I spent last Thursday at a pressing plant in Melbourne, watching the entire vinyl production process from lacquer cutting to finished record. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for years, and the timing felt right given all the debates we’ve been having about modern pressing quality.

The short answer? It’s complicated.

The Return of Vinyl Manufacturing

When vinyl demand started climbing again around 2015, most of the old pressing plants were long gone. The equipment had been scrapped or was gathering dust in warehouses. New plants had to source used machinery from wherever they could find it, often refurbishing presses that hadn’t run in decades.

The plant I visited has six presses. Three are from the 1970s, completely rebuilt. Two are from the 1980s, and one is a modern hydraulic press built in 2021. The difference between them is noticeable even to someone like me watching from the sidelines.

Where Modern Pressings Fall Short

The most common complaint I hear about new vinyl is surface noise. That light crackle on what should be silent passages. According to the engineer I spoke with, this often comes down to two factors: vinyl compound quality and cooling time.

Modern plants are under pressure to produce volume. A record that should cool for 30 seconds might get 20. That’s enough to prevent warping, but not quite enough for the grooves to fully set. The result is a slightly rougher surface that picks up more noise.

The vinyl compound itself has also changed. The old formulas used additives that aren’t readily available anymore. Some were banned for environmental reasons, which is fair enough. But the replacements don’t always perform identically. There’s more trial and error involved than there used to be.

What’s Actually Better Now

Here’s what surprised me: the mastering process has improved significantly. Digital audio workstations give mastering engineers more control over the cut than they ever had in the analog-only era. They can preview exactly how the groove will look, adjust spacing, and optimise for the limitations of vinyl in ways that weren’t possible before.

Several independent labels I’ve worked with are getting consistently excellent results by choosing smaller pressing plants that prioritise quality over speed. These plants might have lower capacity, but they’re not cutting corners on cooling time or compound quality.

The plant I visited produces about 800 records per press per day. Larger operations can push that to 1,200 or more. But the quality difference is audible if you know what to listen for.

The Audiophile Market vs Everything Else

There’s essentially a two-tier market now. Audiophile pressings from labels like Mobile Fidelity or Analogue Productions are using premium vinyl, longer cooling times, and meticulous quality control. They sound exceptional, but they cost accordingly.

Standard commercial pressings from major labels can be hit or miss. I’ve bought recent reissues that sound great, and others with surface noise right out of the sleeve. Part of this is the plant lottery—the same album might be pressed at different facilities depending on timing and capacity.

What to Look For

If you’re buying new vinyl and care about quality, check where it was pressed. Plants like Optimal in Germany, Pallas, and RTI in the US have strong reputations for consistent quality. Many records now include this information in the runout groove etchings.

Also, pay attention to weight. 180-gram pressings aren’t automatically better, but they usually indicate that someone in the production chain was thinking about quality. They require more careful handling during production, which often correlates with better overall manufacturing standards.

Avoid “picture discs” and coloured vinyl if audio quality is your priority. These novelty formats almost always sacrifice sound quality for visual appeal. The compound used for colour mixing doesn’t perform as well acoustically as straight black vinyl.

The Human Element

What struck me most during the plant visit was how much still depends on human skill. The person running the press monitors each record as it comes off, checking for defects, adjusting temperatures and pressure in real time based on how the vinyl is behaving.

This isn’t a fully automated process. It’s still a craft, even with modern equipment. The plants that produce the best results are the ones investing in training and retaining experienced operators.

So yes, modern vinyl can absolutely match or exceed older pressings in quality. But it requires manufacturers to prioritise quality over maximum throughput, which doesn’t always happen in a market driven by demand and nostalgia.

The vinyl I bought at the plant that day—a test pressing of a local band’s upcoming release—sounds absolutely pristine. It’s proof that when the process is done right, modern manufacturing can deliver outstanding results.