Record pressing options for the Chris Cheek album explained

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1-Step Pressing & 3-Step Pressing

For the first time, Analog Tone Factory is pleased to offer Keepers of the Eastern Door as both a traditional 3-step pressing and a limited numbered 1-step pressing. The 1-step process removes some mechanical steps usually used to press records in great numbers, and requires more lacquers from the cutting engineer. It essentially converts a lacquer into a stamper. We have been curious about the 1-step process for a while, so we decided to order test pressings and find out for ourselves what the differences were, and if we thought they were significant, in either a positive or negative way. 

In short, we loved the 1-step pressings! While the standard test pressing sounds great in its own right, the 1-step test pressing sounds better to us yet: more immediate, more palpable, more real sounding. We hear detail and articulation better, but not in a hyped or unnatural way. To us, it’s just one noticeable step closer to the sound of the actual master tape. It’s just a more engaging experience in every way. We don’t hear any downsides. 

We will thus offer a limited numbered run of 1-steps. For now, we are selling 500 copies on pre-order. Depending on demand, we may go up to 1000 copies, but that will be the cap for this record. The packaging will be the same as the standard record, except for the individual foil stamped number.

We are still offering the regular 3-step records, as they sound really great too.