Cut Your Own Vinyl

DinSync has been in touch to tell us about their NC-V8 Acoustic Lathe which will be on show at SuperBooth '25. Here's their press release with the details...

What is it?
A near perfect consumer phonograph recording solution based on modern affordable components and tuned to an acceptable high fidelity. It has over 18 months of extensive beta testing with hundreds of cuts by various users and engineers.

Who is it aimed at?
Home users and professionals alike. The person who wants to bring their own music to a direct tangible format, or the potential cutting engineer who wants to learn the art of cutting for a business. There is a definite gap in the market for this type of device and there are countless reasons anyone would be interested in one. The end result is rugged and can not only be used for recordings but can also be used for scratching. This opens up a large potential market outside of the existing digital ethos.

The NC-V8 acoustic lathe is a gantry design that sits across an existing high torque turntable. It has a stereo cutting head which cuts the groove with a diamond stylus. Many so-called "superOEM" turntables with high torque Hanpin designed motors already exist in the market today.

The system also requires a quality sound source, a power amplifier for the cutting head and preferably an equaliser for frequency response tuning.

Cutting with the NC-V8
When recording or "cutting" music, we cut into a soft blank material, this has similar characteristics of a pressed record and with some so-called "pressed" blanks that look like pressed records, it can be hard to tell the difference. The cutting method is like that of the record manufacturing process. Where the initial recording is made to a lacquer acetate which is then used to make the metal stampers for pressed production. Instead of cutting to lacquer we cut directly to the blank disc in stereo with a diamond stylus. This is ideal for solo or short run label production as it removes the high costs of producing records.

Embossing with the NC-V8
As well as stereo cutting with a diamond stylus, the NC-V8 is also capable of mono embossing. The recording is achieved with a tungsten stylus set with a heavier weight. The groove is essentially pushed aside without creating swarf. The end mono recording is at a lower volume, perhaps 60-70% compared to cutting. This can be used for simple vocal or less crowded recordings. This method is not suitable for scratching or back cueing. By comparison cutting with a diamond stylus allows a stereo recording that's louder and can be used for scratching, back cueing, DJing and home audio.

Optimising frequency response in the NC-V8
In order to faithfully reproduce audio we must calibrate the frequency response of the system. In our case we used the DBX215s eq to compensate for the response. The method is to record white noise onto a blank disc, record this noise back into the system then plot and compare the results. This can be made easier using a "match" eq processor to compare the original noise to the recorded and then creating an eq plot for the compensation.

Swarf/Chip removal.
Cutting music creates swarf (swarf or chip is the excess material generated by cutting) and must be removed during recording. There are a couple of methods to do this.

Manual swarf removal.
Manual swarf removal uses the same system as Vanrock/Presto devices where the swarf is spun on to the centre spindle. While this works well it can be temperamental depending on static electricity and room temperature/humidity. Also the physics of this method means that after the groove is cut the swarf is drawn forward by the disc rotation and essentially drawn under the cutting stylus which increases track noise.

Automatic swarf removal.
This method requires a vacuum, preferably a low noise device or a consumer grade household  vacuum cleaner with adjustable rate. This is the ideal method as it removes swarf directly behind the cutting stylus which means that excess material does not pass under the cutting stylus. The end result is a cleaner cut without need to manually remove the swarf.

Stylus heating system.
The cutting stylus has heating wires that will allow the tip to be heated, resulting in a cleaner cut. We also use a heat lamp to soften the blank disc prior to recording. The heated stylus system allows greater control of cutting temperature and therefore better signal to noise ratio.

Additional accessories required:
A solo NC-V8 cutting system requires these additional components

• A high torque turntable.
• A quality sound source.
• A power amplifier for the cutting head.
• An equaliser for frequency response tuning.
• A diamond stylus for stereo cutting.
• Blank media for cutting, 7", 10", 12" are all usable formats.
• Static control measures, best practices in regards to preparation, anti static wax etc.

Pricing and Availability:
The NC-V8 is available May/June 2025 via the DinSync RE-303 webshop.

Pricing to be confirmed.

More information:

DinSync

• Superbooth 2025: Dinsync - NC-V8 Acoustic Lathe 10-May-25
• Superbooth 2023: DinSync - RE-101 13-May-23