PRESS ON VINYL AND SWIFT MASTERING
We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with Swift Mastering >>
Our pressing plant is now one of the rare few to have a fully-fledged mastering studio on site!
To oversee our mastering and cutting quality control duties, we brought on board Alex Balzama, founder of Swift Mastering and an experienced mastering engineer (he’s worked for Snoop Dogg, Lethal Bizzle, Donae’o, Plan B… and even married to a Boro lass!).
We understand that the mastering and cutting process can be a bit daunting, and there’s a lot of chatter out there about plants churning out jobs with not enough attention to detail, cutting safe at low levels, etc.
As a brand-new company, we wanted to make sure we reassured our customers that their music is in safe hands. And our partnership with Swift Mastering has been a huge success! After just one year in production, we’ve established ourselves as one of the highest quality pressing plants in Europe (and beyond!).
MASTERING FOR VINYL
When it comes to mastering for vinyl, it’s important to approach the job with a different mindset and skill set compared to when mastering for digital formats.
It’s not just a matter of checking for common issues like excessive HF content or sibilance. The limitations of the vinyl medium must be taken into account, and a skilled mastering engineer will use compression and EQ in a way that works well with vinyl.
They’ll carefully adjust the settings to achieve clarity, warmth, and depth of the recording while minimizing the negative effects of vinyl’s physical/mechanical limitations.
A key aspect of vinyl mastering is using the available land on the lacquer in the most effective way possible.
With more land available, louder and deeper cuts can be made, resulting in lower surface noise. This is why it’s important to work with an experienced mastering engineer who understands the nuances of vinyl reproduction.
A good mastering engineer will approach the job with the mindset of a cutter, which is often achieved through having cutting experience themselves.
It’s worth noting that any “vinyl pre-master” should be considered pure speculation until a test cut is performed and checked.
WE DON’T CUT JUST RECORDS BUT OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT TOO
When it comes to mastering for vinyl, the process can be complex and involves multiple parties.
That’s why, at Press On Vinyl, we’re proud to offer a streamlined solution.
All jobs that are mastered for vinyl by Swift Mastering and booked with us will be cut by Alex Balzama himself. This means you can have peace of mind that there will be no surprises, courier delays, or communication breakdowns.
From mastering to delivery of your records, it will all be done under one roof!
If you need your tracks to be mastered, Swift Mastering is here to help. They offer both attended and online options to suit your needs.
So whether you’re a seasoned pro or new to the world of vinyl mastering, you can trust Swift Mastering and Press On Vinyl to deliver the quality results you need.
If you need your tracks to be mastered, please contact Swift Mastering here.