mclz Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 i think i have a record or 2 that actually does have a piece of hair embedded into the record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest genericinsight Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 some splatters from a german pressing plant, mid 80ies I have a Depeche Mode 12" single that has a very similar looking splatter design. I wonder if it was made at the same plant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I have yet to hear a great sounding record from GZ regardless of how cool their records look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinyljunkie Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I think they got so popular because of their pricing being in the Czech Republic. That still amazes me that you can throw in a middle man like Pirates Press, get an exotic color design and add in the international shipping and it still ends up cheaper than some places in the US. its because GZ/pirates press do their pressings for looks, not for sound quality. the final result really is not very good, both with records, and the jackets, etc. so they can cut a lot of corners and save money. but since most people only buy for looks and "collecting" it really doesnt matter, since a lot of what they pressed wont be listened to anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest genericinsight Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 That still amazes me that you can throw in a middle man like Pirates Press, get an exotic color design and add in the international shipping and it still ends up cheaper than some places in the US. its because GZ/pirates press do their pressings for looks, not for sound quality. the final result really is not very good, both with records, and the jackets, etc. so they can cut a lot of corners and save money. but since most people only buy for looks and "collecting" it really doesnt matter, since a lot of what they pressed wont be listened to anyway. That's a very broad generalization. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Their records sound like their mastered too loud. I'm not sure if it's their DMM process or what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jailhouse Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 That still amazes me that you can throw in a middle man like Pirates Press, get an exotic color design and add in the international shipping and it still ends up cheaper than some places in the US. its because GZ/pirates press do their pressings for looks, not for sound quality. the final result really is not very good, both with records, and the jackets, etc. so they can cut a lot of corners and save money. but since most people only buy for looks and "collecting" it really doesnt matter, since a lot of what they pressed wont be listened to anyway. That is extremely incorrect! they have the best sounding, thickest records out there, with the exception of maybe RTI, they are also one of the only places to use DMM mastering. There jackets are awesome too, of course people have a choice of stocks and colors etc, the jackets are pretty much what you make em. that post could not be more wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jailhouse Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Their records sound like their mastered too loud. I'm not sure if it's their DMM process or what. Yeah it's the DMM, I think it sounds great on most stuff, but the original master that you send em whether it's tape or cdr etc, has to be premastered correctly for the process to really come out well. A lot of people just send in a cd, without preparing it and spending time with premastering, and making sure the levels are good etc, Also, different opinions I guess on what a record should sound like? The DMM also allows to be able to fit about 50% more per 12" if you choose, without a major loss of SQ. j So yeah the DMM deffinitely cuts a lot louder!, usually a good thing, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enjoyadrian Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 can someone explain what exactly DMM is? I know it means direct metal mastering, but other than that, i am clueless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarondanger Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Wow this entire thread rules. My 2 cents. GZ records are good if that's what your going for. You can press records just as good in america. United, musicol, and alpha may not be as user friendly as pirates but they still do great work. If I could I would sit in a room all day and learn about records I would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Their records sound like their mastered too loud. I'm not sure if it's their DMM process or what. Yeah it's the DMM, I think it sounds great on most stuff, but the original master that you send em whether it's tape or cdr etc, has to be premastered correctly for the process to really come out well. A lot of people just send in a cd, without preparing it and spending time with premastering, and making sure the levels are good etc, Also, different opinions I guess on what a record should sound like? The DMM also allows to be able to fit about 50% more per 12" if you choose, without a major loss of SQ. j So yeah the DMM deffinitely cuts a lot louder!, usually a good thing, Louder isn't better. Just ask people like Bob Weston and Rick Ruben. I don't think it's an opinion of what a good sounding record sounds like. A good record has depth and dynamics. I find that GZ records generally lack both. As a prime example of this, take one of the new Dischord vinyl reissues that were pressed at GZ verses an earlier pressing that was done elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brentoage Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Yeah it's the DMM, I think it sounds great on most stuff, but the original master that you send em whether it's tape or cdr etc, has to be premastered correctly for the process to really come out well. A lot of people just send in a cd, without preparing it and spending time with premastering, and making sure the levels are good etc, Also, different opinions I guess on what a record should sound like? The DMM also allows to be able to fit about 50% more per 12" if you choose, without a major loss of SQ. j So yeah the DMM deffinitely cuts a lot louder!, usually a good thing, Louder isn't better. Just ask people like Bob Weston and Rick Ruben. I don't think it's an opinion of what a good sounding record sounds like. A good record has depth and dynamics. I find that GZ records generally lack both. As a prime example of this, take one of the new Dischord vinyl reissues that were pressed at GZ verses an earlier pressing that was done elsewhere. someone should have reminded Rick