have a record being pressed at Third Man and should have our first test pressings in the coming weeks. eeek! Thanks for posting this

[@cat-6]

I like to display my records and see what kind of music I prefer! Thank you to all the staff.

[@movienerd202]

I worked in a shop that cleaned and prepped the frames for the screens that were used in CD illustrations. It was one of the most fulfilling jobs I ever had.

[@epinhervin9355]

Like an analogue photography often the imperfectness are the new perfectness. Old record with not smooth sound often made it awesome

[@slorr55]

Third man records owned by the one and only Jack White

[@Greendogblue]

Yes, that is the very first thing in the description

[@TinLeadHammer]

Is he famous?

[@starkparker16]

Cool

[@nicholascrow8133]

Also exclusive recording and pressing of Adam Savage!

[@rootsradical]

And Eddie Gillis, around 6:00, is his brother.

[@theharshal]

that outro explanation on what vinyl music really is awesome.

[@uythsier]

First time I ever saw the process it is so cool. Thank you for making a video.

[@ALNOE_]

Its so interesting on how vinyls are made. I love vinyls so much. The sound is just incredible and I love it. I'm glad to be able to get them :)

[@sunnyd6019]

So glad to have 3rd Man around, they saved records. Hope we get more production so lead times cut down some. Cheers

[@ParasonicxLove]

I feel like some artists must not put a lot of time into testing their vinyl pressings lately... some have been not up to snuff! (fascinating video btw love it!)

[@VirginiaWolf88]

Great Video!!! I always wanted to see how records are made. Thank You for sharing this!!!

[@keti.rg.editzzz]

I’m glad they uploaded this video yesterday I had a conversation about how these are made, funny coincidence

[@brianmedeiros6845]

Really gives more appreciation to the final product amazing talent! Thank You

[@sabrinalesbianjesus]

i have been collecting for about five years and just got into serious collecting. i bought an olivia rodrigo vinyl on record store day black friday this year and it was pressed here. it is so cool to see how my favorite record was made!

[@charlesshepherd2004]

Listening to an old vinyl on some modern , powered speakers... man, it sounds so dang good

[@Jo-yo7mw]

Their workwear attire is fire! Would love to cop a button down like that

[@isaiahmcclure8894]

Just got my first record player today and 3 Perry Como vinyls, in love with this new hobby

[@HappilyAnonymousGirl]

Seeing them make these and the process it takes to make a vinyl makes me appreciate them even more. The people making them and the vinyls. I’m so glad we still have these being made and people who still know how to make them properly. Makes me want to buy one lol

[@longlivebytor]

That was fascinating. I've always wondered how this was done. Now I know. Thanks!

[@konstantinospantazis6325]

I found my grandpa's old record player that i didn't know it existed and i have used it for some days now with some old disks. It has some problems with the speed that i am going to fix but i must say. Even in wrong speed, it felt so good listening to this. Exactly what they say at the end of the video

[@biatch1966]

I just started collecting again so I appreciate this video.

[@Life_Of_AL]

What I can’t quite get my head around is how all those different instruments and vocals of a song are cut onto the lacquer. When you look at a vinyl record you can see the grooves, but how do you get the sound of the music on to it?

[@yamz3713]

Exactly what I thought

[@stephenobisanya]

My exact question. I thought they’d explain that crucial part.

[@slipstreamvids7422]

Kind of like a microphone that moves in reaction to sound waves and a speaker that mechanically reproduces the sound. The needle that cut the grooves is reproduced by the needle that plays it back

[@stephenobisanya]

@@slipstreamvids7422 But what is the mechanism that allows individual tracks of an albums to be PLACED onto the vinyl? I don’t think that was made clear in the video.

[@quirkyviper]

I'm gonna look for an in-depth video on this. I got the gist of it, but there were so many words I didn't know!

[@th1agu]

The making of a vinyl makes me love the vinyl even more.

[@northcabinent4222]

This was amazing to watch. What a meticulous process all the way through. Vinyl is the best sounding medium and this video shows us why

[@SquirefromtheShire]

“I used to put my initials WMD and someone was like ‘that’s a little bit weird’ so now I just abbreviate my initials to WAR.” That is some top tier, grade A malicious compliance right there.

