The Syd Lawrence Orchestra | Big Band Spectacular

Optimal Media, located in Germany, is a media producer. About 20 years ago, Optimal decided to open a vinyl record pressing plant, which today has the capacity to press more than 25 million records annually. The combination of printing and disc pressing allows Optimal to produce high quality box sets such as the Beatles mono box set, among others.

To make a direct-to-disc recording, musicians typically play a 15-minute "live" set in a studio for each side. During the performance, the analog record cutting head engages the main lacquer from which the sides of an LP record are ultimately derived. Technically, direct-to-disc recording is supposed to allow for more accurate and less noisy recording through the elimination of up to four generations of master tapes.