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Vinyl premastering for pressing plants
A mastering partner for pressing plants and cutting rooms: vinyl premasters prepared for the lathe, delivered the same day or the next, with a cue sheet and a direct line to your cutting engineers.
A record's quality is decided long before the press. When the master arrives prepared for the medium (side lengths, sequencing, low end and sibilance under control), cutting is predictable, test pressings come back right the first time, and your clients get the record they expected.
That is the part we take care of, so your plant can focus on pressing.
Working with Audiowax
Audiowax, a vinyl pressing plant based in Porto, works with Qualia for mastering, vinyl preparation and test pressing evaluation. In their journal they wrote about the partnership and why it matters for the records they press:
Não elimina os limites do vinil. Ajuda-nos a compreendê-los antes de se transformarem em problemas.
(It doesn't remove the limits of vinyl. It helps us understand them before they become problems.)
What a plant gets
- Premasters the same day, at the latest the next. Your schedule doesn't wait on mastering.
- A cue sheet with every delivery: side order, timings and technical notes for the cutting engineer.
- Vinyl adaptation of digital masters, for clients who arrive with a streaming master only.
- A direct line with your cutting technicians, to sort out any issue that comes up at the lathe.
- Test pressing review at the studio on a calibrated, high-end system, at no extra charge, to tell whether a problem comes from the master or from later in the chain.
- Restoration of archival material for reissues, from tape, disc or digital sources. See audio restoration.
How a job flows
- Your client's files come in: the mix or the digital master, sent directly or through the plant.
- Vinyl premaster and cue sheet, back the same day or the next.
- Cutting: your engineer cuts the lacquer, with a direct line to us if anything needs adjusting.
- Test pressing review: we listen and report what we hear and where it comes from.
- Approval and pressing.
Our approach to vinyl, side lengths, sequencing and file specs is explained in detail on the mastering for vinyl page.
Propose a partnership
If you run a pressing plant or cutting room and want a reliable mastering partner for your clients, write to us. Tell us about your plant, the kind of releases you press and how you work with mastering today, and we'll propose how we can fit in.
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Run a pressing plant or cutting room?
Tell us about your plant and how you work with mastering today. We'll propose how we can fit in.