Send a message to the Aardvark crewI got my first record cutting machine when I was 17. It was a home recording unit I got from a friend. After no success in making it work (trying with a broken cutting head, a nail, and the flip side of a Victor one sided record) I happened across a w orking cutting head and real blank records, and an ok cutting stylus. Success at last! I heard something that sounded like sound.
Later on, I found an old Presto K-8 cutting system that recorded pretty good. I could get blanks from Allied, and styluses from Capps, both now out of business. I later found a Presto 6-N from a radio station, and an RCA cutting head from NBC New York . They worked, but I never had good sound.
In my college dorm room, in 1975, I had my Presto 6-N with the RCA head. I cut a few records for fellow students. Pictured here with Lowell, my roommate. At age 31, in 1985, on a trip to Nashville Tennessee, I decided to look for a good cutting head. I located a Cook head at Hilltop Recording Studios, a gospel studio. The Cook Head sounded perfect, still a mono system. It mounted on the Presto 6-N wit h no effort. While there, Jack Linneman, the owner of hilltop asked if I wanted to buy a Scully-Westrex stereo system. I knew I couldn't afford it, but looked at it anyway.
Returning home to Colorado, I discussed the possibility of buying the stereo system, and starting up Aardvark as a real business with my wife. The name Aardvark dates back to 1972. She agreed, and with $10,000 in hand, I returned to Nashville and purc hased the system from Hilltop. Aardvark opened November, 1985 just at the beginnings of CDs.
Aardvark wasn't a financial success. It lost a lot of money in the beginning. Most of the people I was cutting were pop star wanna-bes. I got burned on several projects. Finally in 1988, I closed down over fights with pressing plants and jacket manu facturers.
People then started calling me about cutting masters, they heard my work, and liked it. I continued cutting for these select few people, Ron from RRRecords was my most faithful customer in that time. I learned that trying to help out the local Denver musicians occasionally got me burned. Many times a band would break up before their records were out, and leave me holding lots of records. The thing that amazed me the most was how honest and all around good business people the punk-rockers were.
In about 1990, I cut the 100 locked groove seven inch for RRR. This record alone gave me a lot of contacts. Ron also got me a lot of new customers, Tinuviel from Villa Villakula records, and Patrick from Self Abuse, both very good customers. Now in 1 997, I have had my most profitable year with the addition of No Idea and continuing customers like Self Abuse and RRR. In Aardvark's 12 year history, there was only one price hike on mastering; on seven inch from $70 to $75, and 12" from $150 to $160. Even though materials have risen about 25% over the last ten years, I plan to keep the prices affordable to the struggling artist. Plating prices I have no control over as they are subcontracted out.
About me personally, I am 46 years old, a computer programmer for the city of Denver by day, have two daughters, one in grad school age 21, and one in high school age 15. I was divorced in 1994, moving myself and Aardvark 1/2 mile from my original loca tion on Zenobia street. Moving a Lathe is not something I recommend doing twice. I now have 3 lathes, 2 operating Scullys, and one Neumann that I'm getting ready for mono dubplates. All had to be moved. I met a great woman in April 1996 who lived next door, and doesn't think that the music I cut is Satan worship. We moved in together in 1998, and married January first, 2001.
I also enjoy bicycling. Click here to see me on my High Wheeler.
I had an employee, Jesse, from 1994 to 1996. He was a good engineer and left for greener pastures at a local recording studio. He got me involved in Kuk Sool Won, a martial art that I received black belt in 1998. Kuk Sool is recognized as the traditi onal martial art of Korea by the Korean government. Jesse left Kuk Sool Won as a black/brown belt and has now received his black belt in Progressive Martial Arts here in Denver.
Now I have two employees, Louis and Carol. Louis cuts the records, and Carol handles the office work. She'll be trained to handle cutting room Two once it's fully operational.
I've been collecting records for a good number of years now, my favorites being the jazz from the late 1920s I have a rather large collection of Edison Diamond Disks from that era, the listing linked below. I also collect cylinder records and regular 78s. These I haven't cataloged yet.
Love you, MOM
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