[@PRANKZOMBIE]

I just got a bad vinyl a couple days ago and I’m sad. It was on light yellow. I guess I now just have a pretty souvenir instead of a record I will love to dance to.

[@turntablemaestro8201]

Lots of releases can be poor quality. I usually check discogs before purchasing to see if anyone has any comments on the pressing quality. The new NIN Pretty Hate Machine barely plays for me unless I change the weight on my tone arm.

[@NelsonAJimenez]

This was insane to watch, the details 💫 one can learn a lot working there I bet. That green colored vinyl 🖼️❤️‍🔥 I didn’t know that colored ones don’t sound as good as the traditional black vinyls

[@j.taylor8615]

It's not true. If there was a superior sounding color, it would be clear (transparent vinyl) anyways.

[@Fans44Liv]

@@j.taylor8615 May I ask why?

[@RiceWitch-dingus-400]

It was a joke, the color makes 0 difference except for maybe heat absorption which would make 0 noticeable difference.

[@BrianCarothers-hs5to]

Wired- You need to check out Hand Drawn Records vinyl pressing machines in Addison, Texas. Some of the coolest machines.

[@EdmondxEstrada]

Imagine the person or persons that invented this complicated process! Brilliant!!!

[@lancetti4843]

Imagine Thomas Edison, Emile Berliner and Peter Goldmark.

[@Trojan0304]

Almost a lost art. Thank god for these artists. Got my records out of closet & Pioneer 518 & Technics 1600 mk2 . They sound like yesterday,lol😊

[@natecallens]

So cool!! Gotta love Jack White and Third Man Records! 🤘🥃

[@InfectiousGroovePodcast]

As a long time Jack White fan and a Detroit native myself, I am very excited to see the empire that Jack's built for himself.

[@garrettstasko6714]

I would like to see how they transfer the studio onto the record or CD and then make millions of copies of the same thing

[@nickwallette6201]

... You just did.

[@ellisgarbutt1925]

Just love how vinyl is made

[@c11p]

Having Warren Defever (His Name is Alive) as the mastering guru is the best career decision Jack has ever made.

[@LaszloVarjuTechno]

in this video the mastering is made by a fkn AI soft

[@scarlettmissredblack1381]

The Neumann 😍 Only ever seen one in person. You're so lucky!!!!!!

[@ShastaRed]

I never really knew how long it takes to make one vinyl album but cool to see and cool to see that company keeping vinyl alive I’m trying to buy as much so I can keep it alive for decades maybe pass it onto my kids if I ever have any but I’m 19 almost 20 and I’ve been collecting for years and it’s fun to do even better going to a record store to look for things you weren’t looking for till you saw it but vinyl is great

[@1awesome180]

Love the workers at 7:11 just using their bare hands😬

[@DanikaConner]

Can we all appreciate how nice quality wired is

[@DaftRebel]

Thanks Jack White for keeping this tradition alive!

[@theodoreroberts3407]

Thank you for showing this. i've akways wondered how.

[@DannerPlace]

Very cool. Thanks for posting.

[@MrMoy6003]

I was hoping to learn HOWWW music gets transfered/etched into a vinyl? How do they make sure that all the sounds of an album somehow gets «installed» in a vinyl? Are you telling me that the initial etching phase is the process that installs the songs on the vinyl? How can you transfer a heavy metal song with unique vocals and instruments over to this medium? I don’t get iiiiiiit🤯

[@bondgabebond4907]

Amazing. The needle moves left and right, also up and down. That gives you the sound and separation.

[@michaelwoods9005]

You seem like you're really struggling..

[@MrMoy6003]

@@michaelwoods9005 yep, I still don’t understand this

[@sherlocknoshitlibertyjusti2933]

Nothing is better than the record stores and lp records of all your favorite artists.. tower records and licorice pizza record stores were the best ! Hated to see them go. Glad somebody's on it again. Everybody, I mean EVERYBODY including your grandma collected records.

[@YakkoWarnerTower]

I totally love vinyls they were ahead.

[@pedroruiz3943]

This is just like an old school episode of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. He used to have the cool featurettes at factories and show how things were made.

