How to Cut Vinyl (Lacquer Cutting Lathe) with Gearbox Records on MusicGurus

Full video course: goo.gl/tUHUSp
Caspar from Gearbox records demonstrates the lacquer cutting lath, an excerpt from a full course on MusicGurus
Gearbox records is a specialist in putting out analog vinyl cuts from digital or analogue sources.
In this course, Darrel and Caspar will cover all the main aspects of what Gearbox does to get their product to market - the last stage of the creative process.
As part of the course, they'll show you the studio and recording process, the EQing process using outboard equipment, the work on digital workstations, the maintenance of the analog reel-to-reels, and go into the detail of cutting vinyl records using the studio's lathe.
This course is aimed to people who are used to digital mastering on the computer and who'll be excited discover how to do the same thing in the analog domain using mainly outboard equipment.
Why Analog mastering? Just because it's sonically better than digital and you're not dependent on hard drive disk space - it all fits on a tape!
Gearbox's mastering studio has the best vintage gear, all in great condition, which gives the best sound and pristine audiophile quality. They're also tied to Mark Ronson's live room next door, and have access to a top-notch recording facility where Grammy's are made!
More From MusicGurus:
All Tileyard Education courses: bit.ly/3smV4XC
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MusicGurus Ltd is an online learning platform that partners with the world’s best musicians to create interactive lessons to enable music lovers to “become the musician they’ve always wanted to be”.
Established in 2015 by Tom Rogers and Christopher Esclapez, MusicGurus is fast becoming the industry leader in online music education. The platform offers 1000s of high-quality on-demand lessons across a variety of different instruments, skills, styles and abilities.
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[@jamessmith84240]

I was wondering how they made these master press disks. In all the other "how vinyl records are made" videos they completely skip this part like it happens by magic. Great video.

[@101wut2]

For DECADES I've wanted to know how you put the little gaps between the tracks, but I've never been able to find a video that shows. Thanks to you I can now sleep at night! 🙏

[@MSHRadio-dj5zn]

lol

[@DOCLOWE1988]

@@MSHRadio-dj5zn 😂

[@gotham61]

A lot of lathes are more automated, and you can just hit a button.

[@dububro]

You haven't been able to sleep for decades?

[@rockmusicvideoreviewer896]

@@dububro He hasn't replied back to you because he's catching up on his sleep. Check back in 2043.

[@RonaldRagn]

So cool. Personally love 12" played at 45rpm because of what he explained: they can be cut "hot" so to speak when the grooves have more distance between them. Also this guy can't not smile at the work he is doing. Very good boy

[@RobertColianni]

This guy is cooler and I could ever be. Thanks for the awesome tutorial!

[@scottlippittmusic]

So cool! Thanks for sharing! This lad appears smiley and happy about what he's doing! As he should - he knows his stuff!

[@ivannikolaev2293]

Honestly, I thought that this process is done in some dust-free camera or something like that, because there is a lot of dust in the air flying around. But it was extremely educating to see with my own eyes how this exactly is done. Thank you.

[@richardcranium9002]

I would think that production machines are in a dust free lab and are computer controlled. I suspect this is a demo/training room.

[@IsraelQuezada999]

I wish I could learn and have a job like that...

[@utub1473]

I'm gonna make it happen, you should join me!

[@mr19zee]

@@utub1473 I'm joining you

[@utub1473]

@@mr19zeeNice! See you out there one day.

[@EricBrownBey]

@@utub1473 Do it, do it, do it go for it.

[@utub1473]

@@EricBrownBey I'm going for it! Here's my plan: finish up high school and then attend my local university, eventually graduating with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. Using that degree, I have a variety of options available to me. The option that would lead me to this would be mastering. I've been told by various mastering engineers that electrical engineering is an excellent choice, and that it raises my chances of being hired in a studio. Once I start mastering, I can try to get started with cutting lacquers as well. And hey, even if that doesn't work out, I'd love to develop hifi equipment just the same. I've got one hell of a life ahead of me.

[@SydneyDrums]

I was wondering what Cameron did after Ferris Bueller

[@americanstreet8704]

Sydney Drums hahahahaha

[@utub1473]

Good joke but I barelyyyy see it

[@jazzroom]

The Late Great Dexter Gordon on the Saxophone saying ... " This one is called The Panther " what a classic ! are you cutting straight from the original master tape? wow!

[@Gothic55]

Brilliant tutorial, now I understand what cutters do and why they are so important to decent sounding vinyl.

[@aspjake123]

So intricate, I had no idea so much work needed into cutting vinyl. Thank you for keep this artwork alive.

[@HiNinqi]

I love this. I'm hunting for a cutter machine now. They're really tough to source so far.

[@redhouscv2792]

Did you ever find one?

