It depends what they re being cut on.
Lathe cut vs pressed vinyl.
They sound comparable to pressed records.
The manufacturing process for lathe cut records vs pressed vinyl is faster and more economical.
Lathe cut records have risen in popularity as the best solution for a limited vinyl release.
Upload your music and artwork we cut you a one of kind high quality lathe cut vinyl record and ship it to your door.
I recommend requesting a test cut 10 for lofi of your material before making an order especially if you ve never heard a lathe cut record before.
Pressed vinyl on the other hand is aimed at bulk orders say for example 150 copies of one album.
Short run custom records for bands artists labels etc.
They re stereo extended frequency response and comparatively low noise.
The hifi cuts are near the quality of pressed records.
Or lathe cut records on demand from your online store and give fans on demand vinyl records instead of ordering 300 500 records from a pressing plant.
Lathe cutting is ideal for short run one off records because each piece is individually hand cut tested.
Lathe cutting recordings has been around for a very long time as long as the format itself.
Something cut onto a picnic plate with an old home record cutter with a resharpened gramophone needle is going to sound like poop on a stick from the get go.
From a single vinyl record to a short run there is no minimum order.
Lathe cut records have been around since the beginning of the vinyl format itself.
Lathe cut vs pressed vinyl.
Cheap vinyl pressing prices are often higher than most independent budgets can afford.
An acetate dubplate cut on a professional scully or neumann lathe with a stereo feedback cutterhead will sound better than a pressed record at least for the first couple of dozen times it s played.