“Cutting lacquer for vinyl has become an obsession —
in the best way.”

I have put together a cutting system and associated gear to allow me to deliver absolute, audiophile-level masters.

The lathe is a Neumann VMS-70 with SX-74 cutter head‍ ‍fitted with a diamond cutting stylus. The amplifiers are a hybrid of modified 74B power amps and VG series preamp/eq/feedback cards that have also been custom modified by Chrisopher Muth using new, discrete transistors. The BSB 74 de-essers are also modified and include threshold control and redundant metering, plus all lathe functions located on a remote at the listening position.

A Zuma groove packing computer and Technics SP 03 direct-drive motor, round out the system.

test cut/test pressing evaluation

The test cut/test pressing evaluation is done using a Technics SP-15 with SME 12” tonearm with various cartridges on a custom Panzerholz/paper stone plinth, which feeds a Knif professional phono preamp delivering a calibrated-level playback. A Rega P-10 is also used.

When booking me for a cutting job, Danielle aids in recommendations and helps sourcing plating and pressing for your project.