> >I know that a lot of people here run or have run labels and pressed >their own records, I would like to start a thread about vinyl >pressing plants..quality and how they compare to each other..It is >kind of hard to collect information on the net about prices and >quality of pressing and I know of some pressing plants that do a >poor job and refuse to refund their customers..I would like to hear >some experiences about..misprints..customer service..good quality >pressing..bad quality pressing...refunding..etc..
First, have you checked out www.indiecentre.com yet? do that. it contains all the resources you need to find mastering houses, pressing plants. (much more informative than the rarely, if ever, updated Hyperreal pressing archive) second, where people press and master is based on their subjective opinion concerning cost/quality ratio and other factors. I personally think that the Exchange in England cuts the best sounding records on the planet. They are also $220 more for a 4 track record than NSC (aka SoundEnterprises) and about that much more than Aardvark in Denver. Some people think the extra $ is worth it, others disagree. Then, there's pressing. Archer's the cheapest, but holds true to the saying "you get what you pay for" MPO in france is THICK but why press in france if your main distributors are based in New York? Also, i think that the quality of Aardvark and NSC are equal for mastering, yet Aardvark is $100 less for mastering/plating I also think the same about Archer and URP and archer is less (thus i last mastered and pressed at Aardvark/Archer) what i am saying is, it is all subjective and there are 20 or 30 different routes you could go. If you want a decent quality product for a good price, i suggest mastering @ Aardvark and Pressing @ Archer. If you want the sound and physical quality for extra bones, i suggest mastering @ the Exchange and pressing @ Erika (california). i also recommend mastering at a mastering house that specializes in mastering, rather than a pressing plant that outsources the work sites to check out (if you dont want to check out indiecentre.com) www.soundenterprises.com (mastering/plating, detroit) www.aardvark-mastering.com (mastering/plating, denver) www.urpressing.com (masterin/plating/pressing, nashville) www.erikarecords.com (mastering/plating/pressing, downey, CA) www.inrecordtime.com (mastering/plating/pressing, NY) www.europadisk.com (mastering/plating/pressing, NYC) www.discmakers.com (mastering/plating/pressing, NJ) The Exchange has no site, and Archer's site has been down for some time. if you need prices for them... email me privately : Adam Jay Southerland : : [EMAIL PROTECTED] : : http://beam.to/azure : Azure Records : : http://www.SUBterrorHQ.com : SUBterror :
