Vinyl Production & Appreciation | Loose Hair

Fred Blassie - Pencil Neck Geek

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 14:20:21 GMT

>>loose picks<< Fred Blassie - Pencil neck geek

One for you knuckleheads out there. If you’re a geek, watch out. Blassies about!

I found this in the depths when looking for something else and had to share it.

I got shown this by a close friend when I was probably still a teenager. I fell in love instantly. I’m not a wrestling fan but I am a fan of fun “novelty” records and this one is most definitely that.

Released in 1977 by Rhino records.

Lead out groove message - Enter the Rhino/F Blassie talent search contest today!

Our thoughts on Elasticstage

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 10:22:13 GMT

Our thoughts on Elasticstage

I’ve been asked a few times about my thoughts on Elasticstage recently so I’ve decided to make a quick post. First of all, I’m no reporter or researcher. This is information I found after a quick google and I appreciate information on the internet can be wrong. If anything I’ve said is, please get in touch and I’ll remove it.

Elasticstages exclusive production partner are part of Tamesek holdings, a global investment firm owned by the Singaporean Government. Tamesek are one of the largest investors in Blackrock (as of 2024 4.28%), BlackRock has faced repeated criticism for its investments in fossil fuels, defense contractors, and Chinese firms linked to surveillance or human rights violations. While ElasticStage isn’t directly owned by BlackRock, these kinds of financial relationships raise fair questions about the ethical alignment of ElasticStage.

Some of the talent elastic stage have bought in to help them grow include Former head of international licensing at Spotify and Tim Parry, co-founder of Big Life Management. Spotify has long been under scrutiny for its low artist payouts and, more recently, for the nature of its financial backers — some of which are linked to the defense sector. Parrys Big Life management have worked with some huge acts over the years and have been the subject of criticism regarding artist management and business practices. Both companies with histories where making money came before looking after the artists that make it possible.

We’re yet to fully learn how they make their records (they’re keeping it close to their chest) but we know they’re lathe cuts, they’re using the same material for records that we are and they’re pretty much fully automated.

Lathe cuts can sound great but will they when you’re mass producing them using automation?

Part of the quality control you can utilise while making lathe cuts is the fact you can monitor each record live whilst being cut. Both audibly and visually. This can’t be fully achieved by someone using more than one lathe at a time. Lathe cutting is a delicate operation and I think you can expect a lot more noise and QC issues with mass produced lathe cuts. The automation won’t notice the rarities like when chip is dropped , when a record is pitted or warped or when the cutting stylus is worn or damaged causing surface noise. The margin for error is narrow.

A quick reddit search shows issues with customer service, issues with barcodes on everything and issues with consistency.

You may want to use us or another smaller operation, there are plenty in the UK. Have a look online and you’ll find lathe cut records made by much smaller companies with much better values, connection the to local community and probably no links to questionable investment firms. You’ll be talking to the person that will be making your records. Customer service is directly with the manufacturer. I don’t think you can beat that.

Ultimately, I don’t believe ElasticStage’s primary aim is to support the music community. It appears to be about building a scalable, profit-driven tech solution. That doesn’t make it inherently bad, but it’s important for people to look at the bigger picture. Where their money comes from, what their values are and what kind of experience you want for you and your listeners.

If you care about independence, local relationships and audio integrity, it may be worth seeking out one of the many small-run vinyl services that still put the artist and the record first.

Our QC

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 16:49:24 GMT

Our QC

Our commitment to quality is paramount and integrated into every step. In this post we’ll give a quick breakdown of the things we do to ensure we get a level of precision and consistency that can't be matched by pressing plants or operations running multiple lathes simultaneously.

Our cutting lathe is the heart of our operation and before any cutting can start, our lathe is calibrated and maintained on a regular basis to ensure consistent and accurate cuts. Posts incoming with details about specific calibrations such as rake angles, head weights and what we look for under the microscope.

Source Audio Analysis/mastering for vinyl: First of all we analyse any incoming audio files for any potential issues like clipping, excessive sibilance, or phase problems that could impact the cut. This proactive step helps ensure the best possible starting material.

A/B Checks: We conduct thorough A/B comparisons between your original audio and a vinyl rip of our test cut to guarantee faithfulness to your sound.

Microscope Checks: Throughout tests and cutting, we use microscope checks to ensure groove consistency and pinpoint precision.

Live Monitoring: Each record is monitored live as it's being cut. If you order 25 copies, we listen to your tracks 25 times and then some with mastering and test cuts. This level of direct oversight is impossible for larger operations running multiple lathes or pressing thousands of records at once. We catch tiny nuances others miss.

