How Vinyl Records Are Made PART 1 OF 2

Part 2 is here: • How Vinyl Records Are ...

[@1995FIRSTskybits]

As I said in the second part, there are many steps where 'human error' can occur, therefore, vinyl records are far more unique than I realized before. Thank you so much for sharing, Laura

[@crosshairs3]

Vinyl records give texture to the music and a groove. Love them.

[@WinstonChurchillwave]

"etches the sound onto the disc". Great job explaining that little number guys. Finding out how exactly that works was totally not the entire reason i decided to watch this video in the first place.

[@Pickinbuddy]

I did this kind of work back in 1972 in NYC--but the equipment in this video is so much more modern! Great video--thanks for posting this!

[@KevinSutherland]

You're correct that once sampled and converted to digital there is no going back to pure analog. However, the master digital recording being put to disc is going to be at a much higher sampling rate and bit rate than any digital format consumers can buy. Therefore a vinyl record cut from a digital recording is going to come closer to the original than a CD/MP3/etc. and I would argue it would be indistinguishable from a vinyl record cut from a pure analog recording.

[@maxrodriguez2996]

You are 100% correct. Is not an analog experience if the original recording was digital. It will only be a DA conversion which renders the sound useless. That´s why I don't buy and neither encourage the purchase of such discs. Stick to old recordings if you want the true analog experience. As a result of this important detail, many indie and now some commercial bands who are releasing in both formats chose to record on analog tape to gain respect within the audiophile community.

[@homegrowntwinkie]

its because the sound is actually recorded onto the vinyl. its like hearing a band live, nothing gets better. Vinyl is amazing. you could get a record player at a yardsale cheap.

[@spikkel70]

@gregoriodavila Sound is vibration of the air. You can receive that vibration using a mic which is a membrane which vibrates with the air. This vibration if transmitted to a needle, that needle vibrates then the same way. This needle will etch this fluctuation into the lacquer. If the needle was a ballpen and the lacquer a piece of paper, one would see a graph. Playing a record does the opposite. The etching will cause vibration in the needle.This vibration is transmitted to a membrane (speaker)

[@gkeaoyrge]

I'm not a fan of these hipsters who collect vinyl because it's 'cool', I just prefer the physicality of it over pressing some buttons on iTunes. Yeah I have stuff on my phone for when I'm out and about but for me, you can't beat going to a local record store (which sadly my town no longer has) and bringing home something you've never heard of and discovering something new. I also love exploring the sleeves and the notes. :)

[@StevenJayCrowley]

lol you said, "I'm not a fan of these hipsters who collect vinyl because it's 'cool'" and then immediately explained how cool it is to buy physical records.

[@voshara]

If you hate hipsters so much why are you talking just like one?

[@hosway1992]

There are all kinds of turntables, many of which do play 7" and 12" recs and comes with an rpm adjuster. To answer your question, yes there are turntables that play all kinds of records and they are very easy to come by, places like Frys and anywhere on the internet for great prices.

[@hosway1992]

@240pMiniDisc no way, its a great and more sufficient alternative to digital music. It adds a more tangible and personal experience to the way people listen to music. from the second you look for it at the record store, opening the package and putting it on the turntable. A great music experience is never outdated

[@Tenorcapacity121]

@gregoriodavila the music is played into a highly sensitive needle as the disc is cut. since music exists as waveforms, those waveforms are etched into the laquer. when you play your record, the needle runs through the waveforms, causing it to vibrate. the process then repeats, only in reverse

[@erdavis7]

What you CAN do is: buy yourself an old reel-to-reel multitrack tape recorder. You could record whatever you want with that. And THEN you send the tape in to a record company and you pay them to cut it to vinyl (you might need a contract). That way it's never stored as digital audio. I'm pretty sure that's what bands used to do before computers. It would be better to record to tape 1st, then cut to vinyl. Reel-to-Reel Tape is just as non-digital as vinyl.

[@erdavis7]

I definitely agree with you. I'm convinced that the vinyl doesn't have any noticeable higher sound quality than a high-fidelity digital recording. In fact, vinyl probably has LOWER sound quality than a high quality digital recording. That said, I still enjoy vinyl more than CDs. Maybe I like vinyl it BECAUSE of its imperfections? In that case, I'm sure I would like a vinyl recording of a digital source as you described.

[@jenevertranen]

The needle being dragged through the grooves creates the frequencies that produce the song. So it's kinda like what you said.

