A dubplate, or lathe-cut vinyl record, is made one at a time in real time. Each groove is physically cut into a durable PETG disc using a diamond stylus, with mono and stereo formats available.
Export two continuous audio files — one per side — and upload them at checkout. If you only have individual songs, we can sequence or master your tracks before vinyl premastering and cutting.
Place your tracks in order and build two continuous sides. Keep each side under the runtime limit for your selected format.
Stronger, brighter, louder, or more aggressive tracks usually perform better earlier in the side before inner groove distortion increases.
Export Side A.wav and Side B.wav as WAV or AIFF files.
44.1 kHz or 48 kHz is preferred. 24-bit is preferred. 16-bit is accepted. Leave a clean fade-out at the end of each side.
No MP3. Do not upsample or convert compressed files to higher sample rates or bit depth.
Upload both audio files at checkout and name them clearly:
Artist_SideA.wav
Artist_SideB.wav
If your files exceed the upload limit, send them via WeTransfer to info@lathecutvinylrecords.com and include your order number.
Leave approximately 2 seconds of silence between songs. This gives us enough visual separation to identify track changes while preparing your Side A and Side B files in QLab.
The silence is only a production guide. We cannot guarantee the exact position or length of track gaps unless you provide a PQ Sheet. Without a PQ Sheet, we are not responsible for gap placement based only on silence heard or detected inside the submitted audio.
Use WeTransfer when your files are too large for checkout, or when you are sending individual songs for Side A and Side B sequencing, Vinyl Mastering, PQ sheets, or large artwork packages.
WeTransfer may send a verification code to the sender email address before the transfer can be delivered.
Check your inbox, spam, promotions, or junk folder, then return to WeTransfer and enter the code. Your files are not sent until verification is completed and the transfer is confirmed.
Most vinyl projects work with the free version of WeTransfer. Current free limits may change, so review the limit shown by WeTransfer when uploading.
If your project is too large for the free option, use a paid WeTransfer plan or another approved direct-download transfer service.
We prefer WeTransfer, but we can also accept fully downloadable links from services such as Dropbox or another direct file-transfer provider.
The link must allow us to download the files directly without requesting access, creating an account, or signing into another service.
The checkout uploader includes three upload slots.
Vinyl Premastering is included with every record. Once your completed Side A and Side B programs are assembled, we optimize each full side for the lathe-cutting process before cutting.
Side Sequencing is optional and available for $10 per project. If your songs are already mastered but not assembled into Side A and Side B, we can sequence both sides, add approximately 2 seconds between songs, and prepare the completed side files for our included vinyl premastering process.
Vinyl Mastering is optional and available for $5 per song. If your individual songs need mastering for vinyl before sequencing, we can master each track first, then assemble the mastered songs into Side A and Side B. After sequencing, the completed sides receive our included vinyl premastering process before cutting.
A completed PQ Sheet is required with Vinyl Mastering. Your PQ Sheet must list the intended song order and the exact start time for every track on Side A and Side B. We use those timings to verify the sequencing, spacing, and track-gap positions before the final side programs are prepared for cutting.
The workflow is simple: completed Side A + Side B → included vinyl premastering → lathe cutting. If you only have individual songs, choose side sequencing or vinyl mastering before premastering.
Better source material produces louder, cleaner, and more stable lathe-cut records. Reviewing these recommendations before submission will help improve groove stability, playback tracking, and overall vinyl translation.
WAV or AIFF files are preferred. 24-bit is ideal, 16-bit is accepted. Please do not submit MP3 files.
Dynamic mixes generally translate better to vinyl than heavily brickwall-limited masters.
For stereo cuts, bass below approximately 150 Hz should generally remain mono-compatible.
Excessive stereo width can create groove instability. Always check stereo mixes in mono before submission.
Harsh high frequencies and excessive sibilance are among the most difficult things to reproduce cleanly on vinyl.
Crest factor is the difference between peak level and RMS. Higher crest factor generally preserves more transients, punch, and dynamic range.
Longer sides reduce available cutting level and require tighter groove spacing. Bass-heavy music makes this even more important.
Louder and brighter material generally performs best earlier in the side before inner groove distortion increases.
Please submit Side A and Side B as separate WAV or AIFF files with matching sample rates.
Unlike streaming platforms, we do not cut records to a specific LUFS target. LUFS is a psychoacoustic measurement designed to estimate how loud audio is perceived by humans, while RMS is an electrical measurement of average signal energy. A record cutting lathe responds to the electrical signal driving the cutter head, not perceived loudness.
We evaluate every project using RMS, crest factor, true peak, frequency content, stereo information, dynamics, and the overall electrical signal presented to the cutter head. LUFS can be a useful production reference, but it is only one measurement and does not determine whether a master is suitable for vinyl.
Although we do not cut records to a specific LUFS target, modern masters delivered around -14 LUFS generally provide a much better starting point for vinyl than masters pushed to -10 LUFS, -8 LUFS, or -6 LUFS. Less aggressively limited masters typically retain more crest factor, transient detail, and groove headroom, allowing the music to translate more naturally to the record format.
Masters with healthy dynamics often have significantly lower RMS values than their LUFS readings may suggest. Conversely, masters with aggressive peak limiting or clipping may have RMS and LUFS values that are very close together. For example, a master measuring approximately -6 LUFS and -6 dB RMS has typically been heavily peak limited or clipped, leaving little to no crest factor. These types of masters can reduce groove headroom, increase distortion, stress the cutter head, increase stylus temperature, and may require additional mastering adjustments before they can be safely transferred to vinyl.
