Hand Drawn to Open New Vinyl Record Pressing Facility, Fall 2016
WARM TONE: World’s-first Automated Record Presses in Over 30 Years
Since breaking the news about our upcoming pressing plant, Hand Drawn Pressing, we have been inundated with questions about the facility and presses. We are thrilled about all of the excitement — especially here in North Texas — and we will work hard to keep you updated as systems continue to be put in place and the pressing begins.
In the meantime, here's a small collection of photos of both our facility (coming to Addison, Texas) and our Warm Tone presses (manufactured in Toronto, Canada).
HAND DRAWN PRESSING: (Pre-Build Out Photos) Facility to Open Fall 2016
WARM TONE by Viryl Tech
"(Hand Drawn Pressing) has signed on to buy new vinyl presses built by Viryl Technologies ... with a target of pressing about 1 million records a year; this would not be remarkable if it weren’t for the fact that only 15 to 20 plants are operational stateside." -PITCHFORK
Photos by Dylan Liaster, Courtesy Viryl Technologies 2016
ABOUT WARM TONE:
The Warm Tone is the first fully automatic and modernized record press in over 30 years. Engineered by Viryl Technologies (Toronto, Canada) the Warm Tone is designed with faster cycle times, improved workflow features, less wasted PVC, less manual intervention, and reduced power consumption. It is equipped with Viryl Technologies’ state-of-the-art A.D.A.P.T. platform that has the capability to pull data from every key part of the pressing process.
The Warm Tone is the most innovative record press to reach the market in record pressing history and is designed to promote uptime and sustain future vinyl growth. - Viryl Tech
Photos not enough? See the Warm Tone prototype in action (VIDEO):
VINYL RECORDS MADE HERE
"...Hand Drawn Pressing, potentially, one of, if not the most, productive vinyl-manufacturing facilities in the country." -Fort Worth Star Telegram
MORE ABOUT HAND DRAWN PRESSING
Hand Drawn Pressing initially launched in 2014 as a vinyl brokerage service, aiming to simplify the ordering process by offering musicians pre-defined packages, each containing all the necessary components of a vinyl record album, says Dustin Blocker, the founder and current Chief Creative Officer of Hand Drawn Records. “We want to encourage more artists to consider pressing vinyl, but without all the hassle,” Blocker says. “Musicians want to focus on playing their instruments and connecting with fans, not learning all the nuances of the vinyl record manufacturing process.”
Blocker developed the idea for Hand Drawn Pressing after his own agonizing experience trying to order vinyl records for his band. “It was a confusing process and took at least 20 hours of my time,” he says. To add more business acumen to his bench, Blocker invited friend Alex Cushing to help build and lead the new service. Cushing, who serves as the division’s Chief Operating Officer, has over 20 years of experience in brand management.
“We have taken the best possible combination of distinctive packaging and product and put them into clearly priced bundles with literally nothing hidden,” explains Cushing. “Our packages will provide artists with ground-breaking additions and premium quality as the standard, not the extra.”