[@sheigh342]

"...oozes out a long thin opening" @ 0:38 giggity

[@rodrigocaballero2046]

3:24 the track is amazing, pure house.

[@baptistbob1038]

"it puts the sound onto the disc" how in the fuck does that work

[@enarhk]

Vinyl for life. I often watch the disc spin as I listen, its hypnotizing!

[@Split10uk]

Fantastic video. I think the most complex part to understand is how the music makes the cutter move. Yes I know it's vibration, but you would think it's open to so many variables it would never sound right.

[@mrhoffame]

I agree. As a matter of fact what I catch myself doing is if I find a great vinyl records that is sealed I know it holds a greater value long term if it stays sealed so I will go buy the cd as well lol! Beside some stuff that is on vinyl is not on cd and vice versa. Any true music lover will have to have both medias just to have all the great tunes in your collection.

[@craneywatch]

@joed424 you are not the only one. I personally prefer vinyl records to CD. Vynil records give exceptionally rich sound with incredibly deep and accurate presentation of lows.

[@luckyvet]

Holy shit, what an enormous amount of work to make 1 record.

[@sgtpepper1138]

@joed424 There are settings for that. When you go to places like Best Buy, they setup the TVs with the most VIVID and blown out colors to show how colorful it can be. Plus they usually have the advanced motion on which makes it look like things are moving too fast. On a properly setup tv (I personally have a 42" 120hz tv with a PS3) you're going to be hard pressed to find anything that represents film AND color as well as Blu Ray.

[@HAZARDOUS88]

The very method of putting the sound onto the master plate seems like magic lol.

[@Schowelds]

Why could anyone hate vinyl? When you buy a vinyl record you're getting a great product. Records have better dynamic range compared to compressed mp3s. You also get artwork with every purchase. Vinyl sales beat mp3 sales this year! Go out and get yourself a record player and some nice speakers so you can experience the wonderful sound of vinyl.

[@ZzBMoUbZNisNIIyOqlHWAmlToAzEKF]

The sample rate, bit depth, and storage density has reached a point where we cannot tell the difference between analog and digital. This complex application ensures that the digital signal gets transferred seamlessly under strict quality procedures to the vinyl medium. Why mess around with a complex tape system when digital does it so well that we cannot tell the difference.

[@benjamminlv1]

Professional audio is often recorded at 88200 samples/ sec, twice the sampling frequency of a CD. With this sample rate, it is incredibly impractical to produce media (CD or digital download) with out compression algorithms (mp3's) because the file sizes will be massive! That's were vinyl comes in. Sure it is recorded digitally initially, but the quality of the recording is so high a human will never know the difference.

[@sgtpepper1138]

it's making sure the cutter is cutting @ the right depth (like she said)

[@anjirocool]

Soon, this master disk... *puts on sunglasses* will be making an impression YYYEEEEEEEEEEEEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[@groseron]

Well, for dj'ing, I don't even use cds anymore. I'm either using some form of electronic audio file (mp3, flac, wav, etc) with traktor and a controller, or vinyl. Got everything I need and enjoy right there. Tbh, the only reason I still use cds is cause I don't have an auxiliary input (like for my ipod) in my car yet.

[@dedpxl]

Yeah vinyl is back. All new albums are available on it and alot of the time the vinyl ones are out earlier. It's out there if you want it.

[@Lazarush86]

Cool. Didn't expect it to be this much of work! That's a lot of effort and now understand why they have a such price :)

[@kirmokum]

@keithskookingklan if your band wants to press some records you're gonna want to 1) have your recording mastered for vinyl (vinyl has different audio mastering requirements than other fomts) and 2) have them pressed at a plant. blank records wont do you any good unless you have a lathe. interesting fact: you can (or at least could) buy blank records as vestax made a home dubplate lathe and made blank records for it. but it would be cheaper to get someone else cut dubs for you.

[@maxrodriguez2996]

I don't know if you drink alcohol or not, but there's something true about having a feeling for things that require taste in order to enjoy them properly. All beer is brewed in the same copper containers, but tastes different when you drink it from a bottle than from a can. Just as music sounds different on vinyl than it will on another format. Digital requires sampling while analog sound is a constant wave. Music needs to be recorded in analog in order to sound better than digital.

[@defso12]

Good Info about Vinyl Record being made ....Why would anybody thumbs this down? Some people are just full of hate and discord... Damn!

