MobinekoShowcase

3D Picture Vinyl

Have we got something cool for you guys…

We have so many requests for picture discs lately but PDs have always been slow, expensive, unreliable plus they don’t always sound so great.

Very soon we will be offering these new 3D hybrid vinyls in 7″, 10″ and 12″ format – regular black or colored wax on one side with a full face print on the other (UV printed with optional 3D effects).

They look very very cool in person – the colors and 3D effect stands out a lot more than picture discs, and the edge-to-edge print is very striking.

Expect very reasonable pricing – we are aiming at just a little higher than standard color vinyl.

What do you think? We would love to hear your feedback.

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Upgrades to Online Uploader

We have taken on board client feedback and made some behind-the-scenes bug fixes and improvements to the online uploader.

- more browsers are supported including many mobile devices
- uploader client will now attempt to open up to 3 connections for more efficient uploading
- uploading is now up to 300% faster with modern browsers
- uploading will now be more reliable on slow connections
- core FineUploader engine is updated to the most recent version along with some bug fixes to our custom code

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Why Your Cutting Questionnaire is Important and How to Make the Right Choices

When you place an order with Mobineko there is a cutting questionnaire in the second step after quoting.

Although it’s tempting to gloss over these details when ordering it’s super important that we understand each customer’s intent for every single production. So please do take some time to read and understand the following explanations for 3 different cutting styles!

1. LOUD cut – for dance/club or sometimes metal music, time per side is limited and the audio is cut extremely hot (generally +6dB over reference) with not much regard to distortion or audio quality; stereo effect and EQ range is also reduced to maximize loudness. Please note that this does not guarantee a super loud record if you have bad mastering and/or very long sides – consult our handy Wizard to check if your timing might be problematic.

2. normal cut + fidelity – using computer calculation and some test cuts on the unused part of a lacquer the engineer finds the maximum level where zero distortion is introduced by the cutting process; this is the option we generally prefer but many people want it to sound ‘loud like X or Y record’. Generally the masters we get these days just aren’t good enough to cut loud without distortion so if it’s important for you to have a louder record you will have to accept some loss in quality and choose the third option.

3. normal cut + loudness – somewhere between the first two options; there can be some distortion and the engineer will try to squeeze out some extra overall loudness by allowing the cutter head to naturally compress peaks.

posted by richard in Vinyl Mastering and have No Comments

Cassette Testing in Full Swing

Cassette tapes are really close now :)

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More Tape News

Some more cassette equipment just landed at Mobineko HQ. We have been working on reverse engineering the Otari DP-8, DP4050 and digital master reproducers to develop a high quality short run tape duplication system. The idea is to connect a custom computer interface through the master reproducers which then connect on to the slave units. This way our setup and production times can be extremely short for low runs of under 300pcs, but still offering very nice quality.

We’re bringing tapes back to life :)

 

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Latest Website Update – Online Ordering

As promised we have finished the last stage of our new online apps with a brand new online ordering system. Once the updates are rolled out you will be able to proceed from the online quote section and order directly online. Features include a handy address book and automatic saving of partial orderforms. No more Google or Excel forms needed!

Some parts of mobineko.com will be down for brief periods today while the updates are installed.

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Cassette Printing now Available (with code for free shipping)!

Cassettes have always been something we’re interested in at Mobineko even though it’s a pretty small market. It’s recently come to our attention that most of the serious cassette duplicators and printers in Europe have shut up shop so the tape market is now in need of some high quality options.

We are working on a full cassette duplicating service but in the meantime we are offering super high quality offset printing for all your cassette packaging and label needs.

This is a ‘soft opening’ for our existing customers so you won’t find the pricelist or online quotes on our website yet, but you can check out this secret link for pricing: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0App0Yd_mwXV7dEdZLS1BY3ktQjlMdDRnYmNNWjR5alE&output=pdf

Orders should be placed by email and for the time being to clients@mobineko.com including the following details:
- Item being ordered
- Quantity
- Complete mailing and billing addresses
- Artwork completed on our templates: http://www.mobineko.com/support/index.php?go=templates#cassette

Mention the code ‘mnblogoffer’ when ordering for free shipping this month.

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Choosing Stocks

So you’ve chosen your format, finished your artwork, tweaked it another ten times, got everything signed off with the artists.. and now there’s another choice to make?!

It can be hard to decide which stock and coating to choose for printed packaging, especially if you don’t have much experience with printing. And there can be a huge difference just with how the coatings work.

Here are some tips to help you work out what will look best on your release.

Matt Laminated

Matt laminated artboard is the ‘go to’ choice for 70% of printed cardboard packaging like sleeves (jackets), Superpacks (digipacks) etc.

