-edible zone-
(hint: click thumbnail for full size image)
above: a yellow on black Parlophone label from 1965
PMC1230 A Hard Day's Night, Mono Mix 1st Pressing
PMC1267 Rubber Soul; Mono Mix 2nd Pressing
PCS 7027 Sgt. Peppers; Stereo Mix 1st
Pressing
PMC 7027 Sgt. Peppers; Mono
Mix 1st Pressing
PMC 7009 Revolver:
Mono Mix 2nd Pressing
Decoding the UK EMI matrix:
At 6 o clock is the matrix number with a dash number. In this case
it is XEX 638-1
Dash 1 indicates the 1st lacquer made. -2 would be
the second, etc.
At 9 o clock is the mother number. In this case
it is Mother # 8
At 3 o clock is the stamper code. The code works
like this:
GRAMOPHLTD
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
The letter above is code for
the corresponding number below. Example: the stamper code is "MDP" in
the record below. This corresponds to the numbers M = 4. D = 0. P = 6.
Stamper is #406
Example above: side 2 was made by the 1st lacquer, the 8th mother and
pressed by the 406th stamper. Perhaps the record company could
anticipate total sales volume and, up front, they might produce all the
needed lacquers, mothers and stampers. Or perhaps at a later date, the
record company would need to produce additional lacquers and mothers in
order to meet customer demand for the product. In the case of The
Beatles, millions of LPs were typically sold within the early weeks of
production and, during the years after that, millions more were produced
as 2nd, 3rd and later pressings.
How records are / were
made, very briefly.
An audio recording was taken of a performance,
likely on magnetic tape. A "master" tape.
A lacquer / acetate is
generated when the cutting lathe transcribes the performance from the
master tape onto the acetate disk.
The acetate/lacquer is given a
thin coating of silver, then a layer of nickel, then copper.
The
metal coating, once peeled off the acetate, is called the Master. The
Master taken from the acetate is the reverse profile of it and has
ridges instead of grooves. In order to obtain a playable mold, the
master is used to make another mold, called the "mother"
Stampers,
molded from "mothers" are used to press heated vinyl into the final
form.