Mastering for vinyl

In most cases, yes.

Vinyl is a mechanical medium with strict limits on groove velocity, excursion, stereo geometry and tracking margin. A master that is optimised for digital distribution may be technically cuttable, but still lead to compromises.

A dedicated vinyl master is about keeping the cut stable and predictable, while preserving the musical intent.

We do both:

• Vinyl mastering from the mix / pre-master (preferred when available)
• Vinyl adaptation from an existing digital master (common for reissues and label work)

Vinyl adaptation is not a "simple EQ pass". It is a technical translation process that often involves undoing or compensating for decisions that work well in digital but create problems on lacquer.

Not necessarily, but it does mean mastering for cutting level and tracking, not LUFS.

A louder cut improves signal-to-noise ratio, but it comes at the cost of more groove space per second of audio, higher distortion, less tolerance for bass-heavy or wide material and a greater risk of mistracking on average turntables.

The final cutting level is always a balance between disc size, playback speed, side length, genre, bass content and stereo width.

Side length is one of the dominant constraints.

Long sides require tighter groove packing, which often forces a lower cutting level, reduced bass amplitude, more conservative high-frequency handling and a higher risk of inner-groove distortion.

If you want maximum fidelity, shorter sides almost always win.

Yes, technically and audibly.

If a side ends with the brightest, densest, most aggressive track, it is more likely to distort and sound dull. In many cases a better approach is:

• more demanding tracks earlier on the side
• smoother / darker material later
• keeping extreme sibilance away from the inner diameter

We can also advise on sequencing as part of vinyl preparation.

Not strictly. Low-end stereo information must be controlled, as excessive out-of-phase bass can cause cutting and tracking issues, but this happens in extreme cases. We treat it surgically, only when needed.

Preferred delivery specs:

• WAV or AIFF
• 16 or 24-bit
• Native sample rate (do not upconvert)

If possible, send both the approved digital master (for reference) and a non-limited pre-master.

We make sure the master is optimised for cutting and aligned with best practice for the medium. We partner with respected cutting engineers and pressing plants who cut lacquers on proper lathes such as the Neumann VMS70.

The final record is also influenced by cutting decisions, plating, pressing quality and the listener's turntable setup. That's why test pressings remain an essential step. We can listen to and analyse your test pressings at the studio, on a high-end calibrated system, at no extra charge.