[@Rebuilder]

Ahh vinyl, such a wonderful format. I'm so excited since me and a friend are going to release a split of our music on vinyl format. Were also gonna include free mp3 downloads of the music for those ppl who still prefer having their ipods:) Awesome video though 5/5

[@berndpfe]

Blank "recordable records" are not identical with the material which is sold in a record store. The "recordable" disc consisits of a thincoated plastic foil which is applied to an aluminium carrier, and to which the information is engraved by a special recording equipment. This results then the original "master" for the production process.

[@Dylanson3]

at 3:39 , Is that digital recordings being scratched onto vinyl? If thats the case, and correct me if Im wrong, but to get the full vinyl sound you have to record with tapes. You need to watch a video on how sound is recorded differently between digital and analog tapes to understand what Im saying I guess =o/

[@sasusumasu]

I always found it funny that nowdays analog record is being made from digital. Also people are complaining about FLAC etc that it will never be as good as analog. But don't forget that i can take this FLAC and record it the very same way like it's shown, which will turn it into an analog sound. Needle will smooth all those digital stairs into a curved analog audio wave

[@EssenceofPureFlavor]

There are no stairs.

[@rictrexell2118]

And with film cameras, the film is scanned and you get digital prints. Might as well use a digital camera unless you want to either print your own or send them to one of the few places that still do everything in analog.

[@chrismkimmel1]

You can find all new albums on vinyl now! Yes vinyls are back in a big way!

[@toshineon]

Yeah! I went into a Swedish music/movie retail store and saw that they had a huge vinyl section with many of the newest albums. My jaw dropped.

[@fergus247]

i kinda like the fact that old ladies are making them

[@MrMAHBOI1]

If Vinyl was silver instead of black, I'd love it even more.

[@erdavis7]

That WOULD be awesome. It would be great if there was an affordable way to cut your own vinyl! Maybe if vinyl stays popular someone will invent that?

[@TheMikemos]

I like vinyl, but the sound quality isn't "better". You might prefer it, but CD's sound more like what the producer intended because it's an exact copy with no added sound. A lot of early CD's were poorly mastered digitally, and that is what you hear when listening to them. If fact, because the CD is so exact, you notice the limitations more than you would on vinyl. Because hearing is pretty subjective, it's all preference. One isn't better than the other.

[@mrhoffame]

Well you know they have usb turntalbes now where you can downloand from vinyl right onto a ipod, cd, or computer. I think the thing you have to understand about vinly is #1..they tend to be more collector pieces then cds 2# You don't get the same art appeal with cds..Example have you ever put a cd cover up for wall art..vinly is used for that all time. Vinyl is just a much more interactive way to listen to music while cds/mp3s ( which i have a ton of as well) is a much more passive way.

[@FritzIsMetal]

They sell them at BestBuy now, too...Black is Back...and better than ever.

[@MacXpert74]

@therealKINDLE Very true, but this actually has more to do with digital recording VS Analog recording than Vinyl VS CD. When digital recording using computers became the standard, the sound processing (EQ, compressing, limiting) was being done digitally as well. With the digital compression they could compress the dynamics more than with any analog compressors. This makes the sound come out louder. However, if you would put this heavily compressed recording on vinyl it would still sound awful.

[@jennynavarro2567]

Who else is watching this 14 year old video for school? Just me? Ok.

[@sgtpepper1138]

@sgtpepper1138 When VHS was the norm, they didn't care as much about the quality of the print. Usually they'd us a master that had been run through the machines so many times, the colors were faded and they had a lot of damage.

[@kefet]

my gosh, it's hard to know making a vinyl takes so much long than I belived it....

[@thevinnymaster]

@ThomYorke64 You have a good point... Wtf is the point of getting a reissue vinyl if the quality is the exact same as the one on a CD? They should understand that the reason why people like to get records is cause the quality of Analog is better than Digital... What a shame...

[@metalshadowmario4]

Vinyl is awesome. It has a nice rich sound, which is something Digital lacks.

[@edwardnowill4408]

apollo masters fire makes all of this a lot more difficult now.

[@forevercomputing]

MP3 is just compressed audio. It takes out the more common frequencies not heard by the human ear. Sometimes where parts are similar, that part is truncated and the decoder reads that and the average person notices nothing. Digital isn't the way to go

[@MikaelFL]

thanx 4 posting this!

[@nielsdaemen]

3:14 that machine probably gets its sound from a digital source 3:37 so it can' t possibly be better than digital!

