If we wanted to be super-clear, here's a mini-glossary:
Release scuff occurs when, either because of horns or a molding-related issue, like flash slipping out of a gripper, too much flash, flexing stamper, record take-out moving around when the press opens, wet labels, bad centre-plate, not enough steam delay and many other possible reasons, the record slaps back against the stamper when the press opens. The release scuff may or may not sound - it depends if it just happens to be on the land and whether the track is very loud through that area. Generally, it's something you want to fix, which, sometimes, means polishing the mother on very loud sides. This obviously isn't necessary with DMM sides as the copper, while amorphous, doesn't ride up like lacquer as the chip separates.
Separation damage occurs when either the father slaps the mother during part separation after plating or the same thing happens to the stamper. If it's a two step (again, referring to lacquers since DMM is a mother) then the father is the stamper and the separation damage may or may not be audible - like to be audible with, say, a Van Den Hull stylus or something like that. If the mother has separation damage and it's all on the land, it may not look nice, but if it doesn't sound, it will probably be okay to run. If it's a three step, you might want to make another mother if there's no safety (and with run sizes what they are today, doesn't anyone still make safety mothers?) If the stamper has separation damage, it will appear as "stitching" at the bottom of the groove. That stamper should be tossed.
Non-fill can be caused by a goodly number of factors or factors in combination. Horns can cause non-fill. Too slow of a squeeze, material too hot, too cold, skinning, a draft on the bisquit cup (!), bisquit not centering in the press, not enough slow-squeeze pressure, wet labels (white non-fill at the ID areas), material too hard, material too soft, zones out of balance, leaking condensate - it goes on and on. Non-fill will sound like "frrrippp" in one channel similar to separation damage but sep damage will be at the bottom of the groove and more likely to be heard in both or one or the other channel. Since material is missing from where the stylus is trying to play, and since it's right at the land-groove juncture, it's very unlikely that a loud section will cover it up. Since it's variable from piece to piece, one can't just sample a few and make a decision - each piece has to be QC'ed through the non-fill area and the problem has to be corrected.
Yup, if you're anal retentive like me, then vinyl pressing is the business for you.
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Topic: Foo Fighters vinyl & the art of the flat transfer (Read 21579 times)