United Record Pressing, Nashville-Pictorial Tour With Narration

TrackingAngle snuck away for a tour of United Record Pressing during the recent Making Vinyl event in Nashville. CEO Mark Michaels and Matt Lindsey, who is overseeing the pressing plant's major infrastructure upgrade and increased pressing capacity guided the tour. URP will eventually have 100 presses up and running-a combination of newly updated Lened and SMT presses plus 48 new Pheenix Alpha presses, some of which have already been delivered and installed. Because the work is ongoing, Michaels preferred we take only still photos for this tour but later this summer when most of the work is complete we'll be back for a video tour. The total plant upgrade from boilers to cooling towers to the new building 3 press floor plus Mr. Lindsey's experience overseeing Sony's Blu-ray disc production-aspects of which have been incorporated into URP's vinyl manufacturing should help URP to press world-class vinyl, which the big press increase will certainly help alleviate the worldwide pressing capacity problem. We left the tour optimistic!

[@christopherrigby2798]

Fascinating to see not just the scale of the enterprise but also how the presses including the control equipment is refurbished using modern control systems.Thanks.

[@SupraWes]

There should be epoxy on the floors. Raw concrete is perfect for storing and releasing dirt. Also the guy saying they need less QC with the new presses coming online does not sound good to me.

[@markkillion8980]

I find it interesting that a vinyl record plant uses a lot of old school “process piping”. It looks to me that there is a steam line and a chilled water line going to every press.

[@analoguecity3454]

I do notice a lot of the "mainstream " record's sounding much better since 2017 when I got back into this hobby!

[@prowlermadmax2]

awesome, you guys have the best job in the world.

[@VideoArchiveGuy]

Given URP's past, are they designing the non-fill directly into the new equipment or does it get added later?

[@trackingangle929]

I'm hopeful your cynicism will dissipate as they work to press better records

[@VideoArchiveGuy]

@@trackingangle929 It's come from a long line of disappointing URP pressings.. :-(

[@grubbygrip]

I was a press operator at URP for 2 years. Quantity over quality is their mission statement. They are more focused on being the largest manufacturer vs the best. Till they have competent leadership and workers they will continue to produce mediocre records. The things I’ve witnessed their are down right shameful. I’m glad I left for a better company

[@dburgette7577]

At this point, when you open a URP record, rounded corner inner sleeve usually gives it away, you know exactly what you will get....tons of surface noise. It’s been the same for years. I genuinely feel disappointed when an artist/label uses URP as their pressing plant.

[@richardriley4415]

I got back into vinyl in a big way about 10 years ago. I quickly learned that pressed at United meant crap. If I really, really wanted something I would order it anyway but I didn't purchase many records just because they were pressed at united. The pressing plants are all so busy now that I'm skeptical about much improvement in their quality.

[@iamspyvspy3077]

Impressive having a record cleaning kit next to the office turntable ;)

[@geovannilucianomartinezban3518]

yes....

[@theboomerscalper]

t got the new reissue of Cake's Fashion Nugget pressed there and it horrible. Pops and clicks. Even after cleaning it in an ultrasonic it was still noisy.

[@kirmussaudio7578]

Send the record to us. We will restore it at no charge.

[@theboomerscalper]

@@kirmussaudio7578 I appreciate it but I returned it. Thanks!

[@kirmussaudio7578]

No worries. One needs to change the charge of the record to be opposite to that of water to take advantage of cavitation hence the offer to assist to use our ionization method of the record with cabitstion. No process is guaranteed 100% but have restored personally hundreds of problematic records. At trade shows we do before and after auditions of records brought to our stand. Keep us in mind. Thank you for your reply. Great to see the Tracking Angle back!

[@recordhead]

Seeing a business invest that much money tells me records are going to be around for a long, long time. I hope you schooled that kid in the Doors t-shirt how to hold a record!

[@RonVoldman]

Explains their infamous quality control.

[@cezarvasile1635]

👌🎶

[@jeffwhitehead6268]

Not really sure how you take the time to go to a plant, get a tour, and interview those running the plant, without respectfully mentioning their reputation of having the pressings with the WORST surface noise in the industry over the last decade, and asking what causes it and what steps they are taking to improve their quality. I stopped buying ANYTHING pressed at United 3 years ago, and either grab an EU pressing from an overseas plant, or just grab the CD instead. It’s too bad. So many amazing Chris Bellman masterings are ruined by United “Rice Krispie” pressings. And I long for the day I can finally buy some Jason Isbell on vinyl. When it’s reissued and not pressed at United.

[@bobromano7548]

I hope they get better. Every record i have purchased the is pressed by United is chock full o’ pops and clicks. Some of the worst albums in my collection. Truly disheartening when I pull the vinyl out and find out it’s a United pressing

[@analoguecity3454]

You do know you have to clean new records too, right?

[@bobromano7548]

@@analoguecity3454 yep. I clean every one. Sometimes twice. Most from United are the same noisy platters as before. Other pressing plants don't have that problem.