[@rgstever]

Usually its 32 to 64 bit digital, significantly higher than what you get from red book audio (16 bit). Depending on the engineer it could be entirely analogue, however that is usually reserved for artists that can can pony up the money (Phil Collins for instance).

[@MacXpert74]

This is interesting. The cutting machine actually seem to be using digital sound as a input to cut the groove. This basically takes away the whole point of analog vinyl sounding better than digital. This probably is the reason why I find newly pressed vinyl to often sound inferior to some of the old records I have. If this is the way all modern record cutting is done, than the whole point of vinyl being analog is lost. Only old pressings that are well preserved should be the way to go.

[@nuttyprofessor]

Check out record making with Duke Ellington, also on youtube. This clip should be interesting. The processes are pretty similar. It shows how 78 RPM records are made.

[@andros1984]

If it is digital source audio it is likely very high fidelity in order to be put onto a master disk. But, I understand what you mean by legitimate "vinyl sound". Tape add analog quality or "color" the sound. I want to say that it is difficult to really tell the source audio when it is in vinyl form, but I would frustrate a bunch of audiophiles.

[@theefishlippedone]

Cheers,for putting this up!

[@TaiDavis]

@JustinDRiot Nope, if anything, it'll mess up the RECORD-over time. You have to scratch it in the same area though and you'll start to get a 'fuzzy' sound where the scratching mostly takes place on the vinyl.

[@csfreak50]

hell yea, vinyl records have warmer sound, i love vinyls

[@ranelproductions]

I can't believe they still make this.

[@m09c14]

@ThomYorke64, well it was always recorded in some way, its not like they have to re-do the song for every new lp....

[@clone1eighty7]

gotta set at home STANTON FTW !!!! i love vynil !!!

[@georgiatechfan1]

I personally think that Vinyl defiantly sounds better then CD.

[@EssenceofPureFlavor]

That difficulty recording bass is what led to the RIAA curve that definitely doesn't help vinyl recording's sound quality at all. People who think vinyl sounds better are almost always misled. Vinyl releases often do sound better than digital releases, but that's entirely due to mastering, not the far inferior technology. CD masters are victims of the loudness wars, and vinyl has for the most part avoided that, which means actual vinyl releases often sound better, even though the technology is worse than digital technology in every way.

[@fred972levrai]

YES!!! People who believe CD quality is inferior to Vinyl's simply never heard true CD quality. From a modern listener's point of view, Vinyl records are precisely the only way to almost certainly avoid the volume war for cheap with a wide catalog. Not because Vinyl is superior, just because record companies know Vinyl's customers DO want quality. You may also find philosophic or survivalist argues for Vinyl or vacuum tubes. But from a pure buyer's point of view, if you can find and recognize good modern record and amp, just any modern technology will do better for cheaper by using less energy, that's precisely what they were invented for. I believe I can sum it up all by saying "the true problem is not technology, it is musical education : anyone who heard true live music once just HATE modern audio masters."

[@RobertLandrum13]

You are correct. The amount of compression and limiting used on digital recordings has gotten so out of hand that almost all commercial music is not even listenable.

[@MMID303]

***** So, what you're saying is vinyl sounds better because it's not compressed, and cd's could sound just as good, if not better than vinyl if it wasn't as compressed and increased in volume? I know louder doesn't mean better.

[@fred972levrai]

Not compressed means alive, quieter sound, and by far more precise. Compressed means more apparent volume. If enyone could pay a vinyl reader (like the laser ones) capable of reading the difference, the only weakness of the CD is the high frequencies stereophonic image, but the SACD and any lossless codec or media above 176.4kHz sampling rate does better for cheaper. The real problem is the volume war. Taht make the vinyl the best kind of record available. :-s

[@spilliton]

Compare Prices of vinyl records from the various online retailers at CompareVinyl

[@DavidLeeKersey]

@excalebuir Nope vinyl is still made today. Mainly for the audiophile and DJ crowd. Most electronic music like Daft Punk, Moby, The Chemical Brothers still comes out on vinyl.

[@mateuszwayne4829]

But how were they made earlier like 100 years ago. Nice video through

[@CrazyFunnyCats]

Exactly! 1887-1888 a guy invented the first vinyl record one source says... 1931 rca , forgot the guys name had a patent and made the first recording another source says. Confusing info almost contradicting . Emile Berliner 1851 Siri said he invented the first gramophone. ????? Maybe aliens did it👽👽👽👽👽 Cause it's still mind blowing Where do they get the music from Before they have a master copy to make millions of records , Live?? Wtf Peace dude 👍🐾 Hey.. If in 1851 a gramophone was invented.. How the hell did they put the music on a master and make a record. ? Guess we gotta do research now dammit 🇨🇦

[@WillowTitov]

Yea but how did they make vinyls?????