Physical Inspection: Beyond the groove, we visually and tactilely inspect each finished record and sleeve for any physical imperfections.

Packaging Quality Check: Before dispatch, we carry out a final check to ensure all records are securely and correctly packaged, preventing any damage during transit.

Physical Test Cuts: You can request a physical test cut before committing to a full order. (fees apply)

Digital Test Cuts: For a quicker and more cost-effective option, we can provide a "digital test cut”. (fees apply)

Jan Davis - Watusi Zombie

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 15:51:30 GMT

>>Loose Picks<< Jan Davis - Watusi Zombie

This 7” is one of my favourites and one of the first of this genre I deliberately set out to find. It’s a surfy instrumental with a heavy dose of exotica and a ghoulish novelty twist. It was released in 1964 on Holiday records and was produced by Jan Davis himself alongside Jimmy king. Information on this record, like many others of its ilk is pretty hard to find. Seems to be pressed by Alco Research And Engineering, Co. But doesn’t say that anywhere on my promotional copy. The B-side is Pooky, less of a ripper but a bop none the less!

This track and others like it can be found on Jungle exotica Vol 1.

Preparing your artwork - A guide

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 14:55:59 GMT

Preparing your artwork for record sleeves - A guide

Just as we have parameters for your audio, we have parameters for your artwork too. (Sorry)

To avoid any blurry or pixelated images and to achieve the same colours as you had in your head (and on your screen) these need to be followed.

As standard, our sleeves are printed on heavy Matte archival cardstock. This means your sleeves will be crisp, true and last as long as your records.

If you want something different, please don’t hesitate to ask. We can accommodate most things!

File Format - We prefer PDF or PNG files for artwork submissions. These formats help maintain quality and accuracy during the printing process.

Colour Mode - Please set your artwork to CMYK colour mode. This is the standard for print, and using CMYK from the start ensures that the colours you see on screen will be as close as possible to the final printed product. (RGB is for screens and can look very different when printed!)

Resolution - Your files should be a minimum of 300 dpi (dots per inch). This high resolution is essential for crisp, clear images and text, preventing pixelation or blurriness on the final print.

Bleed & Safe Zones

- Do not mark centre holes on your artwork.

- Do not leave any template lines on your final submission.

- Keep all important text and logos at least 3mm away from the edge of your design.

Double check spelling

Because all of our sleeves are handmade and laid out on templates ourselves, we’ll notice tiny details and potential issues that might be missed by larger, automated production lines. This hands-on quality control ensures a superior finish for your records.

As always, get in touch if you're unsure.

loosehairlathecuts@gmail.com

Preparing your audio for lathe cuts - A guide

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 11:05:52 GMT

Preparing your audio for lathe cuts - A guide

Introduction

First of all, nice one for finishing your project. The hard part is done.

Second of all, you’re not on your own if you’re unsure about all of this. Our most common questions are about how to prepare audio for cutting.

If all of the information below seems daunting, don’t worry. Send us what you have and we can go from there.

So, now all the recording is over and you’re prepping your final mixes for mastering, here are some things to bear in mind.

Vinyl is a physical format, and it reacts differently to certain frequencies and dynamics compared to digital audio. Keeping these points in mind will help avoid distortion and ensure a full, true and clear sound.

We can help with a lot of things, but some issues are "baked" into the mix. For instance, if your masters are clipping (hitting the red), even if we turn them down, that clipping will still be there. The same goes if your tracks are too compressed or limited.

It’s totally normal to have separate masters for digital and physical releases.

These parameters will help us create the best sounding record we can together.

Ultimately it’s all up to you and how you want your music to sound but we will have to slightly re-master any audio submitted that doesn’t meet these specifications in order to cut it.

We’ll always endeavor to do the best job for your music and keep it true to the original sound.

Parameters

All bass instruments and bass drums need to be mixed dead center.

Avoid any significant boosting in the high end .

Sibilance on the vocals can also cause distortion, this can be tamed using a de-esser .

A dynamic compressor can help tame any overbearing frequencies.

We cut stereo but please refrain from using any stereo enhancers on your vinyl master. It will result in distortion.

Go easy on limiting and compression on the master mix if you use it.

Aim for peaks of a maximum -3dBfs at -14LUFS

Dynamics and a little headroom go a long way.

Ideally we'd like Uncompressed audio at 96khz/24bit. If not, be sure to use the highest quality you have without any sample rate converting.

Any questions, send us an email!

loosehairlathecuts@gmail.com