Cutting & Stamper Set
The first step in starting the process of pressing vinyl, is cutting. Your music must be cut on Lacquer or DMM. For this we only use renowned and highly experienced cutters that work exclusively with the legendary Neumann cutting machines for the best results.
Lacquer and DMM plates are both made of high-quality aluminum with a layer of cellulose lacquer (Lacquer) or copper (DMM) over it. Lacquer is most used because of the characteristic vinyl sound and is perfect for 12″ singles, most LPs and “louder” music. DMM is often used for “quieter” music, think of ambient, jazz, singer-songwriter etc…, but also many pop albums are cut to DMM.
After cutting, the stampers must be made from the Lacquer or DMM plates, this is done by galvanizing. The plates are placed in an electrolysis bath where they slowly obtain a thin layer of nickel. From these nickel plates the stampers are made and used in the vinyl press. With the vulnerable Lacquer and larger runs, we first make a mother plate from which we can often make a new stamper if it is damaged or broken. With DMM this is not necessary because the cutting plate is made of a harder material and can be used more often if necessary.
