What is Lathe-cut vinyl?
Lathe-cutting records is a unique process for crafting vinyl records by cutting and embossing the music directly onto a record in real-time. At On the Fly Records, we utilize the prestigious Presto 6N, a legendary record lathe from the 1940s, to emboss our records onto high-quality polycarbonate. Following the principle of “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” our approach, influenced by lathe-cutting expert Mike Dixon, is focused and methodical, ensuring a clean and distinct quality for each record.
Distinguished from traditional pressing, our lathe-cutting process offers a distinctive sound—perfect for those who desire a sweet crunch, warm crackle, and a medium-fi audio experience. If you’re looking for vinyl that replicates the excessively loud, digitally enhanced, Spotify-ready master, our method may not be the right fit for you.
On the Fly stands out as a small short-run label, providing artists with an affordable and accessible method of bringing their music to vinyl. Traditional pressing can be expensive, taking months to produce and yielding profits only after an extended period. By purchasing materials in bulk, we keep overall costs low for our artists, ensuring they primarily pay for labor. Our short-run packages, available in different tiers, allow artists to invest less upfront, recoup their expenses, and turn a profit more quickly.
Discover the unique charm of our lathe-cut records at On the Fly Records, where we blend vintage craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology. Whether you’re a music enthusiast seeking a distinctive sound or an artist looking for an affordable vinyl solution, we’ve got you covered. Explore our tiered packages for a personalized and cost-effective approach to bringing your music to life on vinyl.
Contact us
Give us a shout, we’re happy to answer any questions and concerns for you. Let’s bring your music back into the physical world!
Short Run Lathe-Cuts
Testimonials
T.V.O.D.
Had a great experience with On the Fly Records, we cut 50 records and the quality and consistency was amazing!
F.A.Q.
Things to know
- Stereo Cutter heads are very expensive and require more fine tuning, pre-processing, maintenance, etc.
- Diamond styli are required for stereo cuts. This is also very pricey and doesn’t provide as many cuts as a sapphire stylus will before needing a new one.
- After all is said and done, a stereo lathe-cut will end up costing more than pressing your record, so again if you want to keep the vinyl quality as close to your digital master, than you might as well spend the extra duckets on pressing
- Mono is actually pretty fucking cool, and most of your fans/customers are probably listening through their tv soundbar or on an old, shitty crosley record player, both of which have no stereo separation anyways
Pros
- Faster turnaround. Pressing plants are always very backed up as there are few out there, so you’ll be waiting 3-6 months before your records are done. We can get you your small batch with a 3-6 week turnaround.
- Cheaper than pressing. I buy all my materials in bulk so that I can provide the lowest cost for each record. No one wants to have to sell a 7” record for $25 just to make a slight profit.
- Lathe-cuts are more unique. Each record is made one-by-one. We handcraft it all, from embossing the music onto the record, to pressing the labels on, and formatting your art onto a quality record jacket.
Cons
- Mono vs. Stereo. For the time being, we can only cut in mono as stereo cutterheads are too expensive and require more maintenance, which will jack up the price of each record. But again, don’t be a brat. Mono is dope and most of your friends won’t even tell the difference.
- Med-fi vs. Hi-fi. Our machines provide a solid frequency range of 30hz-15khz. We know you love the super airy, crispy sound of 16khz and up, but Spotify compresses most of that out anyways. So once again, your friends won’t even tell the difference.
- Low volume. Embossing will provide a lower output. But not to worry, the noise floor of our records is still significantly low, even when the speakers are pumped. So just bump that volume knob to 11 if you want it loud.
I am a lathe cut record.
This means I am one of a kind!
Here are some guidelines
to get the best sound out of me:
- Drop your needle manually into my grooves. With lathe-cuts, sometimes the needle doesn’t fall exactly into the groove, which can cause slight distortion, skipping, or volume cutting in/out. If you hear any of this, just give your needle a lil’ nudge.
- Turn me up! Lathe-Cuts have shallower grooves than pressed records, so you might need to crank the volume knob a little more than normal.
- Enjoy my warm, medium-fi quality. I won’t sound like the original, but I am unique and handcrafted, just for you!
We painstakingly cut each record in real-time (and at times will do half-speed mastering), that beinng said we still can turn over 50 records with the works (record cut, stickers stamped, jackets printed, ready & assembled) in 2-4 weeks. This estimate may vary slightly depending on how busy we are. But we work late!