My act is somewhat nostalgic, and I just purchased a record player ... I want to open my manipulation act by putting the needle to the vinyl. I can of course just mime this as I press play on the cassette, but I was thinking it'd be really awesome to get my music pressed onto an actual record.

Soo ... any options to press your own record? Don't need it mass produced, I need a cheap DIY option. Someone point me in the right direction here ... I don't even know what research to do.

-JoeJoe

Not cheap.. or do it yourself.. but they seem to be the only game in town to do it..

http://www.customrecords.com/custom_made......ord.html

http://www.customrecords.com/

not cheap, but possible
bob

I found this company:

http://www.customrecords.com/

Record lathes show up on the big auction site now and then. You cut the groove with these not press the record.
MR

"one off vinyl" ... that's what I needed to search for! Thanks guys.

I found meeprecords.com ... only $10 for a single side on a clear plastic square flexi disc ... I remember these from when they dropped them in cereal boxes. Don't sound as good as vinyl, won't last as long, but great price - too good to pass up really.

Tomorrow I'm hitting the flea market in hopes of finding some good vinyl! They claim analog is superior to digital, I'm about to test that theory.

-JoeJoe

Dan Sylvester makes "appearing records" they look good.

Joe, I have a routine where I use the same effect. I actually use a little record player from my childhood. I actually place the record onto the player and put the needle onto the record. I have to time this with my minidisc cue, so the audience is actually hearing the sound through the pa system via the minidisc. The sound on the record player is horrible, so using it to actually play the record is not optional anyway. I wanted an instrumental version of the song for my m routine to ad some complicated sound fx into the song too, so I had to modify the recording. Having said that, this is what I did:

I recorded the actual sound from the record played on the little old record player....needle being placed on, pops and cracks, and finally the lo-fidelity recording of the song. Then I dubbed in a hi-fi, instrumental version of the same song and slowly cross-faded it in over the lo-fi recording. So, I get the sound of the old record player, but it fades away to the hi-fi version. This is exactly what I was shooting for in my routine because I am talking about my childhood, and my desire to grow up and become a magician, and as I begin the magic routine that reality sets in as the music of old fades away into a modern sound as I began the choreographed routine.

It works great for me, and the pops and cracks at the beginning make it really easy to time the music with the placing of the needle. By the way, my little record player actually works, and I really place the needle on, etc. It is turning and everything, but mine has a switch that kills the sound, so there is really silent.

Playing around with this, I think I'm going to open the show by placing a record on the record player and then pressing play on the CD ... I had downloaded a WinAmp plugin to make a song sound like it is being played on a record player, but ruled against degrading the quality of sound.

I like the idea of adding some pops and crackles to the beginning then fading to the high quality version - thanks!

-JoeJoe

With a pre-recorded song, you also have the luxury of adding needle scratches, record skips, etc., if it fits the routine. But more importantly, you avoid them happening when you don't want them.

Of course.. This is the greatest record player bit

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/cc038c7......ufmanfan

I don't know if the software is available any more however, Cool edit pro has everything you need to make a sound file sound like a record with out ruining quality. I think the Cool Edit was purchased by Adobe and is now something else. The old software still works great for me. Try searching for it on the web and see what you find.