When it comes to mastering music for vinyl records, one encounters different schools of thought. Part of the reason for this is that vinyl records predated the formats of CD and mp3, then fell out of popularity, and now they’re back in a big way. Consequently, many artists will record an album and mix it for CD and digital release, adding vinyl records as an afterthought and/or promotional gimmick.
While some will tell you that most of today’s major commercial albums follow exactly that path, using the same CD master for the vinyl release, many will also tell you that vinyl records require their own special master. The reason behind this is that too much clipping (unintentional distortion from the recording/mixing process) or bass can cause the needle to leave the record’s groove, causing the music to skip when the record is played.
Artists should take care to be sure that their masters they intend to use for vinyl records do not have such an effect when the record is played, especially after “The Loudness Wars”, which have resulted in louder masters and extra clipping. Independent artists that cannot afford expensive engineering may be particularly susceptible to this. However, even major artists’ records have been released on virtually unplayable vinyl.
You should be sure to get a test pressing of your record, and try it out on a few different record players at loud volumes, playing it all the way through and making sure it plays clearly and continuously. Also be aware that there is DeClipping Software bundled within the latest versions of Audacity and Audition. These will remove some of the sound from your mix, and will make the mix quieter. Vinyl records and cassettes often tend to carry a little more of the bass or low-end at the expense of the treble, so this is another related concern to bear in mind when preparing an album for vinyl record release.
A Couple of Conflicting Articles on the Issue of Vinyl Mastering:
http://productionadvice.co.uk/vinyl-mastering/
http://www.soundonsound.com/sound-advice/q-how-does-mastering-differ-vinyl-and-digital-releases
