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speeches, amateur musical efforts were immortalized, and snippets of radio broadcasts were captured, all limited by the three- or four-minute maximum playing time of the 78 rpm large-groove format which was still standard for all home-use records. The home recorders typically had two tone arms, one for recording and the other for playback, and a red light to indicate recording was taking place. One problem with the process was the "string" of cut material that followed the recording tone arm as the groove was cut. This "string" could interfere with the recording process and required manual intervention to remove.
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careful inspection of the label or by holding the disc up to a light bright enough to penetrate the labels. Drive holes are no longer standard on lacquer masters, only on "dubs", because the additional holes can interfere with the electroforming process and professional mastering lathes use vacuum turntables that hold the workpiece (lacquer disc) in place with suction. One pump usually provides suction for both the turntable and the chip tube that pulls away the fine string of nitrocellulose lacquer removed by the groove-cutting stylus.
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events routinely captured them on tape, but because most homes of the 1950s and early 1960s were not equipped to play tapes, while nearly everyone had a record player, typically the recording was dubbed to disc and supplied to the client in that form and the original tape was recycled. Acetate discs are inherently less durable than some types of magnetic tape, and have the disadvantage of not being physically editable; unlike tape, acetates cannot be cut and spliced.
31:
250:), although sometimes intermediate disc-to-disc editing procedures were involved. Before lacquer discs were adopted for the purpose, the master recording was cut into a disc of wax-like material that was too soft to be played non-destructively and had to be used as a mandrel on which to electroform a metal stamper, which was in turn used to make playable
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engineer, and other interested parties to check the quality of the tape-to-disc recording process and make any necessary changes to ensure that the audio fidelity of the master disc will be as close as possible to that of the original master tape. The actual stamper sets can be made either from oversized lacquers or from DMM blanks (see
192:. The plant produces Lacquer discs used in vinyl production with the fire completely destroying the manufacturing facility. The manufacturing facility is one of only two in the world, the other being Public Record (the lacquers of which are labeled MDC – the name of their principal distributor, based in
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Acetates were produced in very small quantities using elementary cutting machines. The majority of discs found on the market were not labelled or marked, as distributing studios would only at most have their name and address written on the disc. It was generally up to the recipients to write the song
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ordinary records. Lower-quality blanks were considered adequate for non-critical uses such as tests and demo discs. Lower-grade blanks were formerly made for home use by amateurs and may be very thin and flexible, may have a cardboard rather than a metal or glass base, and may have noticeably dull or
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Blank discs were traditionally produced in several different grades, with the best and costliest grade featuring the sturdiest core, the thickest coating and the most perfectly flawless mirror-like surfaces. These top-quality blanks were intended for cutting the master discs that, once silver-coated,
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During the very early tape era, around 1950, acetate discs and portable disc recorders competed with magnetic tape as a location-recording medium, both for broadcast and semi-pro use, but tape's several advantages quickly won the contest. Recording services hired to record weddings and other private
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Lacquers commonly come in three sizes: 10-inch (25 cm) discs for singles and 14-inch (36 cm) discs for albums as well as 12-inch (30 cm) discs for LP references and for 10" master cuts. The record's sleeve is typically nothing more than a generic cover from the manufacturing company
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in the label area, meant to be engaged by a special pin that prevents the disc from slipping on the turntable during the recording process if the lathe does not have a vacuum turntable. Drive holes are often hidden by labels applied after the recording was cut, but they can usually be detected by
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thousands of vinyl copies of the master. Within the vinyl record industry, lacquers, sometimes called 'acetates' or 'refs', are also used for evaluating the quality of the tape-to-disc transfer. They were once a favored medium for comparing different takes or mixes of a recording, and if pressed
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Lacquers were generally used from the 1930s to the late 1950s for recording and broadcast purposes and see limited use as of 2009. Lacquers have not always been used solely as a means of evaluating a tape-to-disc transfer or cutting the final master disc. They were used for many purposes before
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to offer disc recording in a booth for a modest fee. Countless discs were cut at parties and family gatherings, both for immediate amusement value and to preserve audio "snapshots" of these events and of the voices of relatives and friends. Schoolchildren and adults alike used them to practice
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In preparation for a record pressing, acetates are used for quality control prior to the production of the stampers, from which retail copies of the record will be pressed. The purpose of the test acetate(s) (called, 'reference disks') in the mastering process is to allow the artist, producer,
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with acetone added to make a varnish. Glass was often used for the substrate during World War II, when aluminum was in short supply. The production process results in a disc that is different in several ways from the vinyl records sold to customers at retail. Most noticeably, vinyl records are
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Although once produced in a wide range of sizes (from less than 7 inches (18 cm) to more than 16 inches (41 cm) in diameter) and sometimes with glass core discs, the examples most commonly encountered today are 10, 12 or 14 inches (25, 30 or 36 cm) in diameter.
