INDUSTRIAL JP

Totoku: Generally speaking, there are two steps to our manufacturing process. First comes “cutting,” when we make the lacquer disc for the master. Next comes pressing, which is the mass-production stage. This is the room where we cut the lacquer disc. These days tracks are generally produced digitally, and more than 80% of our customers send us their tracks in digital format. Of course, we can also receive tracks in CD form, as well as analog tape.

Totoku: Of course there are some, but generally if we receive tracks on tape, it’s for a re-release of older music. It’s mostly classical music but sometimes rock too. Some time ago there was a trend of digitally remastering old music with an updated sound for re-release, but these days customers are more likely to want the records pressed with the original sound intact.

Totoku: We load digital tracks onto software called Sequoia, and adjust the EQ, volume, and sound quality for record pressing.

Totoku: They are. Some musicians even edit their tracks especially for vinyl. A record is a disc with a groove physically cut into it, so for longer tracks the space between the grooves has to be smaller. And with records, the needle follows the groove to physically produce sound. When the track is loud or the bass is strong, the vibration of the needle is bigger, which can lead to skipping or reduction in sound quality. So in the case of longer tracks or tracks with more bass, we make individualized adjustments.

Totoku: DJ Nobu’s track called TOYO VINYL was 4:40 on a 45-rpm 7-inch, which I felt is on the long side. So I made it somewhat loud, and compensated by cutting out some of the low-end.

Totoku: After we run the adjusted track through an amplifier, we use a specialized machine to apply the “RIAA Curve,” which suppresses the bass and brings out the treble. We use that adjusted track to cut the master.

Totoku: That’s right. So when someone plays the record they’ll need a machine called a phono equalizer, which brings out the bass and brings down the treble. You can get a record player with a built-in speaker and and phono equalizer for about a hundred dollars. Turntables like the Technics SL 1200 that DJ’s often use don’t have phono equalizers. They use a separate mixer instead.

Totoku: Exactly. That sound is called “needle talk.”

Totoku: And this is the machine where we actually cut the master. First we set an ungrooved lacquer disk onto this round plate. This plate has small holes in it, and it uses a vacuum to hold the disk tightly to it. That keeps the disk level so the grooves will be neater. Then we start cutting with this red tip. The red needle is made of artificial ruby or artificial sapphire. The machine heats and vibrates the needle as it cuts, while a small amount of helium is also pumped in to cool the disk. Sometimes we cut what’s called a direct metal master from copper, but in that case we use a diamond because it’s harder.

Totoku: That’s right. After we cut the lacquer disc, we use a microscope attached to a video monitor to check that there are no errors. When the grooves are stuck together, it causes the needle to jump during playback. So with this monitor we check that the grooves are separated. It magnifies the record surface 25 times, and the width of the groove is about 100 microns.

Totoku: It’s 14 inches.

Totoku: Exactly. We make the lacquer disk a little bit big so it will have extra room around the edges. The lacquer disk is 14 inches, but the records pressed from it will be 12 inches. We make the master from the lacquer disk, then we use the master to make another disk called a stamper, and then we use the stamper to mass-produce the records.

Totoku: Me and two of my superiors. So three people total.

Totoku: We’re all different ages; 60’s, 40’s and 30’s. The oldest of us has handled a lot of jazz and classical so he’s good at those. I like music from that era too, but I wasn’t born then so my ears aren’t as familiar with the sound. I’d say I understand more recent music better. It isn’t a formal division of roles, but the music you listen to does affect how you cut the record. For example, even if they asked me to cut the record the same way as one of the other two, I don’t think it would turn out the same. They taught me the job, but even then it’s not the same. Whether something sounds good or bad to you has a lot to do with personal preference.

Totoku: I’m 30 now, and I joined the company when I was 27, so it’s been 3 years now. Originally I was in magazine editing. Then I changed jobs and worked at Tsukiji Fish Market for a while, but I liked music and machines, so I started attending a specialty school to study musical electronic design. I was still a student there when I contacted Toyo Kasei about working here. But at the time they hadn’t been hiring for a while, so they told me they would contact me the next time they were hiring. For a year and a half after that, I would call them once every three months. But they said no every time. Of course they started to remember me. “Oh it’s you again!” (laughs) Finally one day they said they were busier than usual, and that if I was OK with a part-time job they could hire me.

Totoku: I did like records then. Of course I never thought they would get this popular (laughs). Once I started working here I learned a lot more about records, but on the other hand I still feel like I have a lot to learn. For example I still don’t have the experience to handle problems when they come up. So I still need guidance from the other two to do my job.

