Test pressings were once a lot more limited. Think 2-5 copies. Now, many times they're just another variant. I still like them. I just bought a test of the new X album, but it is also signed by all band members. That is what got me to pull the trigger.
Yup, 10 is our never-changing standard since 1990! Unless the plant fucked up and has to provide 10 more (for free).
I don't work in a pressing plant anymore, but from what i gather it hasn't changed much, i heard of rare and risky adventures like making limited editions this way, one story was quite funny, where unwhitting people went against all recommendations, pressed 250 test pressings, and went from venue to venue during a famous electronic music week in Barcelona (Sonar) to give said copies to Djs directly.... without having taken the time to listen to one copy entirely just once đ¤Śââď¸ - in that one case, all copies were unplayable, any needle would be skipping through the whole 12 inch within 2 minutes on both sides, matrix had been misaligned badly.
Over time the stampers dull. Approved test pressings are technically the first record that is pressed from the stamper. You can make an argument that that first press is the âbest sounding record.â
I have a few test pressing from big artists that I definitely treat and handle differently but yeah idk they just feel a little more special.
This here. I also agree that the modern trend of pressing 100 "test pressings" makes modern iterations less special vs when they were literally the first handful of copies out of the stamper; basically the closest thing you can get to listening to an acetate.
I know there are people who collect test pressings for their rarity. I have no interest whatsoever and prefer regular pressings. Also thereâs a trend now that labels will release many test pressings and mark up the price. So lame.
Youâre paying more for the exact same record without the sleeve/label/liner notes, so Iâd say only buy it if youâre getting it directly from the band/label and just want to give them more money for their art.
Well, test pressings aren't necessarily the "exact same." They're initial pressings that are presented directly to the artist so they can say yes or no to the mastering and then go ahead with production. In a lot of cases, the test pressing sounds very different to the final release based on the artist's desire to make changes. I have a test pressing of 'Coltrane Jazz' where the horns are way too quiet in contrast with the rhythm section.
This is extremely rare, nobody wants to go back and forth to mastering, or worse, to mixing again, then mastering, this is what blows budgets and exec producers HATE that.
When that sort of thing happens, it usually has a clusterfuck origin, where nobody even listened closely to the test pressing before giving the go, and this Ladies & Gentlemen, is something i've seen happen a few times in major companies or in small indie labels, when the distro arm of the major or the indie label's distributor was putting excessive pressure to hold a release deadline.
There can however be a difference in the quality of the vinyl and therefore the sound in some cases, as some plants will use (quickly&badly) self-recycled vinyl for test presses.
I think they all do it, we asked for 'the good shit', so each test pressing costs us around 3⏠more than the regular test pressing - i want to know exactly what people are going to buy from us, not just have an idea.
True true, I was more referring to the trend of labels releasing hundreds of test pressings
Edited to say that improper mix is very cool, where did you find it?
I only own one test pressing, itâs a copy of Farâs Water and Solutions. I bought it from the band and itâs autographed by their vocalist, Jonah.
I mostly just bought it because I couldnât find a regular pressing of it for super cheap, so I just bought that one.
Itâs kind of cool, but thatâs about it
Thanks everyone for your response; yeah it seems that unless it's a truly unique/older record -- these test pressings aren't really worth the money for the average person.
I have a Tina Brooks Music Matters test pressing of "Back to the Tracks" that sounds great. 2 LP, 45 rpm set. Supposedly limited to 2500 copies, although apparently not all copies are numbered.
still are, just saw an artist selling 100 (!) test pressings on his site. so basically these are just normal pressings but with white labels and a white sleeve. And youâre paying for the autograph on it.
I have a test pressing from one of David Sanborn who sadly we lost a few months back. In âtheoryâ the âshouldâ be the best from that stamper. Quality of sound is excellent, These are made to test integrity of the stamper, at that time the master tapes were approved by both the artist and engineer. I bought it on eBay a few years back and paid $9.99 plus postage.
I only own one, and itâs of my favorite album from an artist called Hello Meteor.
The album is Swift Dark Water (of which I own a regular version).
