News

Stop the Presses! New Presses Coming!

Michael Fremer  |  Feb 9, 2016

The Toronto, Canada based newspaper The Globe and Mail published a story last Thursday February, 4th about a Canadian company that has invented and is building brand new record presses.

The analogplanet.com inbox was inundated with emails about the story, which you definitely should read, so I contacted the company, Viryl Technologies through its website to find out if an in person tour was possible and it is, so next month I'll be traveling to Canada to check out the company and the new record press the company has invented and is marketing.

COMMENTS
PAUL VAN BERGEN's picture
Submitted by PAUL VAN BERGEN on Wed, 2016-02-10 01:12

HELLO, LOOK ALSO AT http://www.newbilt.com/ FOR NEW "VINYL RECORD MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT".

gbougard's picture
Submitted by gbougard on Wed, 2016-02-10 01:39

Good news
$160,000 for a pressing machine is very expensive though.
Used semi automatic Finebilts go for 20K nowadays. Add shipping from exotic places, refurbishing, etc... it adds up to 40K, then add the extruder (I assume the funnel-like contraption is the mouth of the extruder) for another 10K, we come up to 50K or so. Still far less
Now factor in the lesser productivity of semi automatic Finebilts, the scarcity of parts, you still better off with a used proven technology than this.
I therefore don't get the point from a financial perspective. UNLESS they can crank out records real fast and perfect.
Intriguing and great anyway

JoeESP9's picture
Submitted by JoeESP9 on Wed, 2016-02-10 11:36

I don't get it. What possible objection could you have to the manufacturing of new vinyl presses regardless of cost.

gbougard's picture
Submitted by gbougard on Wed, 2016-02-10 11:39

The cost aspect of things is important. I do hope they will find enough customers and make this a long term business.

They will compete with second hand machines that are much cheaper, that was my concern.

Rudy's picture
Submitted by Rudy on Thu, 2016-02-11 07:58

The article points out that they are technology "nerds" and the press will use new technology to monitor conditions that presses were not capable of monitoring decades ago. So the goal is a better machine that is safer to operate, with the capability to press a higher quality disc in the end. I don't think it could produce records faster, since it is a finite process. (Can't make 'em hotter...just ask Mikey about our little "Whipped Cream" discussion over the past several weeks... *sigh* )

Manolo's picture
Submitted by Manolo on Sat, 2016-02-20 14:24

If the Canadian firm can sell these to record plants, these can usually negotiate a lower price if they buy in quantities and if the company wants to seed new and protective clients. The $160K price tag is MSRP not written in stone. And in any case, just like withe everything else, as soon as the Canadians start selling presses, other firms will want to join the bandwagon - most likely either Chinese, for low cost, German or Japanese, for quality. Then you will see prices come down.
My only request is that these new presses have a correction system for avoiding off center pressed records. This defect is very much prevalent on 180gram albums pressed int he USA. Notably The Beatles White Album (Stereo) and remarkably, Aimee Mann's "Lost In Space" MFSL pressings after #500. The latter sells on eBay for over $200- a copy and this type of defect is unacceptable.

mraudioguru's picture
Submitted by mraudioguru on Wed, 2016-02-10 09:27

Hope they work well. The article was interesting.

my new username's picture
Submitted by my new username on Wed, 2016-02-10 13:32

This is great news. Too bad gbougard didn't read the news story, as every objection he raIsed was answered there.

Cobion's picture
Submitted by Cobion on Wed, 2016-02-10 15:26

Canadians have been world leaders in audio and telecommunications ever since Alexander Graham Bell developed the Melodeon to transmit sound electronically over a distance in Canada. industrial innovation is still alive in the great white north! Now we are poised to dominate the massive Vinyl market with our invasive technology created to poison the minds of young kids with nasty "rock n Roll" records!
Don't worry my Brothers and Sisters down south, when trump is crowned emperor of the new age empire, you can all come here and help us build these new Vinyl pressing thingys.
Cheers

Bob Levin's picture
Submitted by Bob Levin on Wed, 2016-02-10 17:05

Canadian pressings from the mid '70's through to the vinyl hiatus were often better than their U.S. counterparts.
My 35 year old copy of The Beatles "Twist And Shout" L.P. fares surprisingly well, when compared to the Mono box P.P.M.

Muso's picture
Submitted by Muso on Thu, 2016-02-11 18:16

...a friend of mine is from Canada and has a lot of old Canadian pressings - I haven't done any kind of scientific study, but they sound consistently excellent compared with US pressings.

Our unscientific theory is that the US plants had to crank out more, faster. Regardless, the vinyl from "up there" is very good!

cement_head's picture
Submitted by cement_head on Mon, 2016-02-15 13:33

Generally, the Canadian pressing were good because they pressed less from each stamper set, so they sounded better. You weren't getting the 10,000,000 pressing of LZ II.

BillK's picture
Submitted by BillK on Sun, 2016-02-14 22:40

I learned to beware of Canadian pressings as they were consistently on thinner vinyl and sounded worse than their US counterparts.

For example, in the mid-1980s it was common to find the Canadian versions of many albums in the cut-out bin while their domestic versions were still full price elsewhere in the store.

I found the Canadian pressings of records on Epic and American Grampahone to sound noiser and less dynamic than the US pressings of the same - notably both Dan Fogelberg's "Home Free" and Mannheim Steamroller's "Fresh Aire II."

Bob Levin's picture
Submitted by Bob Levin on Mon, 2016-02-15 11:22

Those weren't turned out with the greatest of care. An exception to that I found yesterday was a floppy pressing of Dave Mason's "Mariposa De Oro" (The Nice Price/ A Ioli Prix. In other words a knock-off copy) that I was ripping to hi-res files sounded fantastic.
The Canuck copies of Heart's eponymous debut on Mushroom records is still an audiophile classic. Great vinyl. Superb mastering.
I think only QRP could better it!

cement_head's picture
Submitted by cement_head on Mon, 2016-02-15 13:34

You are correct. In the mid-1980s during the demise of vinyl, Canadian pressings started to suck.

DaveB's picture
Submitted by DaveB on Thu, 2016-02-11 12:04

So who invented our crappy dollar?

Cobion's picture
Submitted by Cobion on Thu, 2016-02-11 20:32

The collapsing Lonnie? A Neocon plot that failed once the yanks figured that they need to start producing more oil to make more vinyl. Can't use Tarsands Oil for Virgin Vinyl, too much sand in it......

DaveB's picture
Submitted by DaveB on Fri, 2016-02-12 05:32

Lonnie Chisenhall or Lonnie Smith? Or maybe you meant Anderson?Regardless, I smell Libtard....

Cobion's picture
Submitted by Cobion on Fri, 2016-02-12 06:41

Cheers, good vinyl to all!

cement_head's picture
Submitted by cement_head on Mon, 2016-02-15 13:36

I read this story in the G&M when it came out - super excited that they'll be using NEW technologies to the pressing process. Can't wait for you report from the field visit!

weirdo12's picture
Submitted by weirdo12 on Fri, 2016-02-19 20:39

How about a video series on Toronto record stores while you're up here? I volunteer to chauffeur you around town.

Johnny2Bad's picture
Submitted by Johnny2Bad on Thu, 2016-02-25 21:06

I see comments about buying used versus one of these presses at 2~3x the cost. I'm not sure how many of the commenters have any experience with banks, but they are way more interested in lending an entity $150,000 for new production equipment than lending that same entity $60,000 for used production equipment. Just one of those things.

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