home vinyl cutter... opinions?

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

http://www.discjockey101.com/jul2003.html

how bad would something like this stink?

or if you were an underground dj who wanted to cut some beats to vinyl
for a show Saturday night to scratch the pants off of, would this be a
sensible gadget?

one thing i can't figure out is how much the blank vinyls cost, which
you have to buy from Vestax apparently.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Scott Dorsey wrote:
> <genericaudioperson@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >http://www.discjockey101.com/jul2003.html
> >
> >how bad would something like this stink?
>
> My suspicion is that the cogging will be a real problem, especially given
> the extra drag of the cutting stylus. But you can ask the guys at
> vinylium.ch, who actually designed and manufacture it. They also make
> some higher end models.
>
> >or if you were an underground dj who wanted to cut some beats to vinyl
> >for a show Saturday night to scratch the pants off of, would this be a
> >sensible gadget?
>
> Probably, but I wouldn't want to cut classical work on it, and you are
> very limited in pitch control. On the other hand, it is a big step up
> from an old Presto.
>
> >one thing i can't figure out is how much the blank vinyls cost, which
> >you have to buy from Vestax apparently.
>
> No, I think you can use standard blanks from Apollo or Transco. Any
> lacquers should be fine. Of course, they won't last very long if you
> treat them like dub plates.
> --scott
> --
> "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

FWIW I shagged both last year's Vestax US distributor, Korg USA, and
this years dist, AM&S (I sell quantities of the Vestax 'Handi-Trax' at
a local vinyl dealer: LoveGardens in Lawrence KS, so I'm a 'Vestax
Retailer') for the blanks (purportedly two kinds being available, 'long
lasting' and 'regular'); unobtainium in the US. I was told both times
how the product (the cutter itself) was a significant hassle to support
by the retailers, and was effectively 'not being sold' to the US
market.

My goal was (is) inexpensive blanks only, as one of my techs has a
Presto w/Altec electronics that I got for him from a local
studio/collector; the remaining blanks he got with it being rather
'precious' (FWIW a mono machine, but his minimal experiments being very
positive!)

Thanks for the heads up- now a Goggle search for 'Apollo' and
'Transco'!

-Robert
QTS
http://www.Braught.com

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <1123011063.893631.286310@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com> genericaudioperson@hotmail.com writes:


[the Vestax disk cutter]

> or if you were an underground dj who wanted to cut some beats to vinyl
> for a show Saturday night to scratch the pants off of, would this be a
> sensible gadget?

Well, I've watched it work. It seems to be well made, but it's by no
means a mastering lathe. It's designed exactly for that sort of
project. But it's expensive to buy and expensive to use, so you really
need to have some very well paying gigs in order to justify it.

> one thing i can't figure out is how much the blank vinyls cost, which
> you have to buy from Vestax apparently.

This isn't something you can run out to your friendly local Guitar
Center to pick up a couple for the night's dance, so you'll probably
end up buying them by the carton. Cutting styli, too. The web site
says they're available from "Vestax VRX-2000 Retail Centers" but you
probalby need to e-mail them to find out where the nearest one is.
Pretend you're really interested and ask.



--
I'm really Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Scott Dorsey wrote:
> electron@grapevine.net <electron@grapevine.net> wrote:
> >
> >FWIW I shagged both last year's Vestax US distributor, Korg USA, and
> >this years dist, AM&S (I sell quantities of the Vestax 'Handi-Trax' at
> >a local vinyl dealer: LoveGardens in Lawrence KS, so I'm a 'Vestax
> >Retailer') for the blanks (purportedly two kinds being available, 'long
> >lasting' and 'regular'); unobtainium in the US. I was told both times
> >how the product (the cutter itself) was a significant hassle to support
> >by the retailers, and was effectively 'not being sold' to the US
> >market.
>
> I'm not surprised. I'm really not sure why Vestax picked the line up
> anyway... I think they liked the idea of having something neat like that
> in the catalogue more than they liked actually selling and supporting it.
>
> >My goal was (is) inexpensive blanks only, as one of my techs has a
> >Presto w/Altec electronics that I got for him from a local
> >studio/collector; the remaining blanks he got with it being rather
> >'precious' (FWIW a mono machine, but his minimal experiments being very
> >positive!)
>
> If it's got one of the later cutting heads (I don't think ANY of the Presto
> heads had feedback, but 1-D was linear than most), it can be adapted for
> hot stylus operation. Hot stylus allows you to glide through the acetate
> instead of tear through it. Frayne and Wolfe has some information on the
> process and is worth reading.
>
> >Thanks for the heads up- now a Goggle search for 'Apollo' and
> >'Transco'!
>
> Don't know how much you will see, but they are two of the three acetate
> manufacturers today. The third is in Japan and I forget their name
> but Paul at Brooklynphono has used their discs.
>
> In a pinch, you can cut overhead transparency material. You have to
> be VERY careful about groove depth, and the chip curls and tends to clog,
> but you can do it, at least with a hot stylus. Whether it'll work with
> a cold stylus, I don't know.
>
> I don't know if you can get microgroove styli for those things either,
> but Al Grundy at International Cutterhead might know.
> --scott
> >
> >-Robert
> >QTS
> >http://www.Braught.com
> >
>
>
> --
> "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Thanks!
-Robert