The problem with the “vinyl boom” of recent years has been that the demand has squeezed supply, with remaining vinyl factories being pressed (heh) to deliver more and more stock as demand for LPs returns.
That much has been explained in this article.
Imagine the relief to labels and suppliers, then, that the invention of injection-moulded vinyl records presents, unveiled recently by Dutch CD manufacturers Symcon.
Writes FACT Magazine:
In conventional vinyl manufacturing, the plastic is pushed on the grooves at an angle – but the injection-moulding method injects plastic straight into the record’s grooves, which copies the grooves on the stamper more accurately.
The injection-moulding method also promises to cut costs by reducing the energy used in the process by up to 65%, as it doesn’t require the huge amounts of steam currently used to heat up the PVC puck before it’s pressed between two stampers. The new system also applies no pressure to the stampers, which can currently only be used for up to 2,000 records before they become worn out.
Symcon says that injection-moulded records could be turned around in just two weeks, drastically reducing the current timeline of 12 to 16 weeks from cutting floor to shop.
There are still some hurdles to overcome, however.
Vinyl records are slightly more durable than the injection-moulded samples Symcon has made so far, and the material used for injection-moulded records is more expensive, at €0.45 per record compared to around €0.35. Testing the sound quality also isn’t easy – the conventional quality system for vinyl is not directly compatible with injection-moulded records.
Two weeks!
Madness.
Jaysus this is a dull, when did music fans become like trainspotters?
14th of April 2005
After the pencil broke when I was rewinding my crumpled cassette tape…. pre-2005 tho…
I tell you what uses even less steam, and is even more sustainable – .WAV files.
=96/kHz
Agreed. Moved to high resolution files some years ago. Wouldn’t thank anyone for pristine vinyls of my collection.
a pointless comparison.
I suppose it might be; no more pointless than designing a more efficient record, though. You might as well design a more comfortable penny farthing.
penny farthing is obsolete, vinyl isn’t.
Righto.
Personally, I listen to all of my music on 78s. Yes, they are infinitely less practical, and the sound fidelity is much lower, but I just, you know, prefer them.
are you half heartedly claiming WAV is superior quality to vinyl? Because that would be very silly indeed.
Try not to think so much about
The truly staggering amount of oil that it takes to make a record
All the shipping, the vinyl, the cellophane lining, the high gloss
The tape and the gear
look around the room you’re in right now and name me 3 things that have not either been made from oil, or had oil used in it’s manufacturing process.
they’re Father John Misty lyrics, love
Wouldn’t worry about durability or sound quality.
They’re not listened too most of the time.
no, a few poseurs might buy it for show but the vast majority of vinyl bought will be played for years. Sorry if that doesn’t fit in with your bitterness and limited knowledge of the subject
Ach, I’m only messing.
Tell that to Luke Shaw!
Anyone recommend a turntable… something small (I live in a two bed), not too pricey, I already have speakers…..
there’s a hifi shop upstairs in Tower Records (at the back) and they have a good range of entry level turntables. They all have basically the same footprint.
I’ll have a look Bacchus, thanks. A lot of the stuff I see under a hundred quid look and feel like a kids fisher price toy, and I’m not willing to gamble on them…. I’ll give Tower a look, ta.
That shop is a branch office of Cloney Audio: those guys know their stuff.
no it’s not. Cloney are indeed great (and worth a call) but they moved out of tower quite some time ago
Cool, Bacchus, thanks for the update!
I don’t have any strong recommendations for a turntable – I’m strictly a CD and streaming enthusiast – but what kind of speakers to you have? If passive, you will need an integrated amplifier with a built-in phono stage. NAD still make these. Rega make great turntables and the Marantz TT05 has a very small footprint
Bose speakers with a standard headphone jack on the volume wheel so I should have no problem with amp issues and the like.
It’d only be used on the odd weekend day free or if I have a few hrs of chillin’ to hand and the odd evening so I’m not willing to spend a fortune…. €150 max. but I’d prefer to keep it under a €100 :)
I’d recommend you get a good quality mini jack to two phono interconnect, so. 25 or 30 quid would see you right.
in that case maybe second hand is the way to go.
Cheers guys
http://www.instructables.com/id/3D-Printed-Record/