5 tips to make your soundtrack ready for vinyl
Vinyl has had a major recurrence over the last decade or so. Over the past 3-5 years the soundtracks have really become one of the more popular niches in the vinyl community. Any album can be made on vinyl. But the quality of the recording & master used is really what determines the quality of the pressing in my experience.
Keep an eye on the overall duration
It is suggested to have 18-22 minutes per side at 33rpm on 12″ records. Depending on the genre being pressed, you can fit either more or less without having any issues. However for most genres if you push the limits then the sound will start to degrade as the needle gets closer to the middle.
Tracks ordering matters
As mentioned above, the sound quality slightly degrades depending on how close you get to the center of the disc so if you want specific tracks to stand out then I would suggest having them on the first couple tracks of the side.
Ad hoc mastering
I am not a sound engineer myself to know the technical specifics on this but I can tell you from experience that using a specific master can help get overall better sound on a vinyl Lp.
Give priority to the art
Yes, I feel a huge part of the current vinyl market is the artwork & presenation of the product. People can hear anything digital at a moments notice now a days for free. So if you are going to spend money on something you could stream instead then it should be top quality.
Plan ahead
Turn around time for vinyl is increasingly long. This is due to high demand over the past few years and only a limited amount of plants left in the world. Not to mention the possibility of unforeseen factors during production. Therefore I would suggest to always leave at least 3-4 months safety time for when you need it in hand.
Enjoy the ride!
Not much else to say here…thanks for your on going support of Enjoy The Ride Records. Be sure to check out our website for all your nostalgic vinyl needs & Enjoy The Ride!