Rubin of that before he signed off on the latest Metallica record. : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 someone should have reminded Rick Rubin of that before he signed off on the latest Metallica record. : I haven't heard it, so I'll have to take your word on it. Unfortunately Rick Ruben is an employee of the label and if the label wants it to sound as loud as other modern records, they're going to win out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 some splatters from a german pressing plant, mid 80ies I have a Depeche Mode 12" single that has a very similar looking splatter design. I wonder if it was made at the same plant. Ha, guess what? Those two on the right side with the mute labels actually are Depeche Mode 12"s (Shake the disease and People are people) I have to confess I basicly grew up with DM in the 80ies and still kinda like them. Their last album was really great. Yeah if you have one of those, it´s probably one of those german pressings from the Intercord pressing plant. Between 1983 and 1990, they pressed almost every Depeche Mode record on color wax. A good portion of them were that splatter kind... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest genericinsight Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 ^Whoa, that actually makes sense. The 12" I have is People Are People with the green splatter. Now I get it... I didn't see the label close enough to see it said Depeche Mode on it. and dude, you still kinda like them? Fuck that. DM rules! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apeman Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I used to have a couple of different Depeche Mode 12" singles that where all made with the exact same color scheme as the one in the top right corner. I don't think that the pressing plant had more than a handful of configurations to chose from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 ^Whoa, that actually makes sense. The 12" I have is People Are People with the green splatter. Now I get it... I didn't see the label close enough to see it said Depeche Mode on it. and dude, you still kinda like them? Fuck that. DM rules! ah, you caught me. I still totally dig them. It´s the only indie electro band that matters to me. btw, they are doing another tour next year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Forget Depeche Mode, let's talk more about pressing plants! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgoodcore Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Forget Depeche Mode, let's talk more about pressing plants! You can only go so far, there's not too many places that actually do the pressing. Most of the places people hear about are middle-men. I think the list, from what I can tell is as follows: ======= + Erika + Rainbo + United + GZ + Bill Smith I could swear there's more though. At least one or two more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihprstl Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 Forget Depeche Mode, let's talk more about pressing plants! I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Forget Depeche Mode, let's talk more about pressing plants! I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not!!! I'm not. If it were talk of the Cure, I'd be ok with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Forget Depeche Mode, let's talk more about pressing plants! You can only go so far, there's not too many places that actually do the pressing. Most of the places people hear about are middle-men. I think the list, from what I can tell is as follows: ======= + Erika + Rainbo + United + GZ + Bill Smith I could swear there's more though. At least one or two more. Which sound the best? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihprstl Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 I got a pretty good explanation from PP. Some of this has been described before but here is a little more detail. Well, 1st imagine tiny little pellets of colored vinyl... There are processes before this, but Im not gonna teach the whole thing now. hahaha So, these little pellets are poured into a machine, melted and spit out as a puck, a little bigger than a hockey puck. While it is still warm, they are soft and sticky. Let's say we are making green with red splatter. You'd take this red disk and dip it into the green bucket of splatter. Or add them by hand. You can ask for lots of splatter, usually they will try and do more than usual. Then put the disc with the bits in the stamping machine and stamp out your record. Inside Out, I think you are calling what we call A-side/B-side. When we do that, we used to make two pucks one of each color, we're still using green and red here... there would be a 2+ people at the machines, they would cut each puck in half like a hamburger bun. Then swap, stick em together, put them in the machine and stamp out the record. Now we have machines that just make smaller pucks, so they can just stick those together with no cutting. The two colors melt together and sometimes melt through and whatever. Cool stuff. Haze... make some red records, don't clean the machine. Then make some green records in the same machine. The red residue from before will get picked up into the green and create that hazey effect. It is a very dirty process and we can't do more than 300 at any given time. DMM - Invented around the time of CD's. It's obvious which technology was bought into and took over. Not many plants invested in DMM because of the timing. Anyway, DMM - we play the tracks you supply through a machine that translates and etches into a metal plate, just like a lacquer, but lacquer is soft. Then sealed in metal. DMM cuts directly into the metal, much more clean and efficient process. DMM goes straight from that etched metal plate to stampers. Then stampers make your records. Lacquering takes a few more steps to achieve the same final product. We can totally work with lacquers if you choose, but it will be a little more expensive. We charge almost the same amount to do DMM as an outside lacquer, but you also need to pay for the lacquer and sending it to us or the plant direct. They are in the CZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randysxe Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Forget Depeche Mode, let's talk more about pressing plants! You can only go so far, there's not too many places that actually do the pressing. Most of the places people hear about are middle-men. I think the list, from what I can tell is as follows: ======= + Erika + Rainbo + United + GZ + Bill Smith I could swear there's more though. At least one or two more. i know there is also musicol, and i beleieve alpha...i am sure there are a few more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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