[@ukaszkos8233]

Eat and learn kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpWcpIGbZ7SKr6s

[@jamessss7655]

GO DJ HaKa the record was cut literally from the single mic output

[@PettyBlue1]

I wouldn't say so. I've read so many interviews about musicians crying over the fact that they have to cut off all bass line and noises, and lenght to make the record fit the vinyl format. You can't produce a perfect copy anyway, because vinyl will always have a little bit distorted surface. Plus the needle of the player is slowly destroying the record. Of course - visually very, very appealing, but audio wise it's not an option theese days.

[@1995FIRSTskybits]

Great! I have some of both you might be interested in. Only a few are on my KZbin site. Just let me know. Thanks for sharing, Laura

[@odgykins]

I have so many records on vinyl but no record player! My grandma has one but I'm afraid to ask for it. Lol.

[@xbonezds]

the sad thing is for a vinyl to compete with or surpass the sound quality of a CD, you would need a very high end turntable with an expensive needle. The average 100 dollar turntable vs a 30 dollar CD player: the CD will sound better.

[@vivalasteve123]

vinyl is beast, i would gladly give up my itunes collection over my vinyl collection, hell i would give up my itunes collection over my abbey road!!

[@dedpxl]

Wow, so much of it is done by hand. No wonder they're so expensive.

[@FixedHDD]

Yes! But it is wayne to expensive. Here in Germany you can buy the manufactured recordingequipment for LPs.

[@Zoootex]

you don't sound dumb at all, i came here with that exact same question

[@tauwilltriumph]

@HarvestmanMan it's ironic because steve von till's vinyl releases are part of the group you're describing, he.

[@TranceBeforeWeDie]

It's still technically digital though. I hear people saying that vinyl is better because it doesn't have a sampling rate, but doesn't the digital source itself?

[@callingboy1973]

ahh 45s better than 33s.... that explains part of the awesomeness of old jukeboxes!

[@zzzaaakkkaaa]

vinyl is when you want to hear quality, digital is only for convenience.

[@jirdimaster]

Lol i didn't think it was all that funny till the "da doom psst"

[@HarvestmanMan]

@scottymacgray Yep, you're right. It's not as well made because they're not mass-produced anymore. They're looked upon as cult or novelty items, and people pay more because of the novelty factor. Most of the time, the casual consumer doesn't care about quality; the audiophiles on the other hand...

[@bratina501]

@CLeRKSfan4life not anymore it seems. You might have to pay for special pressings or make your own blanks which can be used with a lathe.

[@erdavis7]

Oh really? That's interesting. I didn't realize there was an audible difference between 33 and 45. Does that also mean that the beginning is higher fidelity than the end of a record? Because the outside spins faster than the inside.

[@Jims4plur]

This is really fascinating! Love vinyl records!

[@CeruleanFilms]

0:35 - So that's where Krispy Kreme got that idea.

[@spikkel70]

@fakanqk it's 44.1khz x 16-bit and 192khz x 24-bit 96-bit xD way to go 24-bit was the max for many years, now finally they've managed to get a few bits higher 26 or 28 bit I believe

[@Raymint]

"Some believe" - IT FUCKING IS!! FACT.

[@catandfishfc]

*aluminium It has a second bloody i!!!

[@actuallyimnotreallysureyet8093]

catandfishfc Not in America! Aluminum!

[@actuallyimnotreallysureyet8093]

catandfishfc Not lazy efficient. We only spell what's pronounced.

[@kershwin]

good vids man

[@rgstever]

One word, quantization. Some of went to school for this...

[@Abriellie]

i prefer vinyls to cd's, that vintage sound

[@gogmorgoaway]

@rennyminou I don't know, they're is some editing at play, but I'm pretty sure it's the same as the hands attached to a rather masculine head at 1:45 and 1:50.

[@erdavis7]

If you are making it on the PC then it's already digital. That would be like like listening to a vinyl recording of a CD.

[@TheLukieBoi1]

@darkrx777 Great question, but think about this.. The very first vinyl record pressed, was during the 1880's, how the fuck did they do it back THEN ?

[@holymetal777]

Yeah vinyl FTW!