Acetate disc

Tag an acetate disk. The center hole, as well as a vinyl disc is for the axis of the round plate, but the side hole serves to hold the disk during the recording process.

10-inch acetate disc diameter to 78 RPM

The acetate record is a recording format that is still in use today, based on analog mechanical recording, just like the one used for vinyl records, but with the difference that in the case of acetate disc it is possible to make instant recordings or transfer them from another sound source, such as wire or tape recorders. To record a vinyl, an acetate disc is also used first, but this acetate disc has a different formulation than the dubplate. To record vinyl, a master must first be recorded. To differentiate a master from a dubplate you have to check whether or not it has a hole next to the central one. If it has two holes it is a dubplate. If you only have one, it's a master's degree.

The sound recorded on a master is of better quality since, being softer, the stylus better registers the higher frequencies. But this master, once recorded, cannot be played on a common record player, since its needle, being so hard, would destroy details on the first listen. Once recorded, the master is used exclusively to produce the necessary dies to press records, performing a galvanoplastic (metallic) coating on it.

The term dubplate should not be confused with white label: a white label is a short run of press-pressed vinyl records with the central biscuit white, not cut on an engraving lathe one by one like a dubplate.

History

Dubplates began to be used for broadcast recordings of motion pictures in the 1920s, they were made of hard cardboard coated with an emulsion of castor oil, there was no other device that allowed recording sound in the field, before the dubplates there were Edison cylinders.

A dubplate allows the sound to be recorded directly onto it, and can be played immediately after being recorded on a turntable.

Its use spread to radio stations in the 1930s, to archive programs or to record jingles, for example. The appearance of magnetic tape in Europe made them disappear from radio stations, but not from recording studios. In the United States it is normal, even today, to find a machine to record dubplates on any local radio station. In Europe it is not like that, due to the influence of magnetic tape.

There are currently several formats, from 5 inches to 21 inches, as well as qualities (hardness of acetate) although the most widespread format is 10 inches. Depending on their quality, there are dubplates that start to drop in volume after 200 listens, but there are others that last the same as a pressed record, although there are dubplates recorded in the 1960s and 1970 with the technology of those years that today sound correctly. A dubplate can sound better than that same recording on a pressed vinyl record.

The word plate refers to the lacquer or acetate disc, and the word dub to the mixture of the artist with the music. Dubplate is a disc that, originally, was intended to be recorded for the production of vinyl records.

Description

A disc with a part of the damaged acetate, you can appreciate the aluminum disc.

Acetate records are typically 7″ (inches), 10″ and 12″ in diameter and 0.8 mm (millimeters) thick or less, coated with nitrocellulose lacquer (nitrocellulose acetate). The latter are the ones that are currently sold, although during their history they have existed from 5″ to 21″ microphones used for old sound systems, even for talkies. They are generally made of aluminum (inside), with a thin coating of shellac or nitrocellulose acetate. This smooth plastic coating is cut by a stylus. They usually have two holes, one in the center and one offset one inch. This second offset hole is used to hold the dubplate in the recording process. Some discs already had the groove as a guide for the stylet, but most did not. The operation of these discs is the same as vinyl records, but the difference is that these discs are recordable. Currently the recording duration on a dubplate is very similar to that of a vinyl record, although there are also dubplates with the original quality. Depending on the equipment used, a dubplate can be destroyed in 20 reproductions or last a lifetime. Rubies or sapphires are used to engrave the dubplate.

In the 1960s and 1970s, recording diamonds appeared, which lasted longer due to their hardness with the consequent savings, but the molecular structure of ruby or sapphire is better suited to the needs of nitrocellulose acetate, achieving better recordings with rubies than with diamonds, especially in linearity of the recording. Over time, the plastic or acetate could give off a dusty white coating that diminishes the quality of the recording. Dust could also end the life of the recording. Glass was also used as the base for the disc, especially during World War II, as aluminum was used to make weapons and vehicles. But these discs were too brittle, which caused them to break very easily.

Dubplate Special

Dubplate Special, also known as dubplate or special, is an exclusive version of a piece of music, usually by an artist from reggae, dancehall, drum and bass, soca or hip hop, or any other genre in which the >sound system is of central importance. These records are often used to compete in a sound clash (or sound battle), in which rival reggae or soca sound systems compete against each other. them to play the most exclusive and new music. The exclusivity of these discs is evident in the characters printed on the disc, which often include the name of the sound system.

Valuable acetates

Because the acetate record is a rare recording medium, there are people who pay large sums of money for old acetate records, mostly at auction. A well-known case is that of an auction of a collection of The Beatles acetate records, which belonged to producer Brian Epstein. Each record was worth between $1,000 and $10,000.

Another case was an acetate of the group The Velvet Underground, this disc contains the music that was later released on the album The Velvet Underground & Nico, sold in 2006, via eBay, for a total of $25,200.

In November 2001, an acetate disc containing a six-minute recording from 1964 between Brian Wilson, Dick Dale and The Beatles was sold at auction for $10,400. This record had been purchased at a flea market for only $5. On the record, there is a chat between Brian Wilson with the four members of The Beatles, with brief excerpts from each of their hits: "Can't Buy Me Love", "Fun, Fun, Fun" and "Mr Eliminator". », by The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Dick Dale, respectively.