Note: This is a post by Tyler Bisson, known on Lathe Trolls as “tragwag.”
I wanted to write something up about my experience making live lathe cut records in Brooklyn, NY at Human Head Records on Record Store Day 2014. There are a few photos of the event, and at some point there may be video.
It was quite the endeavor, moving my Presto 6N and associated gear out of its cozy studio space. Pictured is me next to the table that both 6N’s call home:
I got everything packed up and working without the help of my usual monitoring chain and meters, though it took about 4 hours. (I usually use an audio interface and Mackie Big Knob to route my signal to the cutting gear). Once at Human Head I got setup as quick as possible, and had people watching as I did so.
The setup was in a good spot, but quite loud as there was a stereo playing, facing right at me.
Folks came in and out throughout the day, either handing me flash drives or emailing files from their smartphones. I charged $10 for a one sided square 7″ and $15 for double sided, up to 7 min per side.
It became apparent that when people asked what the maximum time was, they intended to use 100% of it…
Many people had me fade out their 7+ minute tracks at the 7 min mark.
So the actual cutting of the records took a lot longer than I anticipated, mostly due to the long file length of the majority of records.
I stayed busy the whole day, holding on to flash drives from folks who were to come back later and pick up their records.
In total I did about 25 records, some shorter but mostly double sided, long sides.
The most rewarding part for me was getting to meet people interested in the process, and answer their questions while being able to show them exactly how lathe cut records are made. In this weird niche of the industry, most clients either don’t care to know how lathe cuts are made, or still use words like “press”, “print”, “vinyl” when talking about lathe cuts. So this live gig gave me a rare chance to really get to know the people ordering records from me. The things I always want to say to clients who try interesting musical techniques (I studied music in college), I finally got to say to them while making their records. Most people carried on a nice conversation with me about their bands or music while I made their record.
Personal highlights include:
- a band this guy was in at 7 years old (started when he was 5, currently 20 something)
- a 4 year old singing “you are my sunshine” and “this land is your land”
- a world music ensemble recording, featuring vocals in Cambodian language
- customers helping to organize the signup sheet, or running to get people who’s records I was about to cut
- meeting a person who lives down the street from me
Thus ends my personal ramblings about RSD-2014, it was busy and fun, and most of all helped me feel more connected to the musicians I do work for.I look forward to going back to Human Head in the near future for another live cutting gig – we plan on taking appointments for each record, and specifying a shorter time per side limit for the sake of getting more people in.
Here’s a short write up:
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/37/17/dtg-bb-record-burning-2014-04-25-bk_37_17.html
If more footage or coverage come from the event, I’ll be sure to post!
-Tyler
Audio Geography Studios
http://www.audiogeography.com