[@michaelhorgan9525]

Todd Mariana is working on a lathe called the PLS-21 or whatever it is called. Sillitoe has machines but they are currently sold out rn and are quite expensive. Flo Kaufmann also makes 1-2 Neumann inspired systems a year.

[@macos-brasil1814]

Its incredible how he carefully shows how everything works like if we all gonna make that at home rs

[@BADBIKERBENNY]

I would love to have my own lathe.

[@jefferybimbopdibbity7942]

Do you loathe the fact that your love for a lathe is left un-legitimized

[@kfl611]

The machine looks so simple but it sure is not! You explained this so well. Thank you for posting.

[@TheAboriginal1]

What an amazing video and an amazing process! I never knew this much work went in to cutting. Absolutely incredible

[@Trojan0304]

Makes one appreciate your record , thanks for sharing a amazing process

[@ashokbulbule680]

Excellent tutorials by this guy.

[@ethantastic]

he's so giddy all the time i love it

[@chrisburn7178]

One thing that I don't understand is: how does the machine compensate for the reduced rotational velocity as you move to the centre of the disc? By nature of a circle, the relative speed of the head and disc is less in the centre which should mean the music plays slower but this is obviously compensated for somehow by the cutting lathe.

[@drillbag]

It seems that the head cuts straight across the plate, moving to the center as the disc spins over time, therefore creating a perfect spiral !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! relative speeds do not matter as the groove is being cut at a certain speed and played back at the same speed. This is how "half speed mastering" works, play the tape at half speed and cut the record at 16.666 RPM (for example), then it sounds normal when played back at 33rpm.

[@drillbag]

also, this is why "inner groove distortion" is a factor, as the middle of disc has the closer grooves to compensate for the smaller circle, the reason why traditionally the louder songs were at the start of the record and the quiet songs end the sides (more bang for your buck) - also why you see some 12" records with 7" of dead wax (consistency) weird hey... i've been looking into this and it is fascinating!

[@igordeoliveirasa6674]

@@drillbag are you sure? Could you detail a bit more? Im trying to understand.. thanks!

[@TheHmm43]

The disc spins at a constant RPM, so the outside is the same RPM as the center, so the lathe does not necessarily need to compensate as it moves the cutter. The speed of the record's surface is faster near the edge than the center, relative to the stylus, and because of this the fidelity decreases from the edge to the center. The speed of the music never changes unless the RPM changes. The fidelity also decreases because the groove is curved sharper towards the center.. I don't know how much that affects the sound though.

[@superpaulgarden]

Safe to say, he has the best job in the world.

[@zerklang]

I could watch this video all day.

[@DalontaeDavis]

Thank You

[@Capture262]

Records are amazing really when you think about it , thanks for the video

[@vdentalvolispanagiotis7577]

very clear and nice video, honestly how can anyone dislike this vid??? A question now.... what are the types of records to "cut" that anyone can use ? with pros/cons?

[@rogerdickinson6944]

I imagine that it would have been inconceivable to people of the time that this process could be miniaturised to such an extent that all the equipment needed to produce a physical copy of music could be contained within a laptop! When you burn a CD it goes through all the processes (completely automated) that this man a room is required to do by hand. Also, the time it takes to cut the vinyl is also it's run time, with a CD it is much reduced (perhaps a tenth of run time?). Amazing!

[@jayslabotsky462]

Nice demo. Never would have thought about a risk of fire. LOL Loads of really cool gear in that room.

[@Manu_Nayar]

Incredible ❤❤❤ I just love record from my child hood. Now I have huge collections

[@dahlbergt]

Very interesting and well explained! Thank you!

[@sumitgenzyme]

Nice to see, the record is cutting from a analog source rather from a digital file

[@Dutchamp]

This is so cool everytime I put on a nice cut record I enjoy the depth and weithness in the sound. Cool video I love DMM record most

[@mplsmark222]

I have always wondered how many different lacquer laths have been made over the last century. This machine is mostly manually controlled, built like a machinist lathe. Others I’ve seen have a lot more automatic features, and look more like an electronic device. The whole industry of vinyl production is so complex from the lathe cutting to plating then pressing, . All the nasty chemicals, steam to melt the vinyl, huge hydraulic presses, there is so much to it. As much as I like vinyl, digital media, completely bypassing the physical format is a great thing. Having said that, it would be an interesting job making record masters.

[@anajonda]

Fun fact: The gap created with the scroll is called a "band" and used to be cited on some label track listings in place of a number. (eg Band One: track title, Band Two: track title, etc)

[@Manu_Nayar]

You are really prefect record cuter engineer !!!! I love all England cut records grove

[@CreatingMusicandSound]

Excellent video!!!