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magnetic tape recorders became common, and in the modern era they are used by dance music DJs. They were used extensively in
Jamaica by sound system operators in the late 1940s and 1950s. Acetates were often used as "demos" of new recordings by artists and record labels.
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Acetate discs are made for special purposes, almost never for sale to the general public. They can be played on any normal record player but will suffer from wear more quickly than vinyl, since the lacquer does not have the same properties as that of vinyl.
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operators in the late 1940s and 1950s. Acetates were often used as "demos" of new recordings by artists and record labels. Some acetates are highly prized for their rarity, especially when they contain unpublished material.
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In addition to their use in the creation of masters, lacquers were widely used for many purposes before magnetic tape recorders became common, and in the modern era they are used by dance music DJs. They were used in
77:. Unlike ordinary vinyl records, which are quickly formed from lumps of plastic by a mass-production molding process, a lacquer master or acetate (instantaneous record) is created by using a
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and the disc's label is similarly plain, containing only basic information about the content (title, artist, playing time, and so on), which is usually typed but may be hand-written.
374:. Trading dubplates between different DJs is an important part of DJ culture. Actual acetate dubplates are declining in popularity, and being increasingly replaced by CDs and
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cut new or otherwise special tracks on acetates, in order to test crowd response and find potential hits. This practice started as early as in the 1960s in
Jamaica, between
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vinyl copies of an impending new release were not yet available, acetates were used for getting preview copies into the hands of important radio disc jockeys.
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to cut an audio-signal-modulated groove into its surface – a sequential operation requiring expensive, delicate equipment and expert skill for good results.
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to archive live broadcasts, pre-record local programming, delay network feeds for broadcast at a later time, and provide programming "from home" on the
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to archive live broadcasts, pre-record local programming, delay network feeds for broadcast at a later time, and provide programming "from home" on the
334:, and musical researchers. Substantial collections of these recordings are available to researchers at academic and national libraries, as well as
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generally used from the 1930s to the late 1950s for recording and broadcast purposes. Despite their name, "acetate" discs do not contain any
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Disc recorders designed for amateur home use began appearing on the market around 1940, but their high prices limited sales, and then
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265:. (In many cases, the AFRN disc is the only form in which a classic radio show has survived.) 16-inch (41 cm) discs recorded at
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366:. Dubplates were used by reggae soundsystems worldwide, and later adopted by producers of various dance music genres, most notably
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brought their production to a halt. After the war, the popularity of such recorders greatly increased. It was not unusual for a
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would be electrodeposited with nickel in order to electroform parts used in making stampers (negative profile metal moulds) for
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408:" sold for $ 82,393.60 in 2013. The only known copy of Presley's first recording—a 78 rpm acetate from 1953 featuring "
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comparatively lightweight and flexible, while lacquers are rigid and considerably heavier because of their metal cores.
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acetates fetched between $ 1,000 and $ 10,000 per disc, a rare one reached £77,500 at auction. An acetate from
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is used to make negative metal molds from it; certain molds are converted into stampers, can be used to
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production supply chain would be put under stress with heavy demand and only one factory worldwide.
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This relatively bulky equipment, and the bulky discs, were hauled to remote locations such as
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254:. Acetate blanks allowed high-quality playable records to be produced "instantaneously".
