Current VP vinyls OFF CENTERED ISSUES

[vlad]

Ordered a bunch, re-issues and recent stuff. One side always off-centered, quite significantly. So be warned. Although I like the nice prices, I prefer to pay a bit more and have both sides well centered. Music is really affected by off centered records...

[rudeboi99]

Thank you for the heads up.

[99thfloor]

Ordered a bunch, re-issues and recent stuff. One side always off-centered, quite significantly.

Could you give some examples of what titles these are, especially the recent ones, as I was looking at some of the compilations where the LP have tracks not on the CD (like Gussie Clarke *From The Foundation*)?

[vlad]

So far:

Destroys the Space Invaders LP
Etana I Rise LP
In The Light Dub LP
In The Light LP

On side always OK, other side always off centered enough to be audibly distorting the music.

Am cutting out the centers so I can reposition the record. Hate doing that. Hesitating to order more titles... Anyone else experiencing this issue?

[99thfloor]

Thanks. I have read elsewhere that the the *In The Light Dub* pressing was bad in other respects too, rough looking, or something like that.

It seems strange that several pressings should be off-center in exactly the same way. Since it is a manual process (as far as I know) I can't understand how that would happen systematically like that?

[Gabranth]

I don't think it's a manual process. I'm quite sure a machine in a factory does it. So it would actually make sense that not just one or two records have the same problem.

But that doesn't make it better. VP really should tell his customers about this and give at least a 2 dollar discount or something.

[99thfloor]

I don't think it's a manual process. I'm quite sure a machine in a factory does it.

A machine does the actual pressing of course, but the centering of the stamper is done by an operator, I don't know how a machine could do that. So off-center pressings are caused by carelessness.

See here: http://youtu.be/IReDh9ec_rk?t=1m30s

[vlad]

Like most things manufactured, there probably are different levels of automation, and machinery, across the industry, to perform the various tasks required. Anyway, VP makes an explicit claim that they don't reimburse/guarentee vinyls (I bought direct from VP):

"All vinyl sales are final and non-returnable. We can not guarantee the quality of vinyl, nor can we guarantee that a particular 7" or LP was properly pressed."

http://www.vpreggae.com/shipping-returns/

[99thfloor]

Like most things manufactured, there probably are different levels of automation, and machinery, across the industry, to perform the various tasks required.

Actually there aren't different ways to press records, the process has always been the same. There really isn't any "across the industry" to speak of either, since there are very few pressing plants operating nowadays, and this might be part the reason for quality issues. The few plants that exist are overloaded with work and therefore probably cut corners. The machines they use are also old and maybe worn out so that tolerances are too big (mounting the stamper wrong on a worn out machine might be a cause as well as not centering the stamper hole). Many people that buy vinyl nowadays either don't care about the quality of the records, or in many cases don't play them at all, so the plants get away with inferior product in a way they would not have in the past.

Anyway, VP makes an explicit claim that they don't reimburse/guarentee vinyls (I bought direct from VP):

"All vinyl sales are final and non-returnable. We can not guarantee the quality of vinyl, nor can we guarantee that a particular 7" or LP was properly pressed."

They do have a point here, since it is the pressing plant making these mistakes, so it's out of their control, but they are still responsible for selling the faulty product. This lack of quality control is not exclusive to VP, this is the way records are made nowadays, in a hurry by inexperienced personnel that lack knowledge of the record making process.

It would be interesting to know where VP's records are pressed? I don't have any recent pressings, does the dead wax give any clues?

[99thfloor]

From looking at information on Discogs, it seems that all the above mentioned LPs are pressed at MPO (a French plant), so they would be the "culprits" here.

As far as I know they are an old pressing plant that have been running continuously, and not a business that was started up again by "newbies" with the vinyl resurgence, so a bit surprising, but I guess with inevitable personnel changes important experience is lost and quality control can slip.