[@jonwilliams9976]

Nice job. I just ordered the Jazz Couriers Tippin' Lp based on your work here.

[@BartvandeGriendt]

Very interesting video! Thanks for the explanation!

[@VinylPro]

so clear ! fantastic !

[@ReelX1]

super informative stuff, where else can you see this with your own eyes nowadays?! much apreciated.

[@Frank55]

Wouldn't a remote for the tape machine be handy?

[@2nd2lastdon]

Thank you very much they while process was very interesting and this video was very educational.

[@nickpaul2988]

if you are speaking during the process, does it ad tiny sound vibration to the record ?

[@DJNESSY.]

No as the direct sound is coming from the cassete

[@djdreamproductions]

How can anyone dislike this video.

[@danielkingham9045]

Great educational and tension to detail ,, thanks for that,,, now,, I have asked many a DJ what actually causes patterns within the groove whilst turning,, and they answer me with,,“Sorry,I cannot answer“ sometimes they start from the center and work there way towards the outside edge or visa versa (During the rotation),, a lot of Depeche Mode 12“ or 7“ singles display such patterns,, what’s the technical gargon for such a thing,, would I be right if I thought that it is caused by drums or even a certain short high tone and on the second third fourth and so on rotations it staggers ? Thanks for your time and have a pleasant weekend

[@LutzSchafer]

Very interesting! I'm curious about the helium. Assumingly its not cryogenic cooling. But then why helium?

[@laurentpk]

Incredible how it all comes together. Appreciate it so much more learning how it all works... 🙂👍

[@sinsagoodmansbrother]

Wow! Phenomenal... Loved the explanations... VERY educational...

[@HonablueInstitute]

As a mastering engineer for CBS Records (NYC) from the 60's and 70's we never dressed like that -and I personally mastered a lot of lp's (Miles Davis, Santana, Led Zeppelin, Ten Years After, Blood Sweat and Tears, Chicago, Edgar Winter, Johnny Winter, Janis Joplin, etc., etc., etc).......There are only a handful of us mastering engineers left in the country -you guys should reach out to us......I'm not sure what variable pitch system you're using -but Capps made an absolute great computer system that would allow you more level on the disc......by the way, Bitches Brew for Miles Davis was 30 minutes on one side.........

[@johnguerrero3174]

Wow, you’re truly a legend! I wish I could spend just one day speaking with you and learning and hearing some of the great stories you must have.

[@dannysnow3020]

Wow, you layin it on pretty thick daddio. You could have been a whole lot nicer to this humble, soft spoken guy in the video. I think he´s great at what he´s doing. If you think he could improve, you could have offered him some priceless insights instead of telling him that he should "reach out to you". Who are you…Jesus Christ??

[@KCNYC]

Hi Robert! I heard you closed down your institute due to health issues. I hope you are doing better. I’m here in NYC and putting together a mastering studio. Are you still available for consultation?

[@JEEPSTR78]

Dream Career!

[@MSHRadio-dj5zn]

I love it! This is much more interesting than cutting digital record into USB stick...

[@dantaylor7344]

So vinyl is basically, sound waves to magnetic pulses to electrical signals, to magnetic pulses, to mechanical movement, to electrical signals back to sound waves. Just a big circle

[@MSHRadio-dj5zn]

and waves are just energy. Music is just energy...

[@djpopcorn]

Are there lathes that have two cutting heads? I can't seem to find a video on one?

[@djpopcorn]

Without a preview does that increase going through more materials when mistakes are made? It appears there is no preview for the lathe computer.

[@honved1]

How do you control the amount of a dust in the room? Are there any special requirements or does dust not really affect the process?

[@robfriedrich2822]

Doesn't the cutter support Direct Metal Mastering? So you could use the cut without any layer for getting matrices.

[@debarghyaroy9948]

Cool gadgets! What's the cost of the entire cutting machine now?!

[@trapped-ion]

In some Jamaican documentary they showed the worker put balls of the wax onto a vertical bar and the master copy would descent and press on the wax forming the round record with the tracks. Can someone explain in detail how that worked?

[@krigge]

Awsome! Thanks! 😀👍

[@akarshmohan1842]

now that's some art !

[@McSherryStudioArt]

Fascinating. Thank you.

[@turntabuler78]

Great presentation.

[@williampalenik7306]

Very neat to cut a record

[@anabelpelayo8825]

QUIERO UNA MAQUINA DE ESAS! AWESOME!

[@FelipeAgua11]

Wow! This is awesome! How does that become a pressing master later?

[@Jim54_]

Casper is very handsome

[@ВалерийК-е2з]

Интересно! ...В 60-х годах было массовое увлечение, делали подобные рекордеры своими руками.

