With over fifteen years experience, Breed Media has gained a well established reputation for the reliable and high quality manufacture of vinyl records. We provide a wide range of vinyl pressing services, from colour vinyl and special vinyl to vinyl in gatefold sleeves, double and tripple vinyl. Once you’ve chosen your desired product, our from 250 units upwards.
Vinyl FAQs and Info
Your audio masters for vinyl pressing can be supplied as zipped WAV files via our ftp upload site (contact us for details), by wetransfer, dropbox or via CD-R/retail-ready CD—along with a full tracklist, timings and side splits.
The standard bit rate to press vinyl is 24 bit/44.1KHz. The master should be fully edited and as you want it to sound, with all tracks in the correct order and with your desired gaps between each track.
A complete track list should be supplied with every record pressing master. The list should contain the names of all the tracks, each track’s duration and the side splits for correct separation into side A and side B. These are mandatory requirements.
The quality of vinyl audio is directly affected by the distance between the record grooves and therefore the playing time of the record. Exceeding the maximum recommended playing lengths below can compromise the audio quality of the record, with bass heavy recordings particularly problematic.
At 33 rpm:
- 12" - 19 mins per side
- 10" - 14 mins per side
At 45 rpm:
- 7" - 5 mins per side
- 10" - 10 mins per side
- 12" - 15 mins per side
When pressing vinyl with hidden tracks or any unusual features this should be clearly communicated to us at the ordering stage. Provide the track number, name, time and details of your special requirements. Examples include long gaps between tracks, very quiet passages or deliberate use of electronic buzz or distortion etc.
Once your vinyl record masters and order are received, we cut the audio to either lacquer or direct to copper plates (DMM) depending on various factors. Both lacquers and DMMs are created on a special lathe which looks like a large record player and works rather like a record player's phonograph pick-up in reverse, where the audio is converted to mechanical motion. The cutting stylus, mounted in the head, cuts a precise spiral groove across the plate spinning at an exact speed of 331/3 or 45rpm, and vibrates to transfer the recording. Once the cut has taken place, lacquers are processed, firstly to a negative using nickel and an electroplating process, then again to create a positive. These are then plated once more to form the stampers (negatives again), which are then used to press the final records. DMM Coppers are processed directly to stampers.
TPs are supplied for you to check that the A and B sides are correct and the music is in the right order. It is too late to change levels and EQ at this stage. Breed Media is unable to further your order until you have approved your test pressings.
Your records are hand-packed, but on oassion some vinyl record pressing plants pack directly into a ‘bag' (a sleeve without a spine). Therefore, most record manufacturing runs will include a hand-packing charge. Stickers and inserts are normally hand-packed too. We require an accurate description of the required sticker position. You should always consider where any shop placed pricing stickers may appear (usually top right). Hand-packing is charged per movement.
Colour vinyl record pressing is undertaken using different material to solid black vinyl which crucially doesn't contain graphite. As a result the quality the quality of sound may vary, in particular, higher noise levels and isolated static sounds (clicks) may appear in the lead-in and run-out grooves, in the track crossovers and at any quiet points of the recording. For more information see our Coloured Vinyl Page
Order Vinyl
To order your vinyl go to vinyl prices where you can quickly select a package, get a price and send us your order.
If you prefer just contact us to get started on your next vinyl pressing project.
Who We Are
At Breed Media we're here to support musicians and bands at every stage of their journey. From new bands to established artists, our mission is to empower your expression while fostering sustainability.
We believe in the ‘Triple Bottom Line’ principle, pursuing social equity, environmental quality, and economic prosperity. With a focus on active environmental care, responsible trading practices and equitable employment, we strive to reduce our impact on the environment and promote diversity.
Join us in making a difference through engaging physical media products that hold deep meaning and resonate with your audience. Express yourself, support sustainability and evolve with us at Breed Media.