Former German record, cassette and CD manufacturer, located in Nortorf.
See also: TELDEC Press GmbH & Co. KG
Once the lacquer cutting in Hamburg was given up in 1984, DMM disc cutting was also performed here.
Pressings can be identified by a stamped "Manufactured in Germany" or by "ManuFactured in Germany" in the runouts until approximately early 1981.
Teldec Press had certain codes, to identify different plants and/ or clients:
Inhouse codes were, e.g.:
6.24, 6.25, 6.26, for LPs, and
6.11, 6.12, 6.13, for 7"s.
Contract pressings can be identified by "76.29", e.g. C-76.29 586-01-1.
These stamped codes were added during the plating. Do not add these codes as LCCN numbers!
History:
1948: The plant starts operations in a former leather factory, pressing shellacs with a converted leather press. First technical director is Alexander Seeland.
1950: 1 million shellacs pressed.
1951: 10" and 12" vinyl production begins.
1953: 7" vinyl production begins.
1959: End of shellac pressing.
1967: Cassette production starts with self-built duplication machines. Later on with more sophisticated digital mastering and high speed duplication machines are used.
1982: Pressing of DMM records begins in March.
1984: Recording, mastering and cutting is moved from TELDEC-Studio, Hamburg to Nortorf.
1986: CD production starts.
1987: In January, Direct Metal Mastered (DMM) CD production begins, using a Neumann/Teldec DMM CD prototype lathe (which never went into commercial production as planned).
1988: With the acquisition of TELDEC by Warner International, the Nortorf plant and Record Service Alsdorf plants are merged into TELDEC Record Service GmbH, in May 1988.
1989: The cassette manufacturing is centralized in Nortorf and expanded from 8 to 30 million units p.a.
1989: Vinyl production in Nortorf stops in October and is transferred to Alsdorf. Until then, 24 million shellacs, 345 million singles, 425 million LPs were manufactured in Nortorf.
1991: Laserdisc production starts. Until then 183 million music cassettes and 34 million CDs have been manufactured.
1997: Warner Music International decides to divest the plant due to poor market prospects. It becomes independent after a management buy-out and continues as OK Media Disc Service GmbH & Co. KG.
2013: Plant is demolished.
Today, there is a museum for the TELDEC record pressing plant in Nortorf, called "Deutsches Schallplattenmuseum"
Teldec-Press operated two DMM cutting studios.
DMM mastering engineers (and their scribes) since 1984:
Klaus-Jürgen Schneider - Chief engineer (Sch)
Karl Schick (S)
Sönke Bahns (BN)
Achim Elsner (EN)
Edgar Duchrow (ED)
Karin Wiese (KW)
Karen Röschmann (KR)
Other known engineers:
Elke Sens: Mastering the master tapes for music cassettes. Potentially also DMM cutting.
