It is not always advisable to eliminate frequencies or stereo content in the master already in the digital domain. In fact, only the person cutting the master lacquers can evaluate, during the process, some electrical and physical evidences which may suggest whether some corrections are necessary, or not.

To customers who have the time and inclination, we always offer the opportunity to attend — by appointment — the cutting of their master, and of course to listen to the result before proceeding to the actual final cut.

It is therefore good practice to provide a well-balanced master that is not overly compromised, neither in frequencies nor in stereo.

According to our experience, the dynamic range that enhances the qualities of the vinyl cut ranges from -10 to -15dB RMS (rock/pop/r'n'b/electronic music). In jazz and classical music, the dynamic range is often less compressed, and it is a very personal choice of the producer.

3 things to avoid:

• dynamic range over 60dB (remember that a record's dynamic range varies between 55 and 65dB)
• excessive headroom in the file (it is not functional to the cutting process and penalises the D/A conversion);
• wrongly biased channels

Our interventions:

• HPF at 35Hz (always)
• LPF a 17kHz (always)
• when necessary, we apply an elliptical filter centred on a frequency that can vary from 150 to 400Hz, depending on the variation in groove depth that is found, the stereo differences between the two channels in that frequency range, the duration of the side, and other parameters;
• when necessary, as an alternative to the elliptical filter, we sometimes use an M/S EQ to suppress only the "side" of a more limited frequency range;
• when necessary, we apply a slight de-esser, or we slightly limit — dynamically — the current supplied to the coils of the cutterhead, to prevent certain peaks in the mid/high frequencies from generating a groove that is too jagged or with a very high radius of curvature. This could indeed cause distortion during playback.