[@sevenmileridgeband]

awesome!!! thanks for psoting

[@moontagedoorah3989]

Hi, if anyone can help of where that i can found an acetate mother master stamper, i saw some in a boot fair last month but after came back home i realize that i shoulg purchased them not only one but all of them and the price was 10 pound each. normy son is looking for his schook project i wanted to help him found one.

[@NasserAlhameli]

Is from this record they make copys?

[@gns423]

Love the music!

[@robfriedrich2822]

The disc is larger than 12"?

[@anthonygaydotcom]

Wouldnt him speaking while the ruby stylus is cutting the laquer technically add more vibrations into the groove being cut? Someone is gonna wonder why they hear him speaking during that jazz music.

[@Pisti846]

I would think not since this is an electrical recording.

[@kistuszek]

The loudness of the music takes up extra space! LOL

[@AhitagniDasgupta]

You're a genius :)

[@aldocelli9371]

Yeah.... let's go vinyl!!!!!

[@TonyArechiga]

This video gives me anxiety! What a job!

[@KRAZEEIZATION]

The guy is the head off Bruce Hornsby! Seriously though, why do most modern pressings sound boomy and compressed? I always find the older pressings sound better.

[@recvival995]

Hi! Thank you very much! This video is very clear and nice. Please, could you post the links about the name of this machine? I ´m looking to buy it!

[@nexcyia]

It's a Vintage Haeco Scully Lathe with Westrex (Western Electric) heads and cutting amps.

[@nexcyia]

www.gearboxrecords.com/home.html

[@NathanCMusic]

so good!

[@guitarfoundry]

does the machine have a vacuum to remove the hot chip?

[@dastinger111]

He mentions that a lot throughout the video. Yes.

[@teela-audiophile7864]

Hi ! i want to burn disc, you can do

[@98266paul]

Nice video! Dubplates are a crucial part of Roots/Dub music and Soundsystem culture, was interesting to see the process, I ended up here by following a link from Prince Fattys website and I'm glad I did.

[@andyboys5669]

Who left their pith here, there ith pith all over the plathe.

[@ns3510]

Daffy Duck yo

[@RJ3477DJ]

I have reggae audios do you record for compacts?

[@shazzbutter]

Scully?

[@18000rpm]

Someone should convert this machine into the ultimate turntable

[@MSHRadio-dj5zn]

I'd like to have a turntable like that.

[@nevilleandann]

I NEED SOME 12" OR 7" MAKE .LET ME KNOW PLEASE

[@24mastering7]

I can help you with that. Can cut either vinyl or lacquer on neumann VMS70. www.24mastering.com sorry for the hijack ;)

[@sharoncrompton2010]

Hi can you make 78s? Sharon

[@kairodriguez1402]

Iv'e heard there is a significant difference in sound quality to lathe cut and pressed records is this true?

[@guitarfoundry]

yes. the Master can only make a few mother copies though, which in turn produces the molds to make the stampers. unless you have true audiophile quality equipment, you won't be able to hear a significant difference between the master and pressed copy.

[@redhouscv2792]

@@guitarfoundry it depends on how it was cut. It’s very easy to mess up especially if you don’t have lots of experience and a cheaper lathe

[@hugopastora50]

Where in this planet can I buy this kind of machine? I have years looking at it for sale😔

[@michaelhorgan9525]

Sillitoe might be able to sell you a lathe, and Flo Kaufmann makes 1 or 2 lathes/year depending on how busy he is from repairing the lathes of Europes finest cutting rooms. You could check out Opcode66 KZbin channel as he is working on a portable machine, and I know that there is a Chinese-Italian-Dutch consortium working on something.

[@RJ3477DJ]

Hello I'm from Brazil.

[@kriseckhardt5148]

Helium is a finite resource. Can't you use argon?

[@llary]

A small tank will last a year, lacquer cutting is not exactly a burden on helium supplies

[@litoboy5]

Cool

[@djsonvinylcollection]

Power

[@MortalVildhjart]

OK, aliens have come and shared this tech with us and this is how we started actually recording music. This makes more sense to me then some Emil Berliner German American dude in 1887 inventing this shit on their own. Like "Oh yeah we don't have proper medicin, don't have real ethics yet, science is largly rubbing Onions on people and hoping for the best, But imma make this lvl 100 Technowizard machine by candle light."

[@letsgococo288]

Exactly! Most people can’t see hiStory is BS. And they didn’t have tapes in the 1800s and this guy is using a tape for the sound…

[@hsillams]

how do you get verified at 30k

[@TheDIMONART]

It`s a DIY lathe in video or factory fabricated? Which brand, anyone knows??

[@KCNYC]

Scully 601

[@planetX15]

10:41

[@EpicWinz]

Dub plate special!!!

[@glassjb]

Why helium does it flow quietly

[@llary]

Safe cheap and non flammable