Acetate Discs to CD and MP3 | Audio Restored

Prices (basic cost to pro-clean & transcribe discs + manual restoration as required)

Audio Samples

The following two audio samples demonstrate how the restoration process can significantly enhance a crackly BBC acetate disc. ‘Journey into Space’ was a very popular Sci-fi radio series, which was originally recorded on 16 inch acetate discs – most of which no longer exist. This track (‘When it’s night time in Italy, it’s Wednesday over here’) comes from a rare Music and Inserts acetate dated 2nd Oct 1954, and is take 1 of 2.

Cleaning

If the initial inspection suggests that the acetate disc is not sufficiently robust, i.e. if flaking is evident or suspected, the record will be transcribed with no initial cleaning.

If however, the disc appears robust, it will be washed using the VPI Record Cleaning machine, with L’Art du Son professional record cleaning liquid, before a final distilled water wash.

The VPI effortlessly removes years of accumulated dirt from the groove, leaving the record practically as clean as the day it was pressed.

All 10″ and 12″ acetate records are returned to you in a replacement poly-lined paper inner sleeve, to keep them clean for longer.

This professional wet-cleaning of records is available as a separate service. Please contact us for details, and don’t forget to ask about bulk discounts!

Post & Packing Hints

Although less fragile than Shellac discs, Acetates should none-the-less be treated with great care when sending through the post. Every effort must be made to minimise the possibility of handling damage. Our advice is the same as for Shellac discs – i.e. securely sandwich the record(s) between several pieces of strong cardboard, then wrap this in plenty of bubble wrap. This should then be placed inside a larger cardboard box, ideally filled with polystyrene shapes, to absorb any knocks and vibrations during transit. Please note: this advice is given on the understanding that we cannot accept responsibility for damage caused in the post – and as with all valuable items, you should arrange sufficient insurance to cover any potential loss.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry, and we recommend customers use recorded or special delivery, so that your package can be signed for and/or tracked.

We always use first class recorded delivery to return packages, unless we are instructed otherwise.

Acetate facts

• Acetate discs, (also known as ‘lacquers’, ‘dubplates’, ‘transcription discs’ and ‘test acetates’), were independently developed in 1934 by the American ‘Presto Recording Corporation’ and the French ‘Pyral’ company, and their use continued into the late 1950s for recording and radio broadcast purposes.
• Acetates are somewhat more flexible than shellac discs, so will not shatter through careless handling. However, the acetate layer is quite prone to deterioration which can result in ‘crazing’ of the surface, or even ‘flaking off’ in extreme cases, resulting in the loss of some of the recording in the process.
• Acetates can be identified by the shiny appearance at their outer edge and centre hole, as they are made from an aluminium platter which supports a black nitrocellulose lacquer surface applied to both sides into which the groove is cut.
• The discs often have handwritten labels, emphasising their ‘one-off’ uniqueness!