Crest factor is the relationship between the loudest peak and the average RMS level. For example, if a file peaks at -1 dBFS and has an RMS level of -11 dBFS, the crest factor is 10 dB. This relationship tells us how much transient space and dynamic movement remain in the music.
Included Vinyl Premastering: Every lathe-cut record includes vinyl premastering at no additional charge. Once your completed Side A and Side B programs have been assembled, we optimize each full side for the lathe-cutting process by adjusting overall level, groove spacing, fades, filtering, stereo bass management, de-essing, and other technical parameters required for reliable cutting and playback.
Vinyl premastering is applied to the entire side as one continuous program, not to each song separately. The loudest, brightest, most distorted, or bass-heaviest song on a side often determines the maximum safe cutting level for the entire side. This is why one extremely loud or difficult track can affect the final level and playback behavior of the other songs on the same side.
Optional Vinyl Mastering Service: If your songs have not yet been mastered or sequenced for vinyl, we offer vinyl mastering at $5per song. This service includes mastering the individual songs from your stereo mixes, sequencing them into Side A and Side B, adding approximately 2 seconds of space between songs, and preparing the full program for cutting. After the songs are mastered and assembled into sides, the completed sides then receive our included vinyl premastering process before cutting.
If you prefer to prepare your own project, please upload one completed Side A file and one completed Side B file with approximately 2 seconds of silence between each song. If you upload individual songs instead of completed side files, sequencing and song-by-song preparation are handled through our optional vinyl mastering service.
Every mix is different. Some songs contain more sub-bass, others have stronger vocal sibilance, wider stereo information, more digital clipping, or more aggressive limiting. These characteristics determine how a record should be prepared more than genre alone.
If you're producing a longer album with multiple songs per side, the relationship between bass energy, crest factor, groove spacing, and playing time becomes increasingly important. In many cases, turning off a limiter and returning to the original mix produces a better vinyl record than trying to repair an over-limited master.
Stereo files are cut in stereo. Mono files are cut in mono. Do not upsample or convert MP3 files to higher sample rates or bit depth. Export audio at the project’s original resolution whenever possible.
Harsh Noise Music & Unsafe Audio Content: Audio containing harsh noise, continuous full-spectrum noise, excessive distortion, sustained high-frequency energy, feedback, brickwall limiting, little to no crest factor, clipping, or other extreme sonic characteristics may be considered unsafe for the lathe-cutting process.
If submitted audio is determined to pose a risk to the cutter head, stylus, or cutting system, we reserve the right to reduce the level, apply filtering or other mastering adjustments, shorten the program, or decline the project. Our primary responsibility is to protect our cutting equipment while producing the highest-quality record possible.
System calibrated to DIN 45 541 reference standards. Vinyl premastering, vinyl mastering, and cutting optimization are handled in-house.
Send the highest-resolution artwork you have. We review files before production and help ensure artwork translates correctly to your selected format.
Upload your files during checkout using the Hot Pink uploader. The uploader supports 3 files total.
The ZIP file may contain 2 center label artwork files and 2 record jacket artwork files, such as jacket front and jacket back.
If files exceed upload limits, send them through WeTransfer to info@lathecutvinylrecords.com and include your order number.
Our standard center label format is 3.5 inches.
Submit artwork with a transparent background as a full 3.5-inch circle. Do not add the spindle hole to the design.
Jacket artwork should generally be submitted as a 12×12-inch image at 300 DPI.
For Make a Vinyl Record orders, you may include both jacket files inside your artwork ZIP: front jacket artwork and back jacket artwork.
PNG and PDF formats are preferred. Bleed lines and trim marks are not required for most projects.
We stock both black and white jackets and select the option that best complements your artwork.
If artwork is not submitted using our template or recommended sizing, we will automatically format it to fit our standard production sizes.
Center label artwork may be resized, cropped, stretched, or adjusted to fit our 3.5-inch center label format. Jacket artwork may also be resized or adjusted to fit the selected jacket format.
Picture disc artwork and CNC engraving are prepared differently than standard printed products.
Clear records generally produce the strongest engraving visibility and light-through effects.
Exact sizing and fabrication details are listed within each product page and artwork add-on section.
You do not need perfect print-ready files.
If you are unsure whether artwork is usable, send it anyway — we are happy to review files before production.
All records are cut and assembled in-house. Production begins once audio and order details are confirmed.
All records are cut and assembled in-house. Production begins once audio and order details are confirmed.
Records ship in protective sleeves inside premium vinyl mailers. We currently ship within the United States only.
USPS Media Mail — $10 per 10 records.
Orders ship via USPS Media Mail, a cost-effective service for records and printed media.
Delivery typically takes 3–8 business days depending on location.
Once a package is accepted by USPS, delivery becomes the responsibility of the carrier.
We are not responsible for postal delays, lost packages, or items marked as delivered.
Packages that are unclaimed, refused, or returned to sender may be re-shipped once the customer pays the required postage.
Because each record is custom made to order, we do not accept returns.
If your order arrives damaged or shows a verified production defect, contact info@lathecutvinylrecords.com within 7 days with photo documentation so we can review the issue.
Shipping time begins after production is complete. Larger orders may sometimes ship in multiple mailers and may include multiple tracking numbers. Some specialty products or custom orders may offer optional upgrades to USPS Priority Mail or USPS Priority Mail Express.
Upload three files at checkout. We turn your audio and artwork into a real playable lathe-cut vinyl record with printed jacket, center labels, and a finished presentation.
