Vinyl Alliance Education Zone

Ever wondered what's really happening between the needle and the groove? Or why a record warps, how to clean it properly, or whether your turntable setup could sound better? Come ask the people who work with vinyl every day.

Returning to Haarlem Vinyl Festival for 2026, the Vinyl Alliance Education Zone is an all-day, drop-in space running Saturday and Sunday where vinyl fans can get hands-on with the format and put their questions directly to experts from across the industry.

Pressing plant specialists, mastering engineers and other vinyl professionals will be on hand to talk through everything from how records are made and how grooves carry sound to record care, pressing quirks and common playback problems. Haarlem's own Record Industry vinyl pressing plant will also take part, offering a 'how it's made' look with a peek behind the scenes.

One of the highlights this year is a live demonstration of the Sillitoe Disk Mastering System (SDMS), a modern professional record-cutting system developed and built in Australia and Germany. Combining precision mechanical engineering with modern software and digital control, the SDMS brings the craft of vinyl cutting into the digital age while keeping the fundamental process beautifully analog: turning sound into a physical groove.

Visitors can see the studio cutting lathe up close, learn how music makes its way onto a record and experience the record-cutting process in action. You can also take a closer look at a record groove under the microscope, get hands-on with materials and equipment used in the pressing process, and bring your turntable and cartridge questions to technicians from Audio-Technica.

There will also be a listening station where you can hear special pressings or simply give that record you just picked up at the fair its first spin.

Whether you're buying your first record or have been collecting for decades, drop in, get curious and leave knowing a little more about this special format.

About the Vinyl Alliance

The Vinyl Alliance brings together companies and experts from across the global vinyl value chain - from record labels and pressing plants to retailers, playback brands and other industry specialists. By sharing knowledge, developing research and working collaboratively on issues facing the format, the Vinyl Alliance works to ensure vinyl records remain beloved long into the future.

Saturday 3 October — 11:00–17:00
Sunday 4 October — 11:00–17:00
PHIL

Listening Stations
Listening stations: Audio-Technica
Vinyl furniture: Plyphonic