Category: Videos

Posted on

Mastercraft: Plating records for 30 years!

In February 2013, Leandro Gonzalez of Stereodisk drove me to Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA to meet Desmond of Mastercraft Metal Finishing.

As many who hang out at Lathe Trolls know, Mastercraft has an eosteric specialty: They make the metal stampers which are used to press vinyl audiodiscs.

After an acetate-based master record is cut on a record lathe lathe, it is sent here, and then the magic begins. (After Mastercraft creates these stampers, they are sent to any number of pressing plants around the world, and vinyl records are produced. But that’s the next step…Mastercraft doesn’t press records.)

As of 2014, they’ve been in business for 30 years, and I do believe Desmond’s run at Capitol Records preceded that for a significant duration. I’d love to follow this video up with a proper interview of Desmond’s career and get that story straight.

Desmond, Walter and Izzy took time out from their day to show us how the process works. Enjoy!

(Our man Serif will be pleased that Desmond confirms in the video that the proper name for this process is electroforming, not electroplating. Touche.)

http://www.MastercraftRecordPlating.com/
Mastercraft Metal Finishing
801 Magnolia Ave.
Elizabeth NJ, 07201
Phone: (908) 354-4404
Fax: (908) 354-4405

Posted on

Amy X Neuburg & Steve Espinola: Live Layering/Cutting of 78s

Amy X Neuburg is an avant-cabaret composer-singer who incorporates looping and layering into most of her work. Steve Espinola is a singer-songwriter who is obsessed with old music and old things. Together, they asked: Were any of our current “electronic” performance tendencies possible 70+ years ago, prior to the modern technologies that inspire and facilitate their use?

This is probably the most insane stunt that I (Steve) have ever been involved with as a record cutter. If you stick with the video, your patience will be rewarded: The end is rather extraordinary, if I do say so.

Live layering using 1930s-40s recording and playback technology: 78 rpm record cutting and hand-cranked Victrolas (actually, one Victrola, one HMV). Composed for a December 13, 2008, performance at Roulette, NYC.

The recording device was a 1946 Wilcox Gay Recordio 6B30 home record cutter. No vacuuming was used, and that’s why I’m not giving my full attention to the singing: Swarf tangles had messed up several of the rehearsals.Chat forum discussion of this, if any develops, will be in this thread: https://www.lathetrolls.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5025

http://www.paleophone.net