A look back on Day 1 of Wax Works Berlin, presented by the Vinyl Alliance in partnership with
@audiotechnicaemea and
@official_optimal_media .
Holed up for the day at
@brewerystudios , part of Analogue Foundation Berlin, we witnessed magic unfold as several of Berlin’s finest musicians and soloists laid down tracks in a pure analog studio session. Under the guidance of legendary producer and champion of analog recording
@russelevado , the performances were recorded directly to tape, capturing the warmth in the room and the nuance of every note.
Together with Erik Breuer and the Brewery Studios team (
@rhea.sode ,
@1168pm ,
@pebo_exp ) Russell took those raw tracks and began the meticulous process of mixing. This wasn’t just adjusting levels; it was sculpting the sound, bringing depth and clarity to each instrument. Mastering followed, where the final sonic polish gets applied through precise equalization, compression, and limiting, ensuring the music translates optimally to the physical limitations of the vinyl.
Finally, the delicate art of lacquer cutting, where sound becomes grooves. Cut on a newly restored Neumann VMS 70 lathe, the mastered audio is transferred as grooves “cut” into the lacquer-coated disc. That master disc is then ready to be sent off to the pressing plant. We concluded the day dropping the needle on one of those lacquer cuts next door at Bar Neiro, Berlin’s jazz kissa-style listening bar.
Stay tuned for Day 2 at optimal media, where we turned all this into a vinyl record!
📸:
@isabelle.m.schmitz
#vinylrecord #analog #recordingstudio #mixing #mastering #taperecording #analogforever #vinyl #vinylcommunity #vinylalliance
