Doca Vinyl - Service de pressage de vinyle en Suisse
Doca Vinyl - Service de pressage de vinyle en Suisse

Vinyl pressing service in Switzerland

What We Offer

Pressing of 12 inch (140g) black records, 33 or 45 rpm.

Doca Vinyl takes care of your order from A to Z. We offer a quality finished product. Cutting and electroplating studios provide upstream manufacturing of the stamper needed for pressing. Mastering can also be provided upon specific request

Doca Vinyl offers different kinds of sleeves, inner sleeves and center labels.

Steps prior to pressing your vinyl records:
  1. Deliver mastering adapted to vinyl support.
  2. Deliver audio files in WAV and AIFF format with specification of the total duration of the audio per side (silence included between songs or not), 33rpm or 45rpm.
  3. Deliver the graphic files for the cover and the center labels.
  4. Download the Suisa pressing authorization form.
  5. Request and acceptance of the quote.
  6. Payment of the order.
  7. Confirmation of acceptance of the order by Doca Vinyl.
  8. Submission by you to Suisa of the duly completed and signed pressing authorization form approximately 10 days before the pressing

Manufacturing Process

Mastering

The process begins with mastering in the recording studio. The files must be adapted to the final vinyl support in order to avoid all kinds of problems such as distortion. The most common formats are WAV or AIFF. Compressed data and other transcoded files (mp3, mp4, etc.) should be avoided because of the losses they cause.

Reading time per side:

  • 12″ 33 rpm – max. 22 minutes
  • 12″ 45 rpm – max. 15 minutes

Cutting (engraving)

During this phase, the audio file is transcribed by engraving using a specific needle on a layer of lacquer applied on an aluminum disc. This disc is called a lacquer.

Electroplating

After thorough cleaning, a thin layer of liquid silver is applied to the lacquer. This is then immersed in a galvanic bath in which a layer of nickel is applied on the support by electrolysis.

The nickel plate thus formed is detached from the lacquer when its thickness is deemed sufficient. This plate is therefore the negative of one side of the final disc. It is then preformed and adapted to press moulds.

Pressing

We press with a Toolex Alpha Delta 12 automatic machine from 1979. The settings of the machines must be adjusted for each pressing.

Records are made out of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), center labels are affixed to the disc at this stage. As soon as the record is pressed, its edges are trimmed. Offcuts and excess or poorly formed records are reintegrated into the production cycle after reprocessing at 10% of the aggregate mixture, which contributes to a reduction in plasticized waste. The records thus produced must now be left to rest for 24 hours before conditioning.

Conditioning

The record is now slipped into the inner sleeve, then into the cover before being cellophane wrapped and put in cardboard for distribution.

The Workshop

This workshop located in Champagne in the North of Vaud was first devoted to the maintenance and repair of motorcycles.

Boule, an experienced and passionate technician recognized in the world of motor sports, worked there. After some rearrangements, we adapted it to its new function, namely the pressing of vinyl records!

Its privileged geographical location allows it to reach both French-speaking and German-speaking Switzerland.

The outbuildings of the workshop can also be fitted out in order to offer a new regional cultural place.

Calculate the price

If you are a member of our association, you can fill out our online calculator to find out the costs of pressing your custom vinyls. The pressing takes place in Switzerland in our workshop in Champagne!

About us

Doca Vinyl is a cultural association created in 2018. It evolves in close collaboration with other cultural and professional entities related to the needs of the vinyl record pressing activity and promotes innovation in this field of activity.

It supports the return of the vinyl support and participates in the promotion of the local music scene and the discovery of its diversity, its quality, as well as its originality.

Having the opportunity to materialize a musical project is the dream of many musicians. We intend therefore to offer the independent music scene quality local pressing.

By operating this vinyl press, we wish to create synergies with the entire regional cultural scene and its multiple artistic components. The association also aims simply to contribute to the development of local social life.

And last but not least, contributing to the return to Switzerland of professions related to vinyl support can be considered as an accomplishment worthy of the well-understood general interest!

FAQ

No, at the moment we only produce 12″ black vinyl records.

By pressing on the “Create your vinyl” button on the home page of our website which allows access to the quote order form.

We respond to requests from 100 copies, so as to serve customers wishing to press small quantities.

It takes about three months from the time of acceptance of the quote and payment of the order.

In all cases, the cost of the pair of stampers is used for the entire series. On the other hand, the quantities of PVC, cardboard and energy required to press a record remain essentially the same regardless of the size of the series.

Vinyl records should be stored away from direct exposure to sunlight and, as far as possible, in a place with constant temperature and humidity.

The primary intention is the faithful reproduction on vinyl of the master recording (audio file). Therefore, the master sent by the customer must sound exactly as he wants to hear his music on vinyl.

This means that the mastering process and the manufacturing of the pair of stampers must be carried out taking into account the specificities of the vinyl support. Therefore, we strongly recommend hiring the services of a sound engineer for an optimal final result.

If the recording time exceeds the usual limits, a drop in sound volume compared to the audio source may occur. Kinds of unpleasant “jumps” in the music may also appear. Doca Vinyl cannot guarantee the quality of the recording when the duration exceeds commonly accepted limits.

Yes, as well as in all other cases, Doca Vinyl requires its customers to submit signed documents.

SUISA form

302 / 5 000 Résultats de traduction Any use of extracts from compositions other than those of the client, regardless of their duration, nature or quantity, is only accepted by Doca Vinyl upon production of express authorization from the beneficiary(ies) of the said extracts, authorization also issued by Suisa.

SUISA form

Doca Vinyl manually and visually checks each record as it comes out of production. Audio tests are then carried out randomly on the basis of a ratio of approximately one record out of thirty. Any error observed by customers can of course be reported to Doca Vinyl.

Of course, we recommend handling the records with care, always holding them by the edge and only removing them from their sleeves for listening.

If the center labels do not have the indications Side A and Side B, Doca Vinyl cannot be held responsible for any problems of mismatch.

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our gratitude and send a big thank you to all the people who, from near or far, have contributed to the implementation of this magnificent vinyl record pressing project in Switzerland!

– Doca Vinyl Team