Photos: Inside the Third Man Records Vinyl Pressing Plant

Can you imagine walking into a record store, watching vinyl pressed in the back, then purchasing your record right there? You can now do that in Cass Corridor.

If you’re lucky, you might even see Jack White while your record is being made.

Third Man Records’ Pressing Plant is opening this weekend with a big celebration for the public on Saturday. Our photographers stopped by early to see the vinyl in action.

Black and yellow encompass the workspace (even in the uniforms), with highlights of red throughout. The standout mural along the back wall is by local artist Robert Sestok. A stamper library holds the master vinyl stampers.

The setup is extremely environmentally conscious in a variety of ways. Recycled water from the record curing process is used in the air conditioning system, creating a fully climate-controlled pressing plant work environment. Each pressing station has a touch screen for climate control, and the plant was built with noise control construction in mind.

The plant’s capacity runs at about 5,000 records per 8 hour shift, with a current cycle time of approximately 45 seconds per record. It’s currently pressing Third Man Records, but will also fulfill orders from other labels.

The plant opens officially this weekend with a big Grand Opening celebration. Visitors are welcome to view the plant from the viewing spot in the back of the store anytime. More tours will be available soon. Here’s a sneak peek inside the new plant.

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