Ishimaru: Pressing is where we manufacture PVC duplicates of the master disk. First we suck the PVC material in from the warehouse with a vacuum pipe, and transfer it to the tank on this machine. We heat and stir the PVC as it melts in the tank, and then we push it out onto the machine and knead it. Here’s the PVC. We call them “pellets.”

Ishimaru: But it’s just plastic (laughs). It’s only black because there’s carbon mixed into it; it’s actually almost translucent. So you can touch it without worrying about getting it dirty. To make it clear you have to add some blue. This process is called “blooming”. Colored records are made of the same material, but with pigment added instead of carbon.

Ishimaru: Probably because they look so totally different. But it’s the same PVC. PVC is used for a lot more than just records, like the gutters outside your house. It holds up over time. You can listen to a record even 100 or 200 years after it was made. It also doesn’t scratch easily. Records make sound by dragging a needle directly over them. So they’re made from a material that holds up to scratching. The only drawback is that PVC can warp easily.

Ishimaru: You see labels of both sides of the record coming out ? We drop the labels and the kneaded PVC material into the center of the machine and press it so that it doesn’t slip. We press LPs with 100 tons of pressure, and 7-inches with 70 tons. We add some water during pressing. Lowering the temperature using coolant gives it a neater form. The last thing we do is cut off the excess material from the edges. We’d prefer to recycle it if we could.

Ishimaru: When records were at their peak, they used to just bore out the labels in the middle and pulverize the rest of the material so they could re-use it. But these days there aren’t any recycling companies. PVC is reusable if you clean it properly. It only becomes unusable after seven or eight uses. Some people say that recycled vinyl even sounds better. The idea is that the more it’s kneaded, the better it sounds.

Ishimaru: Having done this for a very long time, I’ve found that sound quality is set by the first cutting. It’s my personal theory that you have to keep in mind the final sound of the record while you do the first cutting. First you make the lacquer disk, right? The sound quality of a lacquer disk deteriorates easily, it’s delicate. No matter how great you make the lacquer disk sound, after that you add coatings and press records and there will always be a decay in sound quality. In fact you’ll find that if the highs were really strong on the lacquer disk, they’ll mellow nicely by the end of the manufacturing process. So the ideal is to keep all that in mind and predict and reverse-engineer the final sound as you work.

Ishimaru: I’m just saying I want to duplicate the master disk at the highest-possible quality. You see our young guy over there inspecting it, right?

Wakabayashi: He’s looking at things like the condition of the ink on the label and the groove on the disk. He does a visual quality check on each disk. For example, here’s one that obviously fails the quality check.

Wakabayashi: This color on the label is coming off.

Wakabayashi: The quality control at our company is extremely strict. We won’t ship things in Japan that might get a pass in other countries. From what I’ve heard it’s always been strict. I don’t know whether it’s a particular characteristic of Japanese people, but if it sounds good and it looks good, there’s certainly no room to complain.

Wakabayashi: We make a test pressing and inspect it with our eyes and ears. I say “pressing,” but that means everything from cutting the master, to considering the music genre, to the color of the ink the customer asks for on the label or the stiffness of the paper. So how long you heat the PVC or operate the press depends on the project.

Wakabayashi: More experience definitely brings you closer to making the right choices. Now I know how to complete the entire process and figure things out by trial and error, but when it comes to really fine adjustments sometimes I still ask my superior for help. Like checking for really fine scratches, or restoration work.

Ishimaru: Even so, to be honest I think my ears aren’t as good as they used to be. Younger people tell me there’s noise on the track and I can’t hear it. My ears have gotten worse with age, but I still have my intuition. And my visual judgement has actually improved. Just by changing the angle I can see where there’s a scratch, or where the needle might jump. That’s probably thanks to experience.

Wakabayashi: I’m 29. I started working here about three years ago.

Ishimaru: I’m 69. I’ve actually retired once (laughs). I’ve been working here for 47 years.

Ishimaru: I saw the factory in the 70s when record production was at its height. Back then each worker had to run two machines. There was a day shift and a night shift. I pressed copies of Swim, Taiyaki! (1975 children’s song and best-selling single of all time in Japan) when it came out. When record sales went down, I thought we were finished. Then they made a comeback and now they won’t let me quit (laughs).

Ishimaru: There are three of us you could call “long-timers.” The youngest is 67, and we’ve all retired but we can’t quit. There is absolutely no one here in their mid-forties, fifties, or mid-sixties. So we’re trying to train our successors.

Wakabayashi: In a sense, I was lucky to get hired here when I did, so I want to keep learning all the skills from everyone who’s been here longer, and try to achieve even higher quality than before. Of course I want to preserve record culture, but I also want to contribute to the music culture via the records we make.