URP’s Step-by-Step Process of Crafting Vinyl Records
Few artifacts in the world of music combine artistry and craftsmanship as beautifully as vinyl records. At United Record Pressing (URP), we take immense pride in preserving the tradition of vinyl while pushing its boundaries through innovation, precision, and sustainability. For more than 75 years, URP has been at the forefront of vinyl manufacturing, whether crafting the first Beatles 7-inch record in the U.S., supporting Negative Approach, Cat Power, and Ween throughout the late 20th century, or helping contemporary artists design visionary album experiences.
While vinyl is a physical medium, the sound on each record often originates as a high-resolution digital recording captured to a hard drive before being meticulously transformed into grooves you can hear. Creating high-quality vinyl records involves a complex series of steps, each requiring a delicate balance of science, artistry, and technology. This blog post explores the process of vinyl record production at URP, from mastering to pressing and packaging, highlighting what makes URP unique in the vinyl industry.
A Brief History of Vinyl Records
As we know them today, Vinyl records evolved from early 20th-century shellac records. Their breakthrough came in 1948 with the introduction of the long-playing (LP) 12-inch vinyl, capable of holding up to 44 minutes of music encoded in grooves that are a physical representation of sound waves. Over the decades, vinyl became a beloved format for its unmatched warmth and richness of sound.
Fast forward to today, and vinyl is enjoying a remarkable resurgence. Artists use the format to create exclusive experiences with custom colors, collectible covers, and bespoke designs. The Recording Industry Association of America reports that vinyl sales generated $1.4 billion in 2023, surpassing CD sales. For us at URP, this resurgence reflects why our mission—preserving the soulful authenticity of music through vinyl—has never been more critical.
How Music Finds Its Way Onto Vinyl
Translating audio into a vinyl record begins long before the first piece of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is loaded into our presses. At its core is the mastering process, where audio engineers sculpt sound for optimal vinyl playback. Unlike heavily compressed digital formats, vinyl operates as an analog medium, delivering the nuanced and expansive range of the original recordings.
Engineers apply the RIAA equalization curve to prepare audio for pressing, amplifying treble and attenuating bass during mastering. These adjustments are reversed when you play the record, ensuring the rich natural balance of the recording.
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Mastering leads directly to cutting the lacquer disc—the first physical representation of your music. Using a cutting lathe equipped with a sapphire or ruby stylus, our engineers etch grooves into the lacquer. This thin layer of lacquer, coated over an aluminum base, is often described as the “DNA” of the record, capturing all the intricate details of the music. Interestingly, URP is one of the few global pressing plants with an on-site lacquer-cutting studio and engineer!
“With our comprehensive and truly unique in-house capabilities, we handle every step of the audio process to ensure your vinyl records are crafted with a meticulous ear for detail,” says Cam Sarrett, our Director of Sales and Marketing. “Your creativity comes to life with rigorous and exacting quality standards, which takes the guesswork and opacity out of the picture.”
Want to know how to prepare your audio or artwork for the best vinyl production results? Visit our resource library on mastering and design for detailed guidelines.
The Audiophile Experience
Hearing vinyl is as much a mechanical marvel as a musical one. When your record player’s needle glides along the grooves, it vibrates in response to their undulations, generating an electric current. This current is amplified and sent to your speakers, recreating the music embedded in the vinyl. It’s a process that’s equal parts craftsmanship and physics—one we treat carefully at every production stage.
Precision in Plating and Electroplating
Once the lacquer is completed, the next step is the plating process, which transforms the lacquer into durable metal molds that enable mass production. At URP, we perform the entire plating process in-house, ensuring every record adheres to our meticulous standards.
Here’s how plating unfolds at URP, step by step:
- Silver Spraying: The lacquer is sprayed with a conductive layer of silver to prepare it for electroplating.
- Father Plate Formation: The silvered lacquer is immersed in a nickel bath, creating an exact negative—the “father plate.”
