acetate question - How many times until it's DOA?
MoSS
458 Posts
Been looking for a certain lp for 3-4 years. Found one for sale after all this time, happens to be an acetate. For "collecting" purposes, I can't complain except that I want to own this to listen to and would prefer the OG over the acetate except I can't find one. Can I listen to this thing, or is it going to get worse and worse? Is there is limit to how bad it gets, or does it get to the point where it's not audible and just a round disc? I don't mind the noise from the acetate, I expect that...I just want to be able to listen to it. I've never really fucked with an acetate I actually liked before. Any advice or help would be appreciated.
Comments
maybe a dozen plays before sound quality starts to drop, could be like half that. thatsis its unplayed to begin with. acetates are just too soft to last long.
what record?
If you just want to listen to it to hear it, then get an mp3, brother. Who knows how many spins that disc has/has left? If you want to play it once or twice or thrice (like when a Big Dude comes to visit) or to have it as an historical artifact, get the acetate.
Just realize that you're going to have to get the regular issue as well.
At least if you save it as a WAV, and plan on using CD turntables or Microwave, there will be no deterioration in sound. OR save it as a WAV, and then press up another dub plate of it, or press up a small quantity of vinyl if need be. I've never played an acetate/dub plate for that long, but I've seen many that actually flake. Once a piece flakes off, there's no way of rescuing that.
I may be wrong but I believe acetates are cut directly into a plate of acetate (or whatever material it is) whereas vinyl is heat pressed. Basically, when just wanting to cut a few copies acetate is the cheaper way to go.
Someone posted a Youtube recently of the vinyl pressing process. You can see why it cost more.
they are used as a reference point for what the finished product will sound like before going through the time/expense of maker mothers, stampers, etc.
thats why alot a times you can find maybe a dozen of the same track on diff acetates, all w/ diff eq tweaks, mixdowns, etc.
from what people say, they were also used to play for the "ear" of a company to see if they wanted to back an artist or not.kinda like a demo tape.
what acetate/record did you cop? c'mon.....
Before there were portable reel-to-reels or cassette decks to dub stuff on, acetates were the easiest way to take a new recording session home with you. You would listen to it, pick out what you liked or didn't like, go back to the studio and either record a new version (which most artists did before multi-tracking was a possibility) or create a new mix.
In the DJ'ing sense, it's about having something "new" or "exclusive". In Ska/reggae/dancehall, it was very much about doing a song in the studio, having a dub plate pressed, and giving it to to the sound system you're connected with.
Basically, it's meant for "temporary play", and one can easily create one on the spot at a studio. Making a proper record requires a bigger process, even if it's a pressing of 100-200.
Burning a new song to a CD is now part of the norm, so one almost doesn't need to have an acetate made. But CD's are still cheap looking, and if someone takes it, your "exclusive" song will be up at Soulseek. There's still a bit of pride in knowing there's only one or two copies of that certain mix, and you happen to have both. The wear and tear on it is worth it if the song is well received, because after the tour, you can have another made and keep that hidden.
"Grandson, this is my dub plate of that remix I did of the Ying Yang Twins."
"So what?"