‘Artboard’ refers to a type of cardboard we have imported from Japan and Korea. It’s especially made for printing high quality images (hence the ‘art’ part) because it has a very high density compared with other board. High density makes a very smooth, flat surface which prints detail very well and makes laminated coatings look particularly good. The only drawback is that the density makes it appear a little thinner than cheaper boards in a similar weight that have more air inside them.

Matt lamination is a film applied after printing that protects the item from minor scuffs and scratches. Most importantly it gives your print the really classy, expensive look that our sleeves are famous for! Just watch out for artwork with fine nuances in contrast, or certain bright colors such as oranges, reds, greens and yellows which will look darker underneath the matt film.

High Gloss Lamination

High Gloss Lamination

High gloss laminated artboard is the same high quality imported board used for matt laminated prints, but of course a different lamination is used. It’s more expensive than matt lamination simply because we don’t make as many orders in gloss so it’s harder to consolidate for lower pricing.

High gloss lamination offers the same protective qualities as matt, but it’s useful when you need to preserve bright colors or photos that would look subdued under matt film. A well designed colorful LP sleeve can really ‘pop’ under high gloss film. A downside to high gloss is that it can really pick up fingerprints which is something to watch for when handling dark artwork.

If you want the classy look of matt lamination but need some parts of your artwork to ‘pop’ with a glossy look, you could consider UV spot gloss which can be applied to matt laminated prints for an extra charge.

Kraft Recycled Eco-Stock

Kraft Recycled Eco-Stock

Kraft recycled eco-stock and its sort-of-related cousin reverse print on cosmetic board involve printing on paper without the usual clay-based printable surface.

Uncoated board can impart some interesting texture with the right design. If you are planning to use completely unbleached stock then kraft eco-stock really works best with one or two color stamp-like designs that combine to give a raw and natural feel.

Reverse print on cosmetic board (not shown) works better for slightly more colorful images because it’s bleached and slightly denser than kraft eco-stock.

Aqueous Semigloss

Aqueous Semigloss

Aqueous semigloss is quite different from high gloss lamination and imparts a very low gloss shine while protecting the print from rubbing off. Instead of using a film like matt or gloss lamination a liquid (aqueous) varnish is sprayed through a nozzle after printing.

Many plants use aqueous varnish as the standard finish for record sleeves but we consider this to be a poor substitute for lamination. It does have its uses, though. For example, a lot of throwback/re-release records have been using this finish for a more retro look. Also sometimes high gloss lamination is just TOO glossy but aqueous varnish doesn’t suffer the same darkening effect that matt film does.

If you are planning to use this finish on LP sleeves then you need to expect some possible damage during the packing and shipping process, since there is no plastic film protecting the delicate paper board.

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Vinyl: How many songs / how much music per side?

2014/11/09 UPDATE! We now have a fancy new online app that will tell you how your record will likely sound at any given length, and also recommend what speed to cut at. Check it out here!

A common question we receive here is “How long can each side be” on a record!

Well, this is a really difficult question to answer because people always want an exact mm:ss time that they can ‘fit’ onto a vinyl, but it’s not that simple. The more stuff you fit onto the vinyl, the closer the tracks have to be to each other and therefore the smaller the waveform has to be cut. Smaller waveform = quieter music and less room for bass.

DANCE MUSIC / ELECTRONICA / BASS HEAVY STUFF (LOUD CUT on the orderform):
12″ at 33 rpm, 10-12 mins

12″ at 45 rpm, 7-8 mins

 

POP / ROCK etc (NORMAL CUT on the orderform):

12″ at 33 rpm, 10-25 minutes

12″ at 45rpm, up to 10 minutes

 

10″ at 33 rpm, up to ~15 mins

10″ at 45 rpm, 6:30 mins

 

7″ at 45 rpm with LOUD CUT, not possible due to limited space available on 7″

7″ at 45 rpm with NORMAL CUT, up to ~4 mins  (Long 7″ at 45rpm up to 5min30. Results may vary)

7″ at 33 rpm, NOT RECOMMENDED because 33rpm 7″ sound AWFUL, but ~6mins.

All times are per side.

Where a range is given the shorter time will sound good while the longer time is possible but will sound bad. So a 12″ at 33rpm, 20 minutes can still sound pretty good but 28 minutes will sound bad.

7″ should really never be cut at 33rpm because the groove is moving so slowly under the needle that there is just no room for a decent sound. While some people insist on it, they usually regret it. Seriously, we can’t recommend enough just to cut down your running time and NOT make another poor sounding long 7″.

posted by gotlathe in FAQ,Vinyl Mastering and have No Comments

New Vinyl Superfiles

We are thinking about releasing these new Vinyl Superfile packs in 7″ and 12″ format. Let us know what you think!

posted by richard in Showcase and have No Comments