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617:"'This Is Disastrous': How the Vinyl Industry Is Responding to the Apollo Masters Fire"
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Thompson, Dave (July 6, 2007). "These ain't your dad's collectibles - Part I".
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168:. In the vinyl record manufacturing process, a lacquer master disc is cut and
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Revisiting concert life in the mid-century: The survival of acetate discs
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Documenting Early Radio: A Review of
Existing Pre-1932 Radio Recordings
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Due to their rarity, some acetates can command high prices at auction.
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455:"Acetate / lacquer disc (late 1920s – ) – Museum of Obsolete Media"
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eBay - VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO 1966 Acetate LP ANDY WARHOL
398:, containing music that would later appear on their first album
404:, sold in 2006 for $ 25,200. An acetate of Elvis Presley's "
710:"'Holy Grail' Beatles record sold for £77,500 at auction"
591:"Apollo Masters Plant Fire Leads to Vinyl Shortage Fears"
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Despite their name, "acetate" discs do not contain any
776:"Elvis Presley's first recording sells for $ 300,000"
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for reasons of weight, durability and overall cost.
246:for mastering, disc recording was done "live" (see
234:Presto 8N Acetate disc engraver (1950) used by the
181:title or name of the artist onto the disc by hand.
196:). This led to industry experts fearing that the
184:On February 6, 2020, news broke of a fire at the
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751:"Elvis record proves a hit at Dublin auction"
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160:Acetates are usually made by dubbing from a
736:, Second auction, ended December 16, 2006 (
93:. They were used extensively in Jamaica by
136:slightly orange-peel-textured surfaces.
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279: rpm were used for these one-off "
143:, there is traditionally at least one
73:Lacquer-coated discs are used for the
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685:"Beatles recording fetches $ 10,000"
666:from the original on 11 April 2008
495:from the original on 16 April 2008
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414:That's When Your Heartaches Begin
401:The Velvet Underground & Nico
236:Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
139:In addition to the usual central
283:" beginning in the mid-1930s.
34:Acetates of 12", 10", 7" sizes
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483:"Preserving Sound Recordings"
324:Archive of American Folk Song
660:"She's Leaving Home acetate"
615:Blistein, Jon (2020-02-18).
242:Before the introduction of
164:in another medium, such as
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814:History of sound recording
646:Cambridge University Press
416:"—sold for $ 300,000 at a
263:Armed Forces Radio Network
91:Armed Forces Radio Network
281:electrical transcriptions
27:Type of phonograph record
376:vinyl emulation software
248:direct to disc recording
238:to record radio programs
102:Physical characteristics
640:Foreman, Lewis (2009).
188:manufacturing plant in
430:Direct metal mastering
396:The Velvet Underground
257:Acetates were used in
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220:Direct Metal Mastering
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459:www.obsoletemedia.org
346:Black and dance music
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110:. They consist of an
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648:. pp. 140–148.
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572:. 7 February 2020
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352:dance music
304:transit hub
803:Categories
788:2021-10-22
720:2022-05-28
695:2008-04-16
670:2008-04-16
626:2020-03-05
601:2020-03-05
576:2020-03-05
499:2008-04-16
465:2018-08-31
441:References
312:Yugoslavia
156:Production
145:drive hole
760:28 August
595:Billboard
570:Pitchfork
418:Graceland
364:dubplates
332:linguists
318:) or the
252:pressings
781:BBC News
714:BBC News
689:BBC News
664:Archived
548:ProQuest
540:Goldmine
528:, 1988-9
518:Archived
493:Archived
424:See also
292:carnival
133:pressing
53:dubplate
392:Beatles
372:dubstep
354:world,
350:In the
336:museums
274:⁄
108:acetate
68:acetate
44:lacquer
552:855926
550:
296:circus
382:Value
326:) by
322:(see
314:(see
302:, or
198:vinyl
194:Japan
174:press
56:, or
762:2018
370:and
204:Uses
356:DJs
222:).
38:An
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
