Vinyl production

Standard 12” LP Vinyl 

  Record is 30 cm in diameter. Playing time is up to 23 min per side at 33 rpm speed.

REQUIREMENTS FOR VINYL AUDIO MASTER SUBMISSION

These are the most important points for sound engineers to remember when mastering vinyl audio:

 

  • Supply audio at around -4dBs to -6dBs (Headroom for an engineer to work with)
  • Mono the bass frequencies (300Hz and below)
  • Tame sibilance and avoid excessive high end
  • Avoid volume clipping (levels that exceed maximum)
  • Make minimal use of compressors and limiters
  • Communicate any requests or questions for the cutting engineers
  • 24 bit/44.1 kHz file types are preferred but not essential (minimum file quality is 16 bit/44.1 KHz)
  • Provide a track list including the record side, track numbers and track lengths.

 

We accept the following bit depths and sample rates:

1411 kbps = 16 BIT/ 44.1 kHz ᛫ 1536 kbps = 16 BIT/ 48 kHz ᛫ 2116 kbps = 24 BIT/ 44.1 kHz ᛫
2304 kbps = 24 BIT/ 48 kHz ᛫ 2822 kbps = 32 BIT/ 44.1 kHz ᛫ 3072 kbps = 32 BIT/ 48 kHz ᛫
4233 kbps = 24 BIT/ 88.2 kHz ᛫ 4608 kbps = 24 BIT/ 96 kHz ᛫ 9216 kbps = 24 BIT/ 192 kHz

 

Please supply Vinyl Audio master with attached Vinyl Track list:

Download Vinyl Track list

Vinyl artwork data submission:

Acceptable formats:

 

PDF 1.4, PDFX1a, PDFX3 versions

 

Requirements:

 

Colors must be prepared in CMYK, Grayscale or Pantone color system. Please do not use RGB colors

Picture resolution should be at least 300 dpi

Layout objects (characters, logos, texts) must be submitted in vector

All fonts must be outlined and should be minimum 5 points

 

Dimensions:

 

All artwork should have accurate dimensions, if you are unsure how to prepare accurate templates in the software you are using please contact us and we will be happy to assist. We will supply you with any template for the Artwork.

 

Bleeds and Safety:

 

All artwork should include a bleed of 3 mm on all sides, all text and logos should be at least a further 3 mm from the crop guides, this is because cutting can only be accurate to about 1.5 mm when chopping small items like CD booklets. The easiest way to think of this if you are uncertain is to make sure the background image goes right to the edge of the bleed line and that all text, logos, etc. do not enter the safety areas (both of which are labeled clearly on our templates).

 

Resolution:

 

All non-vector artwork should be supplied with a resolution of at least 300 dpi as this is the minimum required to achieve a high quality print.

 

Color:

 

All color printing is full color and should be completed and saved in CMYK.

 

Ink Coverage:

 

The maximum ink coverage must be no more than 320%, if you are unsure how to check the ink coverage please contact a member of our design team.

 

Type:

 

All fonts should be embedded or converted to outlines.

 

Overprint:

 

Normally when two separate colors overlap each other they will knock out, which means they will not print one over the other. Using overprint will ensure that one color will print over another, i.e. black text on a pale background for example. Overprinting is generally used to avoid the need for trapping and to avoid white gaps between colours in case of misalignment of plates during the print process. Please be aware that if overprinting is used incorrectly we cannot always check for this and it can generate unexpected results.

 

Formats:

 

Artwork should be supplied as press quality PDFs.

 

Booklet Pagination:

 

Please supply your booklet artwork as double page spreads correctly paginated.

 

Foiling & special finishes:

 

When opting to have a foiling or special finish (i.e. spot UV varnish) this would be best supplied as a vector based image and on a separate layer or file to the rest of the artwork however a rasterised image can work in some circumstances. We would not recommend having the areas for the foiling/varnish too close together as this may result in the areas becoming fused and loosing definition.

You can forward digital files to us via WeTransfer in a .ZIP or .RAR folder.

Test pressings:

Test Pressings are the first records created from the metalwork, used to evaluate the quality, volume levels and listen for any untoward pops, clicks or excessive hiss before mass production begins. We recommend requesting test pressings with your order and listening carefully on a number of different turntables before approving production of the main run to begin.