Most of us are accustomed to vinyl LPs, and even with the best way wherein they’re made by stamping a sizzling puck of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) right into a file. However [Technostalgism] takes us all the best way again to the start, giving us a first-hand take a look at how a lacquer grasp is minimize by a specialised recording lathe.
Reducing a lacquer grasp is the intricate course of by which lacquer disks, used because the masters for vinyl data, are created. These shiny black masters — nonetheless made by an organization in Japan — are precision aluminum discs coated with a particular lacquer to create a floor that resembles not-quite-cured nail polish and, reportedly, smells like contemporary paint.
The reducing course of itself stays largely unchanged over the a long time, though the entire supporting setup is a little more modernized than it will have been some seventy years in the past. Within the video (embedded under), we get a complete tour of the setup and watch a Neumann AM32B Grasp Stereo Disk Recording Lathe from 1958 minimize the one unbroken groove that makes up the aspect of a file.
The precise reducing software is a stylus whose motion combines the left and proper channels and is heated to attain the smoothest cuts potential. The result’s one thing that impresses the heck out of [Technostalgism] with its cleanliness, readability, and high quality. Much less apparent is the work that goes into arranging the entire thing. Each element, each band between tracks, is the results of cautious planning.
It’s very clear that not solely is particular gear wanted to chop a disk, however doing so successfully is a show of great craftsmanship, expertise, and ability. If you happen to’re inclined to agree and are hungry for extra particulars, then be sure you take a look at this DIY record-cutting lathe.
