00:00Before all the music in the world could be played on this, and this, and yes even
00:06before this, you had to get a turntable, set the needle, and play this. In 1948
00:14Columbia released the very first Longplay, or LP, vinyl record. This 20-minute
00:20recording began a major music revolution until the rise of cassettes and CDs
00:26toppled vinyl from its throne. Still, die-hard music enthusiasts held on to the
00:31vinyl tradition, and it didn't take long for it to launch a comeback tour. In 2016,
00:373.2 million LPs were sold, the most in 25 years. To keep up with demand, the OG LP
00:45producer, United Record Pressing, had to move to a bigger location here in
00:49Nashville, Tennessee. It's the musical encore many audiophiles have been waiting
00:54for. To make a hit record, you first need a hit song. A band or musician will record
01:01their masterpiece in a studio, then send the high-quality file to a sound
01:05engineer. In this room full of machines, an engineer will use Pro Tools to level
01:10out the music before connecting it to the cutting amps. These amps feed directly to
01:14the cutting lathe, decked out with an actual ruby chisel. As the song plays, the
01:20vibrating ruby engraves specific grooves into a lacquer disc, each cut signifying a
01:24different sound wave. Fun fact, if you yell close to the ruby, it will engrave your sound
01:31waves and your voice will be recorded. A single disc can hold up to 2,600 feet of
01:36lines, enough to span the length of seven football fields. The first lacquer disc is the
01:43mother disc, used as a mold to create a master stamp. Each master can be used to press about
01:47100,000 records. First, the disc gets washed, then sprayed with chloride, followed
01:54by liquid silver to fill in the grooves. Once the silver is layered on, the disc is
01:59dipped into a nickel solution for several hours. This hardens the silver into a
02:04layer that can then be peeled away, cut, trimmed, and perfected. United Record Recording
02:11has a special way of safely archiving and cataloging the masters, and they have
02:16thousands in their library. It's time to add a little heat. To make the actual
02:23vinyl record, polyvinyl chloride pellets are melted down in the hopper into a
02:27biscuit-shaped puck. The presses first apply labels, which center the record and
02:33keep it from warping. Then, the two silver stamps are placed on either side of the puck, and over
02:3960 tons of pressure flatten the vinyl into a thin blade. Lastly, the excess
02:46vinyl, known as flash, is shaved off and saved for reuse. The final result? A record
02:52less than two millimeters thick, but coated with the secret language of music.
02:57Of course, all this work might be for nothing if the final record doesn't sound right.
03:02That's why you have Hunter, who is one of the many people in charge of production quality
03:06control. His job entails sitting in this room and listening to records all day long.
03:15QC's look for warping and listen for any ticks, pops, and weird noises that might show up during
03:20the stamping process. This takes a good ear and some serious concentration. Once they sign off,
03:27the record is ready for assembly. We shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but pretty packaging
03:35certainly helps. When it comes to records, each vinyl comes wrapped in a paper sleeve,
03:40printed with liner notes, as well as a thicker, heavier cardboard jacket. Typically, these are packed
03:46by hand, but since United Record Pressing churns out some 40,000 vinyls a day, they have special
03:51machines to help with the shrink wrap and stickering process. Then, they're boxed, wrapped, and shipped
04:00to your local record store, ready to bring music to your ears.
