10 Tips for music bands when decide to press their own custom vinyl records

Vinyl records have officially announced their comeback last 2020 and now, in 2022, its sales are continuously climbing.

But even with all the noise it has made, there still are bands and artists that may just have jumped on the vinyl record bandwagon.

Some may well be having their first ever custom vinyl pressing, and most of them might have limited knowledge about what to do during the whole process. That’s the reason why we decided to put up a short list of tips that music bands can follow when they decide to press their own custom vinyl records.

We made this list with the help of people who are actually knowledgeable of vinyl pressing—UnifiedMFG custom vinyl records in LA.

So roll your sleeves, grab some pen and paper, and read up these 10 Tips when deciding to press their own custom vinyl records.

#1 KNOW THE DIFFERENT VINYL FORMATS

If you must know, there are three standard vinyl record sizes that you can choose from. It all depends on the length of your album as well as your preference. Here’s a table of the three vinyl record sizes and the different options you can further choose from.

	Weights	RPMs	Total Playback Time
7”	Standard Weight: 45g Heavyweight: 70g	45 rpm	9 minutes
33 ⅓	6 minutes
10”	Standard Weight: 110g Heavyweight: 180g	78 rpm	8 minutes
45 rpm	18 minutes
33 ⅓	24 minutes
12”	Standard Weight: 140g Heavyweight: 180g	45 rpm	24 minutes
33 ⅓	36 minutes

I have to inform you that whatever option you choose from columns one and two would affect the money you spend on them. The smaller the size and the lighter the weight the cheaper the price you pay.

So why not just choose the smallest and the lightest, right? That’s because the total playback time is affected by the size you choose. Let’s say you have a 10-tracked full album you want to be pressed on vinyl. Of course, your most practical choice would be to have the 12-inch vinyl record. Additionally heavier records tend to sit better while spinning on a turntable.

#2 BE INFORMED OF HOW VINYL RECORDS ARE PRODUCED

Doing this tip will help you understand why vinyl records are more expensive than CDs or cassettes. It will also help you appreciate the vinyl you have produced.

Lacquer Cutting

In this step, you can either do the mastering of your tracks simultaneously with the lacquer cutting or have it done separately. This is where the mastered tracks are cut onto the surface of the lacquer using a lathe machine.

Electroplating

Electroplating is when the cut lacquer is submerged into a nickel bath for several hours. This is to let the nickel attach to the grooves of the lacquer to create the moulds to be used for pressing.

Pressing and Packaging

This step is where the vinyl puck is sandwiched in between two moulds containing the grooves. After the pressing, the sides are cut to remove the excess vinyl, the centre label is put in its place, and then it is slid inside the inner sleeve and vinyl jacket.

#3 HAVE WELL-MASTERED TRACKS

You need to make sure that your tracks are well-mastered for vinyl. You better not try using your digital master from your CD or digital release, because I can guarantee you that it won’t sound great at all. It would be best to look for a sound engineer that is knowledgeable at it, don’t just choose anyone.

#4 PREPARE YOUR DESIGNS

Before you even start thinking of putting your custom vinyl pressing plan into motion, you have to make sure your designs are ready. Don’t cram with your designs. You should take your time, and make sure that they are unique, original, and beautiful. Since you’ll be having custom vinyl records, I suggest you think of a unique vinyl record design too. You have to save them at the highest possible quality, probably in WAV or AIFF file.

#5 WORK WITH A RELIABLE VINYL PRESSING COMPANY

All your best effort would go to waste if you choose just any company. You have to look for a reliable and competent vinyl pressing company, because they will be the one who does the actual pressing. Though the mastering as well as everything else were done well but the pressing was done poorly, then there’s no hope in saving it, it will surely be a failure.

#6 THOROUGHLY REVIEW THE TEST PRESSINGS

Before your chosen pressing plant will proceed with the mass pressing of your custom vinyl records, they will send you at least three test pressings which you can review. Vinyl record is a format that requires tactility. If there was something wrong with the pressing, lacquer cutting, and mastering, it will be audible in the test pressing.

So you really have to review it carefully. If you hear something that shouldn’t be there, try listening to the same section with the other test pressings to confirm if it’s because of the production.

#7 ALLOT MORE TIME FOR IT

Vinyl record production takes a lot of time. The waiting time usually takes two months or more, especially if there are a lot of copies ordered. Moreover, most vinyl pressing companies will accommodate the more popular artists than the least popular ones. And with the increasing number of artists releasing their music on vinyl records, it adds to the already long wait.

You might be wondering what’s the reason why artists are not choosing CDs over vinyl even if the waiting can be agonising. Another reason is that most people, even some audiophiles, claim that the format is far superior to CDs in many aspects. There has actually been a debate on which is better: vinyl record or CD.

#8 ESTIMATE THE NUMBER OF COPIES TO BE PRESSED

I can’t really tell you to go big when it comes to the number of vinyl records you’ll have pressed for your release. The format is already expensive to produce. How much more expensive would it be for your fans, right? Additionally, you can’t just have a short run vinyl pressing when you have a bigger fanbase, because you might run out of copies to sell.

The best thing to do is have an estimated number of people who’ll be buying your records because you can order according to it. You have to estimate how many people are sure buyers and how many are willing but are not yet sure. Let’s say you have an estimate of 500 fans who will buy, then you can add another hundred copies, or may just have that. But if you really can’t estimate it, it would be best to have a short run vinyl pressing 100 units. That’s the safest number.

#9 ADD INCLUSIONS TO YOUR VINYL ALBUM

Inclusions are a very great attraction for fans. They’re a great incentive for fans who bought your vinyl record. Additionally, there are fans, mostly those who are undecided, just waiting for other fans to see if the vinyl album is worth buying. With inclusions, like lyric books, photocard, posters, stickers, photobook, and more, fans will surely be encouraged to buy.

#10 BUNDLE IT WITH YOUR OTHER MERCHANDISE

Last is to have your vinyl record put in a bundle with your other merchandise. You can choose to have it bundled with a CD and a shirt, or just a CD or a shirt. This is another way to persuade fans because bundles mean they can save some money buying it than buying the merch items individually.

If you’re planning on having your very own vinyl records pressed, then you should follow these tips. I assure you that you’ll have a successful release if you do.

Good luck with your vinyl pressing journey, and keep rocking.