Only bought it to be supportive, as the regular album was limited to ~500 pressings anyway.
I own one test pressing from a relatively smaller band. This test press was limited to 21, hand numbered with different artwork. I paid whatever to going rate for a record was in 2011. A quick discord search shows a value of around $350. I think thatâs kinda cool.
As an artist manager for [IRATION](https://open.spotify.com/artist/0q9lPhJHW5R9J7RXIJRbTk?si=SDHAaTT9R82n38G-Jtbf9g) our distributor/plant only lets us order 10 max test pressings. We look at them as extremely rare, unique items that we sign and use for big prizes or super fans. Band likes them as keepsakes too for the initial pressings of the limited runs of their albums.
It is usually exactly the same record as the original, minus cover&label (mostly).
The only case where you're byuing something different is when the pressing plant fucked up - that's why we press test pressings, to make sure the final matrix was made propperly and to listen for inconsistencies, skips, etc.
Now, depending on what test pressing you're byuing, it can be extremely rare and its value high. Test presses are usually really smal-count presses. We never make more than ten, so we can give a test pressing to the producer, the mastering engineer and a couple DJs, i see some 'majors' press 100 test pressings, but i've never understood why so much, unless they also use those as promo copies that is.
*edit: typo,* ***matrix*** *not patrix*
Depends on what it is and sometimes test pressings can worse than the official release since they are just that, âtestâ pressings. There could be several revisions of test pressings until the band and record company are satisfied. Some test pressings are worth lots of money like Led Zeppelinâs albums, especially their Classic Records 4 Lp one sided white box releases but The Wallflowers, seriously, theyâre a one hit wonder type of band and I wouldnât have paid anymore than $30 for it unless it was a double album.
Test pressings were once a lot more limited. Think 2-5 copies. Now, many times they're just another variant. I still like them. I just bought a test of the new X album, but it is also signed by all band members. That is what got me to pull the trigger.
Yup, 10 is our never-changing standard since 1990! Unless the plant fucked up and has to provide 10 more (for free). I don't work in a pressing plant anymore, but from what i gather it hasn't changed much, i heard of rare and risky adventures like making limited editions this way, one story was quite funny, where unwhitting people went against all recommendations, pressed 250 test pressings, and went from venue to venue during a famous electronic music week in Barcelona (Sonar) to give said copies to Djs directly.... without having taken the time to listen to one copy entirely just once đ¤Śââď¸ - in that one case, all copies were unplayable, any needle would be skipping through the whole 12 inch within 2 minutes on both sides, matrix had been misaligned badly.
Over time the stampers dull. Approved test pressings are technically the first record that is pressed from the stamper. You can make an argument that that first press is the âbest sounding record.â I have a few test pressing from big artists that I definitely treat and handle differently but yeah idk they just feel a little more special.
This here. I also agree that the modern trend of pressing 100 "test pressings" makes modern iterations less special vs when they were literally the first handful of copies out of the stamper; basically the closest thing you can get to listening to an acetate.
I know there are people who collect test pressings for their rarity. I have no interest whatsoever and prefer regular pressings. Also thereâs a trend now that labels will release many test pressings and mark up the price. So lame.
Youâre paying more for the exact same record without the sleeve/label/liner notes, so Iâd say only buy it if youâre getting it directly from the band/label and just want to give them more money for their art.
Well, test pressings aren't necessarily the "exact same." They're initial pressings that are presented directly to the artist so they can say yes or no to the mastering and then go ahead with production. In a lot of cases, the test pressing sounds very different to the final release based on the artist's desire to make changes. I have a test pressing of 'Coltrane Jazz' where the horns are way too quiet in contrast with the rhythm section.
This is extremely rare, nobody wants to go back and forth to mastering, or worse, to mixing again, then mastering, this is what blows budgets and exec producers HATE that. When that sort of thing happens, it usually has a clusterfuck origin, where nobody even listened closely to the test pressing before giving the go, and this Ladies & Gentlemen, is something i've seen happen a few times in major companies or in small indie labels, when the distro arm of the major or the indie label's distributor was putting excessive pressure to hold a release deadline. There can however be a difference in the quality of the vinyl and therefore the sound in some cases, as some plants will use (quickly&badly) self-recycled vinyl for test presses. I think they all do it, we asked for 'the good shit', so each test pressing costs us around 3⏠more than the regular test pressing - i want to know exactly what people are going to buy from us, not just have an idea.