- Mother Plate Replication: The father plate produces “mothers,” positive metal copies that serve as intermediate forms.
- Stamper Creation: The mother plates yield the “stampers” used to press the grooves into vinyl during manufacturing.
This galvanic process ensures exceptional fidelity down to the tiniest groove. By managing plating in-house, we provide faster turnaround and supreme control over quality and precision.
“Being vertically integrated with processes like lacquer-cutting and electroplating allows us to maintain quality and adapt and innovate as our customers require. We ensure the details that are important to you are prioritized every step of the way,” says Cam Sarrett.
Advanced Technology in Vinyl Manufacturing
URP operates one of the most advanced production facilities in the world, boasting over 60 presses, including a fleet of cutting-edge Pheenix Alpha machines. These presses act like enormous waffle irons, using heat and over 60 tons of pressure to imprint grooves into molten plastic.
The process begins with PVC pellets, available in a rainbow of vibrant colors or classic black. Heated to 230-260 degrees Fahrenheit (depending on the color and specs), the PVC melts into pucks, sometimes called “cakes” or “biscuits,” inserted into the press. Within 20 to 30 seconds, those biscuits become grooved vinyl records. At full capacity across multiple shifts, our facility produces over 100,000 records per day—a testament to the efficiency of our technology and team.
The Cellular Manufacturing Advantage
We take pride in our cellular manufacturing process, a standout feature differentiating URP from other record manufacturers. Cellular manufacturing organizes production instead of traditional linear workflows into compact, highly integrated workstations—or cells- a concept that gained recognition in the modern electronics manufacturing industry.
Each cell is designed to handle a record’s progression from start to finish, encompassing steps like pressing, inspecting, sleeving, shrinkwrapping, and stickering. This method reduces material movement, boosts efficiency, and enhances quality assurance.
“The cellular manufacturing model ensures every record has checks and balances to meet our high standards and allows us to adapt to custom orders quickly and with greatly reduced margin for error. The flexibility is invaluable to label and artist partners,” Sarrett explains.
Sustainability at URP
Sustainability is at the heart of our operations. Learn more about our green initiatives, including the innovative Bio-Vinyl 100% recyclable compound, freshly available as of 2025. As one of North America’s only Sony Certified Green Partners, URP stands among the industry’s most environmentally conscious vinyl manufacturers. Our Bio-Vinyl option—made with eco-friendly PVC crafted from recycled cooking oil and plant residues—is one example of how we reduce waste without sacrificing quality. We also recycle PVC trimmings and continuously refine our production methods to lower our carbon footprint.
Customization is another area where we shine. We offer a variety of sizes, weights, and colors to suit every creative vision. Whether you’re looking for splattered colors, marbling effects, or classic presses, we transform ideas into vibrant realities. Explore our vinyl color options here.
Distribution and Security for High-Profile Projects
When your records are ready, we ensure they arrive where they need to be without delay. Our facility’s location in Nashville, a logistics hub, allows for fast and reliable shipping to artists, labels, and retailers nationwide. For high-profile projects, we implement airtight security protocols to safeguard exclusive releases—further cementing our reputation as a trusted partner for the world’s most celebrated artists (though we’d prefer that you never know it!).
Why Press with URP?
At United Record Pressing, we don’t just create vinyl—we focus on our labels’ and artists’ outcomes, from our creativity and flexibility to sustainable options and rapid turnaround powered by our cellular manufacturing process. Every aspect of our work is fueled by customer-centric passion and precision.
“From start to finish, each record is an artistic vision that is often years in the making, and we make it our mission to never lose sight of that.,” says Cam Sarrett.
Get Started With Your Pressing
Curious about how we can bring your vision to life? Learn more about URP’s comprehensive process or explore our vinyl configurations to find your perfect format. Contact us today to partner with us on your next project.
The resurgence of vinyl highlights the timeless connection between legacy music, modern music, and craftsmanship. At United Record Pressing, we’re the original vinyl record manufacturer and have re-engineered how the music industry goes to market.