Short Run Lathe Cut Vinyl Records — Frequently Asked Questions

Unlike traditional vinyl pressing (which uses a stamper to press grooves into a disc from a master), our records are individually cut one-at-a-time on professional vinyl cutting lathes. Our studio runs two German-engineered VinylRecorder T560 lathes as well as our own in-house built lathes — all equipped with perfectly mapped and calibrated stereo dynamic cutting heads.

We've also developed our own proprietary automation software and hardware for the lathe cutting process, which we sell to other cutting studios around the world. In short, we are experts in this field.

Because each record is cut in real time, there are no expensive tooling or setup costs — making it the ideal solution for short runs where traditional pressing plants require minimum orders of 100–500+ units.

Our lathe cut records are made using micron point polished diamond cutting styluses to minimise background noise and produce a lasting groove that stands up to regular playback and even scratch DJing. We're proud to hold a five-star rating on Google for both audio quality and customer service.

Our minimum order for a short run is 10 units. The maximum is 50 units per order. If you need more than 50, we'd recommend contacting a traditional pressing plant — it'll be more cost-effective at that volume. We're happy to point you in the right direction.

Yes. Short runs are only available if you own the rights to the music being cut. We cannot produce records containing copyrighted material that you do not have permission to use.

Head over to our Short Run Blog for behind-the-scenes looks at previous short run orders, featuring Australian and New Zealand musicians across a range of genres.

→ View our Short Run Blog

We offer 7", 10" and 12" records.

We offer four colour options:

Black, White and Translucent Red are imported and incur an additional cost per unit. We do not manufacture liquid-filled, splatter, glow-in-the-dark, or other specialty discs. See our Short Run Quote Calculator for exact pricing.

We cut at both 33 RPM and 45 RPM. Generally, 7" singles are cut at 45 RPM and 12" LPs at 33 RPM, though this can vary depending on your audio length and preferences. We do not cut 78RPM records.

Our recommended maximum side lengths at 33 RPM are:

At 45 RPM:

These may be extended slightly depending on the material — get in touch to discuss. The longer the side, the closer the groove gets to the centre of the record, which increases the risk of inner groove distortion (see below).

If your total runtime exceeds our recommended maximum, it doesn't necessarily mean it won't fit. Depending on the low-frequency content of your tracks, we may be able to push beyond the recommended side length — we've cut up to 24 minutes on a single side, although this required a quieter cut and the material was not bass-heavy.

The trade-off with longer sides is that the cut must be made quieter to fit the grooves, and bass-heavy or dynamically loud material is more likely to cause issues. We'll always review your audio and let you know what's realistic.

If the audio genuinely can't fit on a single record, you may need to consider dropping a track or shortening tracks to bring the runtime within range.

Yes. If your audio only fills one side, we can cut a single-sided record. The other side will be blank/uncut.

We can work with any audio file, but we strongly recommend supplying uncompressed audio formats such as WAV, FLAC or AIFF. These preserve the full quality of your masters and produce the best results on the lathe.

We can cut from compressed formats (MP3, AAC, etc.) if that's all you have, but the quality of the source file directly affects the quality of the cut — so uncompressed is always preferred.

We can also rip audio from CD & cassette tape.

Ideally, yes — but it's not mandatory. We process all audio through our own EQ curve before it reaches the cutting head. If your tracks have been mastered for streaming, that's usually fine. It really depends on the dynamics of the mixes. We'll review the audio once received and let you know if we foresee any issues.

If your audio is unmastered, we offer vinyl mastering at $50 per track.

Avoid heavy limiting and compression on the master bus — leave some headroom (peaks around -3dB true peak is a good target). Excessive low-end or overly sibilant high frequencies can cause issues during the cutting process. We'll always flag any concerns before proceeding.

Yes. Vinyl mastering is $50 per track. This is recommended if your audio hasn't been professionally mastered, or if you want us to optimise it specifically for the lathe cutting process.

We offer a wide range of cover, sleeve and packaging options including printed pocketed covers, plain covers, inner sleeves, obi strips, inserts, shrink wrap and more.

For a full breakdown of all available options and pricing, please use our Short Run Quote Calculator.

Yes. Full colour centre labels are available and are printed in-house.

Label dimensions:

We send proofs of all artwork (covers, labels, inserts) prior to printing for your approval.

If you'd prefer blank labels we also have those available.

Yes — we have PDF, PSD and Canva design templates available for all cover types, obi strips, labels and inserts. Just let us know which formats you need and we'll send them through.

Absolutely. Most customers supply their own artwork. Please design to our template specifications and supply as a high-resolution file. We'll send you a proof for approval before anything goes to print.

A test cut is a single record cut from your audio before we begin the full production run. It allows you to hear how your music will sound on vinyl and confirm you're happy with the quality before we commit to cutting the full order.

We recommend a test cut if you haven't purchased our records before. It's especially useful for first-time releases or if your audio is close to the recommended maximum side length.

Yes! If you're unsure and just want to hear how your music sounds on vinyl first, our Dub Plates are a great option. You can order a single one-off record to test the quality before committing to a full short run.

→ Browse Dub Plates

Pricing varies depending on record size, side length, vinyl colour and packaging options. Because we cut our records in real time, the length of your sides is the primary driver of the per-unit cost.

Use our Short Run Quote Calculator to build your order and get an instant estimate. If you need a formal quote, email us at info@phonolab.com.au.

Yes. Payment is required in full before production begins. Once we receive payment along with your audio and artwork files, your order will enter the cutting queue.

Yes, all prices are quoted in Australian Dollars (AUD) and include GST.

Our current turnaround is approximately 4 weeks from the date we receive payment, final audio and confirmed artwork. Turnaround depends on the time taken to confirm artwork proofs and test cuts — the faster you approve these, the sooner we can complete your order.

We'll always do our best to accommodate tight deadlines. Let us know your required date when you enquire and we'll advise whether we can meet it.

We service Australia and New Zealand only. Shipping costs depend on your location and the size/weight of the order. All orders are sent via Australia Post.

Yes, if you're in the Newcastle, NSW area you're welcome to collect your order from our studio.

Our lathes use a fixed pitch system with a stereo dynamic cutting head (as opposed to a feedback head used in traditional lacquer mastering). This means the groove spacing is consistent across the entire record rather than dynamically adjusting in real time based on the audio signal.

The practical effect is that there's a defined maximum amount of audio that can fit on each record size — and louder, bass-heavy material may require slightly shorter side lengths to maintain quality. This is standard for lathe cut records and is one reason we provide recommended maximum side lengths for each format.

That said, our cutting process — running across multiple lathes with perfectly mapped and calibrated stereo cutting heads, paired with our own proprietary automation technology — delivers excellent results. Our five-star Google reviews consistently reflect the audio quality our customers experience.

Inner groove distortion (IGD) occurs because the grooves near the centre of a record are physically shorter than those near the outer edge, yet they carry the same amount of audio information. This means the stylus has less groove to track, which can result in a loss of high-frequency detail and a slightly distorted or "fuzzy" sound — particularly on sibilant vocals and bright cymbals.

How to minimise it when planning your release:

We'll always review your audio and flag any concerns before we begin cutting. A dedicated blog post on inner groove distortion and release planning is coming soon.