The Secret Society of Lathe Trolls

It’s also very program-dependent. A -6 LUFS drum & bass track is going to behave very differently than a classic rock mix with wide stereo mic techniques that’s been pushed into modern streaming limits. So yes — this is the norm now — but the real question isn’t “can it be restored,” it’s how far yo...

not if we block you first

Secret inside image.
Deep within the Elastic Stage bunker, the system runs uninterrupted.
Laser lathes cut records in synchronized rows.
Observe the laser glow.

Hello — I can help clarify a few things here. I manufacture diamond recording styli and work with CVD diamond stones only, so I spend a lot of time examining these tools under proper magnification. Many of the Chinese styli sold online likely do use real CVD diamonds, but the actual quality of the C...

Cool topic, but the AI voice chosen to narrate this was so bad I had to turn it off within seconds.

I’m not a laser or HD Vinyl expert, so I’m not claiming inside knowledge of anyone’s process. What I do know is how vinyl works when it works. Lasers and optics already have a legitimate place in audio for restoration. In North America, places like the Northeast Document Conservation Center use them...

I’m asking this because I’m trying to figure out whether laser-based groove formation has actually entered our market yet. I’m not claiming this is already the standard — I’m asking whether we’re seeing the first signs of it. In 2026 I’m seeing a huge increase in AI music being sent in to be cut — w...

ElasticStage is extremely visible right now. They post constantly on social media and market themselves as a fast, frictionless solution for on-demand vinyl. When a company is this loud and this confident, it’s fair for people who actually make records to ask basic technical questions. This article ...

The reason no one “wants” to teach someone a Neumann VMS system has very little to do with ego and almost everything to do with risk, scarcity, and economics. First: there are very few of these machines left that actually run every day. A working VMS-70 or VMS-80 is not like a guitar or a console—it...

Check out the Newbie Cutting Guide — it breaks everything down.

Embossing = mono only.

If you want stereo, you need diamond cutting (not embossing).

-Shroom

Yes, you’re right — the bearing plate is definitely a maintenance upgrade. The link shows exactly that. You just have to take it apart, pull the bearing plate out, measure it, and make it.

No, always use a tool. The diamond is sharp and could easily cut open your finger.

When putting a new diamond in a cutting head, never push straight down. Use a gentle back-and-forth, side-to-side motion until the taper naturally stops. After that, you need to break in the diamond before sending audio through the head. The way to do this is by cutting silent records — unmodulated ...

Vinyl is a telephone. That’s the beauty. I don’t spin a record because I’m chasing some 20 kHz Spotify chart-topping sparkle. Even a fancy VMS doesn’t magically post the same high-frequency extension as a streaming master — and that’s fine. :) High-frequency performance comes down to the mechanical ...

Why I’m Ditching My Anti-Static Fan An Evidence-Based Look at Ozone Emission from Ionizers and the Health Risk to Vinyl Cutters 📌 Context: Lathe cutters often use ionizing fans to neutralize electrostatic charge that builds up while cutting plastic records (such as PETG, polycarbonate, or PVC). Thes...

Ask myshank :p

How to Identify the Origin of an Acetate Record Acetate records—also known as lacquer cuts—are unique one-off discs typically used for demos, test pressings, or studio reference cuts. Because they’re often made outside traditional commercial channels, identifying their origin can be challenging. How...

yah thanks for reviving this, this was a good read. very cool stuff I wonder if it is still available and at what cost...

320G Diamond Recording Stylus - Made in the USA

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shout out to Dr.Dub they played a pressed locked groove and a lathe cut locked groove 1 million times here is the link . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhzpN0yXu3s (spoiler alert - lathe cut had way more fidelity then the pressed record at the end.) but what I took away from the test was that no on...