I know there has been interest on this forum as to the quality of cut from Vinylcarvers in London. They have developed a cutting system of their own design (no small feat) and have sent me a reference disc to check out.

The results are good, in general. The disc sent me is a relativly short length program (6:49) cut at 45 RPM. The record tracks fine. It is also cut very loud (louder than +9Db VU- the limit of my meters). They seem to have a 5 mil lead in depth which widened to over 11 mils at its deepest. This surely helps tracking / playability. There were some very near liftouts with grooves narrowed to about 1.5 mils. There was some scoring & ripping at the edge of the groove walls. This was probably due to the heating process used to make the blank useable. It in no way caused an audible problem.

The frequency range did not exibit any extremes of lows or highs. So this was a fairly straightforward program to cut. It is a Dance Music program with a punchy mid bass & a smooth top end. Tina and Werner did explain in a letter that they are working on accuracy of sound & that it needs improvement. I agree. But that will come with refinement & experimentation.

Overall, I think the device shows promise. It cuts well enough to be playable. Accuracy of sound needs work, although I did not have access to the master from which the cut came. As our inventors stated in their letter, mids seemed louder than one might wish. The challenge will come in longer sides.

I think Tina and Werner are really to be commended for the hard work that has resulted in the disc I'm holding. It's not a perfect lathe, but it's better than anything I have made! This is quite something. I wish them the best of luck & hope they succede and that vinyl records are around for a long time to come.

Best Regards,
Don Grossinger

http://www.dongrossinger.com