Frequently Asked Questions

Because Sound Matters, is an online record store that represents quality vinyl releases produced at Warner Brothers, Sire, Nonesuch and Reprise Records. We are dedicated to producing and manufacturing the highest quality music product possible. Neil Young said it first and we agree. The major labels should care about quality, because sound matters.

Most mastering engineers will tell you that the difference between a 33rpm record and a 45rpm record sonically, is similar to the difference between the standard compact disc sampling rate of 16/41.1k and the 96k/24b sampling rate of the DVD Audio experience.

A 12” album cut at 45rpm has less play time than an album cut at the more traditional 33rpm- but it also contains more sonic information as the grooves are spaced farther apart than normal. The grooves are also grouped closer to the outside edge of the record itself, which reduces distortion during loud mastering and or playback.

When we master a record, there is an actual physical cutting process, involving a 14 inch lacquer-coated aluminum disc and a precision cutting stylus/ lathe. The lacquer is placed onto a lathe, which translates the audio information onto the etched groove, during playback of the source material.

Half speed mastering involves a capturing process in which the original recording master is played back at exactly half of the recorded speed. A sequenced cutting lathe is then timed at exactly half of the playback speed.

This process allows for a doubling of the cutting stylus time on the lacquer, which contributes to the tone and complexity of the mastering, lending itself to a more dynamic and sonically rich product.

Vinyl pressings come in various weights. The heavier the record, the longer the press cycle, the more expensive that record is to produce. A standard record typically weighs 120 to 140 grams. A heavy record is in the 180 to 200 gram range. If you take these records out of the package and weigh them, they will always weigh at very least, the weight advertised.

A heavier weight record is thicker and therefore allows for deeper grooves and more dynamic mastering. Since the vinyl is heavier- it is typically better for tracking. The 180gram record is usually flatter and quieter than a regular weight record.

Vinyl isn’t easy. Good vinyl is even harder to produce. We make great vinyl.

Great vinyl, involves a high level of dedication to the format and an unwavering partnership between the artist, the mastering studio, the pressing plant, the art director, the printer, right down to the good people who box this product up and ship it out the door. Nothing about the process is easy. In fact, most elements of the process are still done entirely by hand.

A record press is typically a hydraulic press, capable of pressing one record every twenty-five seconds. Internationally, the last record press was built around 1986 in the former soviet republic. The majority of the record presses now in use in the United States were built in the late 1960’s.

It takes about twenty five seconds of press cycle time to make an average sounding 12” record, or worse make an average sounding record from a brilliant recording. To make a great record we need about a minute and a half to two minutes of cycle time, regardless of weight. A 12” record should also cool overnight to avoid warping. That means that the highest quality presses in the United States, Europe and Japan are producing less than a thousand records per press, during an eight-hour workday.

While every catalog reissue we produce is intended to be a historically accurate replication of the original issue, our contemporary releases follow the same standards. There are maybe two print fabricators in the world that can make jackets the old fashion way. While they are printed on modern presses, they are glued and folded by hand.

Compact Discs by comparison are replicated at the rate of one every two seconds. The packaging is generally automated. Downloads are even quicker. There is nothing wrong with technology and convenience, but we don’t have to make every meal in the microwave.