About Us
Q - Who are you?
A - Def Audio Technologies LLC is a boutique maker of lathe cut records & fine musical audio equipment. Lathe cut records are bespoke, playable art pieces that are handmade one by one in real time using vintage mono record lathes from the 1940's. We also manufacture guitar amplifier & speaker cabinet enclosures & laser engraved wooden blanks for audio rack mounts.
Q - Why choose a lathe cut record over a pressed record?
A - Great question and we are asked this one often! Pressed records are, of course, the norm when it comes to mainstream releases. Generally, if you have the fanbase to sell (or temperature controlled warehouse space to store) 500 records or 1,000 records, or in Adele's case 500,000 records, you should probably go the pressed route. Like with most commercial products, quantity is king & placing an order for 1,000 records will certainly be cheaper on a per unit basis. But - frankly, most artists can't sell that many records and ponying up a big chunk of change upfront to acquire a truckload of records of a single release isn't in most starving artist's budgets.
Enter Def Audio's lathe cut records. We view our lathe cuts as playable art pieces. Because each record is made by hand in real time, no two are exactly identical giving each piece its own unique personality. Our records are embossed using sapphire styli on polycarbonate thermoplastic polymer. Also, it is significantly more affordable.
Q - Do you charge a set up fee? How much does it cost to make a record? Why don't you have prices listed on the website?
A - That's three questions. We do not charge a set up fee. Our costs are clearly discussed with each client prior to each project and we will be as transparent as possible. There are many variables involved & we do our best to realize the artist / client's vision for a vinyl release at a fair and reasonable price to all.
Q - Why are your records cut in mono?
A - Our lathes are from the late 1940's before stereophonic sound was a popular thing. To be blunt - most listeners can't tell a difference as the same sound comes out of both the left and right channels. If your music includes wide sweeping stereo effects. there may be an audio phasing issue when converted to mono but we will discuss this up front.
Q - Do you have a minimum quantity requirement?
A - Nope. We will cut one solitary record if that's what you want. In fact, there are circumstances where we recommend a band order just a few records to start. This allows the artist to take pictures of the finished product and effectively market a pre-order release. The band now has collected all of the funds up front and can place an order without using their own money - all while guaranteeing they have not over/under ordered.