Vinyl are becoming more popular as people desire physical music. We aim to make vinyls more accessible to the common music enthusiast.
This project will only be funded if at least $17,500 is pledged by .
Audio projects were common at our school, and an interest to print our works onto a vinyl record was quickly crushed by the lack of availability and accessibility to get a vinyl pressed for an appropriate price. We are a group of high school students who have noticed the inability for music enthusiasts to physically collect their musical collection at a reasonable price. Our intentions are to prototype a vinyl cutter and business model that would be available at a considerably lower price than what can be purchased as of now. The funds would contribute not only to the infrastructure necessary to machine certain parts of the cutter, allowing us to build in house rather than outsourcing, but also go towards materials to prototype and test the cutter. We aim to make the machine small and accessible for the home environment so that small artists and music enthusiasts alike can use it. We do not have a physical base for this project as of now, as we do not have the funds to create and build a prototype. We have ideas for the the project and have worked on developing CAD models as well as laying down the basics of the software and programming needed to make the cutter work.
Here are CAD visuals of the basic design of the project.
While the captions are not completely legible they describe the layout of the machine. Using a shapeoko CNC mill as the main cutter, we will use the CNC mill to prototype and maybe later go back and replace it with one more fitting to the size of the VInyl Records. Outside of that the main features are the stand alone computer unit that will be ran with an ODroid C2 and will drive the entire system. A nema 23 motor under the CNC will turn at 33 and a third rpm so that the programming on the CNC is more probable as there a lot less variables to consider. and lastly a mount system for a blank record so that it can be held firmly in place while being cut.. These are peerly CAD designs that hold the thoughtful ideas of our team and in hopes will become reality if this project is funded. When The project is successfully funded updates will begin being posted showing our progress bi weekly, showing both the physical and programming aspects of the project.
Eric
Kenneth
I've only recently begun listening to music. Up until my second year in high school, I thought the radio was obsolete and I didn't understand how everyone kept up to date on the latest tunes so I just didn't listen. Then I became friends with a music enthusiast who showed me what I was missing. I wouldn't be able to survive my 2 hour commute to school without the help of my Spotify playlist. After I graduate high school, I will be studying computer science and electrical engineering at Northwestern University. I have programming experience from working on many different side projects, such as apps and games, and Vex robotics.
Isaiah
Music has always been a part of my life. From piano to vocals, I have been exposed to different types of music for many years. However, it has always taken a backseat to activities such as baseball and tennis, which I am planning to play into college. Very recently, however, I have rekindled my passion for music and am casually playing guitar and piano. Vinyls are my favorite form for listening to music, so I hope that this project can take off so I can in the future record music and play it from the vintage vinyl sound. My father is a civil engineer and I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. I will be using the knowledge received throughout school and my mechanical skills to help create this project.
Alan
I’ve been playing music for my entire life, since I was 5 years old. Although it used to be a chore to practice, I’ve recently found that music is my passion. I love learning every instrument that I can get my hands on, and discovering new artists and genres is one of my favorite things to. As I’ve become more passionate about music, I’ve also become more interested in the field of audio engineering. This fall, I will be attending Berklee College of Music for a degree in Music Production and Engineering, and over the summer I will be able to contribute my knowledge on audio to the vinyl cutter project. I’m really excited to be involved in this project because of how it would benefit musical artists like myself, and make it easier to produce vinyl records, which are a super cool and fascinating medium for music.
Noah
Music has always held a very influential part of my life. Since I was a young child, my father would play a wide array of musical genres at any time possible in order to make me love and appreciate music as much as he does. Whether it was singing along to The Beatles in the car or dancing to the Jackson 5 through a tiny boom box, I have always had access to different mediums of music music that have influenced me as a musician and artistic individual. With the vinyl cutter project, I would be able to contribute my musical knowledge to a source of countless possibilities of musical and artistic influence.
We plan on creating a closed system to convert music files onto a vinyl record first by creating a programming system capable of such feats, and then also by utilizing and innovating on existing technology to create a machine capable of accurately cutting the grooves onto the vinyl. We will use Inventor 2016, a CAD program to virtually build and test our project to minimize waste to the best of our abilities. We have budgeted $17,500 which is a carefully laid out plan to ensure the success of the prototype on the smallest budget possible, while leaving a small cushion for error in the case that something happens. You can see it here
The budget outlines the parts we will need to complete infrastructure needed in the project, as well as the materials needed to physically build it, and necessary funds for fulfillment of the project. We are planning to use a shapeoko CNC mill as the main cutter. We hope to show this a a quciker and cheaper ways of cutting vinyls than previous methods. We are intending on using a +-0 tolerance engraver that will give us more than accurate enough cuts to get high quality sound
We hope to have funds by July 20th, in the case that the project is funded. We, however, intend on persisting throughout June to to improve our design as well as the programming so that funds when funds come in, we can go straight to building. Until July 20th we will be hard at work on the programming aspects of the project, CADding the project to perfection, and working on the audio aspects of the project. When funds arrive we will order all the parts and they will arrive by August 1st. Between August 1st and August 20th we will build and create a working prototype of the machine. We must take a break on the 20th as we move into college. We will begin again on September 5 and should have a functional vinyl cutter by October 15. Digital rewards will be distributed in August and the actual Vinyl records will be distributed by January 2017. With a functional vinyl cutter by the end of this we intend to create a business model where we would press vinyls for other people at a consistently cheaper price than the competition, as well as marketing our overall vinyl cutter design so that artists and music enthusiasts can print their own vinyls. However that will come after we build a functional prototype.
Programming: Converting an MP3, digital wave, into a mechanical wave on a vinyl record can and will prove to have its difficulties. The programming aspect of it will prove challenging, however we have two very competent programmers on our team as well as programmers that can and will consult with us to ensure that programming will not hinder the completion of our project.
Precision: Changing the design of a project into the actual working machine can prove difficult as the precision of the parts may leave a part unusable. Design flaws will also cause a waste in parts and a waste in time and money. We however intend on putting in an intense amount of time into the CAD version of the project to make sure it is without flaw before we begin building.
School: Another and important detail we must add is that at that end of the summer we will all head off to school. 3 of us will stay together and see the project through while the others must go off to other colleges and help through wireless communications such as skype. The breaking up of the team won’t be the biggest concern, but rather the transition into college. We however, as CAMS students, an intensive mathematics and science high school, have not only been prepared for college by the high school teachers, but have also taken college classes on the CSUDH campus located right next to our school. We have a good idea of what college life is like, and will not be caught off guard by the transition.
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
