I had the opportunity recently to have some tracks cut on a modern lathe process. I thought it would be fun to do a track that’s already pressed to vinyl as a comparison.
I could rabbit on about the differences, but here’s a few direct recordings.
Original Digital Master
Vinyl Pressing
Vinyl Lathe Cut
Summary, lathe losses some high end in comparison to the vinyl pressing, but it fairs better than expected. It would likely fit some styles of music were you to plan ahead.
There’s unfortunately a bit of a channel balance issue with the lathe, that I’ll speak to the cutter about addressing.