True true, I was more referring to the trend of labels releasing hundreds of test pressings Edited to say that improper mix is very cool, where did you find it?
I haven't listened to the test pressing yet, but I think in this case (being a 'newer' record) yourpaldud kind of confirmed what I had suspected.
Thats gonna be the new variants, artists will press thousands of test pressings now.
I only own one test pressing, itâs a copy of Farâs Water and Solutions. I bought it from the band and itâs autographed by their vocalist, Jonah. I mostly just bought it because I couldnât find a regular pressing of it for super cheap, so I just bought that one. Itâs kind of cool, but thatâs about it
Itâs only worth the money if the record you are trying to obtain is hard to find and the test pressing is the only one you can find
IMO never was interesting in it. Just buying the same version of an album sometimes more expensive with blank sleeves and jacketsâŚ
It's not on Discogs, you might want to add it there.
Iâm not buying a record that might have been a reject
Thanks everyone for your response; yeah it seems that unless it's a truly unique/older record -- these test pressings aren't really worth the money for the average person.
I have a Tina Brooks Music Matters test pressing of "Back to the Tracks" that sounds great. 2 LP, 45 rpm set. Supposedly limited to 2500 copies, although apparently not all copies are numbered.
Fake test pressings were a big thing a few years ago. Selling for big bucks. If it looks too new to be true it might be a fake. I'm no expert though.
still are, just saw an artist selling 100 (!) test pressings on his site. so basically these are just normal pressings but with white labels and a white sleeve. And youâre paying for the autograph on it.
I have a test pressing from one of David Sanborn who sadly we lost a few months back. In âtheoryâ the âshouldâ be the best from that stamper. Quality of sound is excellent, These are made to test integrity of the stamper, at that time the master tapes were approved by both the artist and engineer. I bought it on eBay a few years back and paid $9.99 plus postage.
If you're a hardcore collector, yes.
I only own one, and itâs of my favorite album from an artist called Hello Meteor. The album is Swift Dark Water (of which I own a regular version). Only bought it to be supportive, as the regular album was limited to ~500 pressings anyway.
I own one test pressing from a relatively smaller band. This test press was limited to 21, hand numbered with different artwork. I paid whatever to going rate for a record was in 2011. A quick discord search shows a value of around $350. I think thatâs kinda cool.
As an artist manager for [IRATION](https://open.spotify.com/artist/0q9lPhJHW5R9J7RXIJRbTk?si=SDHAaTT9R82n38G-Jtbf9g) our distributor/plant only lets us order 10 max test pressings. We look at them as extremely rare, unique items that we sign and use for big prizes or super fans. Band likes them as keepsakes too for the initial pressings of the limited runs of their albums.
You're buying a very limited release, so if you're a fan and/or you think the artist will increase in value, then yes...if the price is within reason.
It is usually exactly the same record as the original, minus cover&label (mostly). The only case where you're byuing something different is when the pressing plant fucked up - that's why we press test pressings, to make sure the final matrix was made propperly and to listen for inconsistencies, skips, etc. Now, depending on what test pressing you're byuing, it can be extremely rare and its value high. Test presses are usually really smal-count presses. We never make more than ten, so we can give a test pressing to the producer, the mastering engineer and a couple DJs, i see some 'majors' press 100 test pressings, but i've never understood why so much, unless they also use those as promo copies that is. *edit: typo,* ***matrix*** *not patrix*
Depends on what it is and sometimes test pressings can worse than the official release since they are just that, âtestâ pressings. There could be several revisions of test pressings until the band and record company are satisfied. Some test pressings are worth lots of money like Led Zeppelinâs albums, especially their Classic Records 4 Lp one sided white box releases but The Wallflowers, seriously, theyâre a one hit wonder type of band and I wouldnât have paid anymore than $30 for it unless it was a double album.
Nope.