The DRC (Desktop Record Cutter) - a future for vinyl cutting?

[Upacesky]

Hi there,

i just stumbled on this Kickstarter project. It's about a portable vinyl cutter
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1720863573/the-drc-desktop-record-cutter-a-future-for-vinyl-c
What do you guys think about such a thing? Is it just nostalgia and hype? Or an interesting concept for the professionnal (or the rich wannabe)?

 

[joaquins]

Nice one! I think it's interesting, I do like how my vinyls sound, in fact I quitted buying CDs quite some time ago (even before the online explosion) and started to buying vinyls, if you know where to look for them and see in a glance if they were abused or not you can find them really cheap. I've got a pretty nice collection and I've payed 1 or 2 bux for some of them. Others are more expensive, I think the most expensive I got was Pink Floyd, Delicate Sound Of Thunder, about 10 or 15 US dollars, double disk Russian version, which is quite better quality than most seen around here, with national process. I'd really like to see that format came back and be affordable for some small bands to use it. I know one or two small bands who did use it but I also know a lot of bands which would like to use it but prize is everywhere and there is no way of doing so in the country right now.

JS

 

[JohnRoberts]

Sounds a little disconnected from reality.  Back in the '50's when my father (RIP) was an RCA recording engineer he would cut personal lacquers on the lathe at work to keep us kids happy (we liked the music intros from popular TV shows). Mainly because he could, and back in the 50's it was the only way to conveniently playback music (other than wax or a wire recorder). A little later we had an early (RCA)  open reel tape recorder at the house an cutting vinyl for our personal use was passe.

What consumer has a valid justification to master vinyl? If they do there are probably a bunch of old long in the tooth lathes floating around, while they may be catching a second wind with the new vinyl aficionados .

JR

PS: I know too much about the technology to long for the old days....
 

 

[12afael]

it sound cool to be able of cut a vinil at home but I feel that vinil was the only media that was "free" of copy. if  in some years every computers will come with a vinil cuting late it would be the last part of the industry disaster.

 

[s2udio]

As John said ....... whats the point ?

Marketing Fairys at work, again.

 

[thermionic]

This type of project is not without precedent in recent years.

There's a firm in Germany that makes a very similar concept and has sold a few: http://www.vinylrecorder.com/

This chap on kickstarter had better be clever, as even the well-funded Vestax corporation came unstuck with their attempt at the concept. It was in development for years. The last time I saw a demo at a show, it could cut up to 8kHz in mono - high-fidelity indeed: http://www.lathetrolls.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=5091 It also cost exponentially more than one would sell for today.

You're better off with a Scully if you haven't got the corn for a VMS

edit - a similar topic came up 6 years ago: http://groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=28867.0

 

[Upacesky]

Thanks all for chiming in. I got the same feeling when I saw this. What's the point?
I don't really see whom it's targeted to. I mean big mastering facilities have a good old lathe, right?
Is it possible to cut vinyl for ultra small confidential series with this tool? Maybe it's for those rich kids who do a bit of recording?

Still I find the technology fascinating

 

[thermionic]

I think it's for DJs and studios to cut one-offs quickly, so they can pop out to the club to demo material. Clubs that threw out their TTs are now having to buy them back in - hence Pioneer 'releasing' a new TT to fill the void left by Technics.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/27/vinyl-sales-1m-2014-pink-floyd-artic-monkeys-jack-white

*From what I can make out, the Pioneer is made at a factory where they make tens of different DJ turntables, to Pio's spec.