Record and Recording Equipment

Maker and role
EMI Records Ltd., Manufacturer
See full details

Object detail

Accession number
2006.129
Description
Vinyl recording equipment and information. The material is attributed to EMI Recordings Limited, New Zealand.
Included is a pressing shell ; forming the shell in a mechanical press to obtain "groove guard", i.e. the label area and outer rim were made higher than the tracked portion of the recording.
The master negative - splitting, i.e. parting the nickel from the acetate; the shell becoming the negative "master".
The mother positive - this is a positive shell which can be played. And the record.
Manufacturing sequence for vinyl recordings (7" 45 rpm and 12" 33.3 rpm)
- Original recording: On a studio tape recorder having up to 32 or more tracks.
- Mixing down: Reducing the number of tracks to two (Stereo).
- Cutting: Transferring the sound from tape to an acetate disc using a special lathe (in this instance a German made Neumann) normally fitted with a heated cutting stylus to ensure a smooth cut.
- Plating: Nickel plate onto the acetate using a special rotary plating method.
- Splitting: Parting the nickel from the acetate; the shell becoming the negative "master".
- Plating: In nickel onto the "master".
- Splitting: To obtain a positive shell which is termed a "mother" which can be played.
- Plating: Onto the "mother" to obtain negative pressing shells.
- Forming: The shell in a mechanical press to obtain "groove guard", i.e. the label area and outer rim were made higher than the tracked portion of the recording.
- Centring: Using an optical centring machine and punching out the shell centre to fit the die plate.
- Pressing: Using a pair of shells for each production run.
Note: 1. For very short production runs, the "master" could be used as a pressing shell.
2. Long or repeat runs necessitated using the "mother" for additional and/or replacement shells.
Marks
Master (neg) Hand-written
Mother (pos) can be played Hand-written
Credit Line
EMI Records Ltd.. Record and Recording Equipment, 2006.129. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).

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