From there , the records are trimmed by a machine that utilizes a hot knife to carve a perfectly-symmetrical circular outline around the record . When the plant is working at peak capacity , it only takes one minute for the PVC material to go from the “ pre-form ” stage to a finished , playable record .
After the records are cut , one out of every ten goes through visual and sonic evaluation for quality control purposes . Justin says that this level of diligence is critically important , as any flaw that is repeatedly found in a batch of records can serve as a diagnostic indicator of larger manufacturing issues . “ At every step of the process , it all comes down to the mindfulness of the operator . In the early stages , if the master lacquer isn ’ t properly cleaned or prepared , it can result in massive sound problems down the line . The same thing goes with what we do here at our record plant at the later stages . If any tiny pieces of debris contaminate the stampers while we ’ re pressing , the records are going to pop , and the sound is effectively ruined . You ’ ll have dents on the record , and you ’ ll hear them like heartbeats if the stamper is not correctly prepared and installed in the machine . Flatness is also very important . In addition to checking the sound of the records , we
Justin Crowther ( right ), owner of Burlington Record Plant
inspect one out of every ten to make sure that they are as flat as we can get them post production . If a record is warped , you ’ re going to encounter problems when playing them . We reject all records that are warped more than 2 millimeters .”
After the quality control stage , the records then move on to the final packaging stage , where they are sleeved in album jackets , shrink wrapped , and boxed and shipped out to customers around the globe . Each record ’ s color scheme is custom-designed in-house at Burlington Record Plant , allowing bands and artists to create a cohesive and personalized audiovisual experience for their fans and listeners .
In addition to a wide range of vivid “ base colors ” of PVC granules – such as “ Opaque African Violet ” and “ Powder Blue ” – Justin and his team are able to create mesmerizing visual effects by combining different types of granules together . According to Justin , many of his most striking record designs are made by making use of reclaimed ‘ scraps ’ from rejected records . “ Many of our records are made using what we like to call ‘ special effects .’ For example , if you take gold
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