[@subcon959]

Love this kind of content

[@Theblackman11395]

Valuable information here

[@fenn_2]

dad and step mom are in this!!! ❤

[@edwardmowton9825]

Went to their store on Nashville.. Store was beautiful unfortunately didn't carry any of my genres of music. If you're into indie rock you will be in heaven.

[@NewNormac]

Congrats on crossing 10MIL

[@MaxTovstyiMusic]

magical process

[@overbrain1204]

thx for this video!!!

[@BlueSparks25]

What a pressing task!

[@franklucra6597]

how much do the audio quality guys get paid. sounds like a dream job

[@RiceWitch-dingus-400]

It might be part of another job!

[@ccffire6666]

great documentary demonstration on how records are made it's great to see the modern day of it being done there is a great film out there with the late great Mel Blanc on how records are made it's a really great and funny film at the same time it has a Bugs Bunny subliminal messaging it if you see the film the title I believe of the film is called want to buy a record

[@misterhoeflak]

Love this ❤

[@rafaelrodriguez1029]

At this pace very soon we will use crank telephones asking the operator to connect with some number.

[@ark228rock]

Thanks to all the staff for continuing to do this!

[@johnnytoobad7785]

So maybe someone can explain how brand new (180 gram) records arrive "warped" and why many records are electronically charged when first opened.

[@Andy-ri1ns]

I love this so much. It’s such an art form and these guys are so passionate about it. I’m still so confused though hahahahahaah

[@erroldtumaque3430]

Yeah they didn't do a great job with defining what things were and why in layman's terms and more showed the step by step process of it. Definitely expected more explanation haha

[@dennisdemark8151]

Enjoy this video very much indeed 😌 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@johntitor1237]

I may romanticize it but i love how it is still an handmade craft which in my experience is so much more personal when i put a record on.

[@arlenacampbell7671]

Interesting. Always wondered how they got the music to the vinyl

[@heroinbath1877]

I got the Dopesmoker Weedian high fi and obviously the technology just isn't there to press weed into vinyl and get a good sounding record lol Joking though. It's beautiful. I played it once and it sounds awful but it's framed and being displayed any way.

[@QuillC]

Brb, just gonna check every single disk in my collection for "WMD" or "WAR" etchings...

[@djjoeykmusic]

Great Video! Thank you

[@jimmyg4836]

I wanna know where the "make it defective" part comes into play since 4 out of every 10 LP's I buy "New" have to go back defective. Some multiple times. You know, some new stylus replacements are expensive

[@bmoneyrancidfan91]

Ibwosh i could visit 3rd man, one day!! Amazing place

[@timmotel5804]

Wonderful. Thank You

[@BradleyJokerst]

Now if bands could only get their records pressed in less than 12 months, that would be killer

[@wmbrown6]

I was, and am, much more partial towards the Scully 601 model lathes. Had a series of lead-in and lead-out grooves that were fascinating to watch. You could oftentimes look at a record and tell it was cut on one of those Scullys.

[@PaulCarmona]

I don't miss all the popping and noise on recordings - nothing beats the vinyl look and feel though

[@brendanstinten3081]

Still doesn't makes sense how anyone ever thought of this process to the point it makes a sound. This is amazing but the thought this works and makes sense is crazy

[@sgt.afrobeard]

I love that bit. “I used to put my initials, WMD, but a that was a bit weird. So now I just put WAR”. Hilarious

[@ilgiusto6885]

I will never understand how it is possible that small air bubbles do not form between the grooves during the molding phase... By altering the engravings.

[@TheRalphie2020]

SO AMAZING!!!

[@smithtrooperxcix7059]

Watching this while I wait for my new Dying Fetus vinyl to arrive in mail

[@sequoia5934]

this is so crazy to process you mean the guy at first had to check if its too cool and hot make sure the vinyl doesnt get dirty for over 2 hours???? AND HE HAS TO DO IT MORE THAN ONCE??? nahh

[@timgibson3754]

That's just for the Master Blaster

[@LarryRobinsonintothefog]

Loved ABBA but remember when Atlantic Records released ABBA's first Greatest Hits album that we he one stereo turntable in the shop that would skip grooves because the grooves were too close together.

[@bunnybuckypops]

Been collecting for over 40 years … will never stop! It’s not called black crack for no reason.

[@gcanos]

How can I be hired packing vinyls in sleeves ... for me is therapy and art !!!