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Good morning, everyone! …..

Did you guys listen to the new Beatles track Now and Then? It is supposed to get a vinyl release soon. I personally didn’t love the track, but I’m sure this will be a great opportunity for what’s left of The Beatles to release a few new presses of their records. If we’re lucky they will be better than a cheap 60g print.

-Simon Honeyville

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Could 3D printing tech usher in a new era of vinyl production?

The re-invigoration of the vinyl market over the past several years is not just a re-discovery of a media, but a technologic pursuit. Sure, computer-interfaced turntables and laser cartridges are cool, but the technologic pursuit extends to the media itself. And like all technology, market forces push and pull more than any individual interest.

The fact of the matter is, the market demand for vinyl pressings has been putting a strain on the actual manufacturing capabilities available^[1]. So while pressing plants are stretched to their limits, alternative production methods are being seriously considered.

Some companies have been offering lathe-cut records for short runs to fill in demands for independent labels and hobbyists. And while lathe-cut records may fill a niche, the technology doesn’t seem to be on track towards any fundamental improvements – the services that offered it are great, but they’ll tell you themselves: “[they] are not audiophile stuff.”^[2]

3D printing, on the other hand, is what’s classified as an “emergent” technology; it’s relatively new and has a trending trajectory of consistent improvement that can be seen since its conception. Unfortunately, as it stand now, records that have been 3D printed sound like (relative) dog shit compared to both acetate presses and lathe-cut records.^[3]

However, the cost of 3D printed records is very low after the initial investment^[4]. As this fact comes to light within an economy that’s set to see continued growth of the vinyl market over the next few years, I can image some brilliant audiophiles working to refine this new technology as best they can. As they say, “the market breeds innovation,” but time will tell on what scale that innovation is possible.

180g Meme

Check out our writer for today's article, Andrew Wilson!

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