About Dubplates

[Vinnie]

Imo "Dubplate" is just being misused here as a term, it may be common in some studio's, but there's a lot of common misconceptions in the music industry and lots of bad studios full of people who don't know what they're talking about, you know what I mean? in that case it's likely just being used out of ignorance or it's being banded about as a "fashion" to sound cool, Dubplates cost a lot of money and are in themselves a status symbol for the DJ, thats why people think it sounds cool to say, they have recorded a Dubplate, or for a studio to say to an artist, we're going to record a Dubplate of you, it's purely a con.

I dont understadnd how an MC can stand there infront of a crowd talking about Dubplate this and that, when all the selecta is doing is browsing mp3s or playing cd's, that's not right you know? In the UK when an MC does this it's only because there is ((an actual Dubplate on the turntable)).

Dubplates were widley used in the Drum and bass industry for decades!! almost all the D&B ever made was first cut on Dubplate, it hasnt been a term which is solely exclusive to Reggae for well over two decades!!

Perhaps Duplate means different things in different country's, but from my point of view and certainly here in the UK, a Dubplate is the acetate, any other use of the term is just wrong.

so true
same thing applies with many dj (without any equipment)who call themselves soundsystem a fashion thing

[Litelet]

cant play directly from the mastertape héhé

I was referring to the fact that many sound systems nowadays play from a digital format. Even people like russ d will play their own exclusive productions digitally. And I understand, cutting it unto an acetate will just reduce all the quality... While it had sense to cut it when everything was recorded analogicaly, and it was the only way, it sounds unlogical to me to reanalog a digital file onto a metal disc (that last very little).

Acetates are dead. Polyvinyl and digital imposed themselves, good or not is not the matter. Will the term "dubplate" disappear in the abyss because of that? "Dubplate" was maybe a generic term for acetate back in your days, musitronics, like youre teaching us humbely, but now that technology evolved it is nowadays widely used for those artist recordings and Ive heard that use of the term even from UK people organizing "dubplate sessions". Apparently the term has evolved.

Then if recording an artist on a riddim like many do nowadays is good or not is just an opinion, personnally all this soundclash lyrics with just a variation in the sound's name have no interest at all, but maybe hopefully for the artist's reward, some people think differently.

[Perilous]

personally i would say a dubplate is a one-off plate cut for soundsystem use. It seems pedantic and irrelevant these days to say that vinyl dubplates are not dubplates - no they're not acetates, but then "records" used to be 78 acetates themseleves - we didn't stop calling them records when vinyl arrived, now did we?? If its not cut onto a plate of any kind then its just a special.

[Vinnie]

Vinnie wrote :

cant play directly from the mastertape héhé


Acetates are dead. Polyvinyl and digital imposed themselves, good or not is not the matter. Will the term "dubplate" disappear in the abyss because of that? "Dubplate" was maybe a generic term for acetate back in your days, musitronics, like youre teaching us humbely, but now that technology evolved it is nowadays widely used for those artist recordings and Ive heard that use of the term even from UK people organizing "dubplate sessions". Apparently the term has evolved.

indeed nowadays people use the word dubplate for 'not released' reggaemusic, regardless of its format

even jah tubby now puts that word on their sleeves of the sold records more in the sense (i think) to express its limted quantity caracter and that that tune will not be repressed

indeed the term has evolved

[davek]

It used to specifically mean that you were playing an acetate that wasn't available for public sale. It doesn't have to be a "special" exclusive track for a sound system. Dubplates usually had a deeper, sparser, mix because they were emgineered to be played on large sound systems, not home hi-fi systems.

Really, Jah Tubby is selling a limited-edition pressing of a record, not a dubplate in the traditional sense of the world. All vinyl releases are pretty much "limited" to small pressings nowadays, so even that's almost a redundant term.

Very few people cut dubplates nowadays. Most sounds just use CDs for specials. And why not, dubplates only last a few plays before the start to deteriorate in sound quality.

[Vinnie]

It used to specifically mean that you were playing an acetate that wasn't available for public sale. It doesn't have to be a "special" exclusive track for a sound system. Dubplates usually had a deeper, sparser, mix because they were emgineered to be played on large sound systems, not home hi-fi systems.

Really, Jah Tubby is selling a limited-edition pressing of a record, not a dubplate in the traditional sense of the world. All vinyl releases are pretty much "limited" to small pressings nowadays, so even that's almost a redundant term.

Very few people cut dubplates nowadays. Most sounds just use CDs for specials. And why not, dubplates only last a few plays before the start to deteriorate in sound quality.

i completely agree with you
that sums it up well

[Perilous]

that's very true, except now most people use vinyl plates, which don't wear out like acetates (i think you'd be mad to cut on acetate unless it's for the heavier playing quality which they definitely have over vinyl ones - but you pay for that by them disintegrating) To me it's far more appealing to have a one off vinyl plate that lasts like a record but is still unreleased/unavailable in other forms.

[davek]

that's very true, except now most people use vinyl plates, which don't wear out like acetates (i think you'd be mad to cut on acetate unless it's for the heavier playing quality which they definitely have over vinyl ones - but you pay for that by them disintegrating) To me it's far more appealing to have a one off vinyl plate that lasts like a record but is still unreleased/unavailable in other forms.

"Vinyl plates"? You either have an acetate, which comes in a round form already, or vinyl, which is a piece of hot goo goes on a stamper to make the finished platter.

You can't buy already round-shaped blank "vinyl" for cutting. Please provide a link to illustrate what you mean by "vinyl plate", or else I think you are making this up!

[skunkride]

Here you go :

http://www.dubstudio.co.uk/studio/shop

[davek]

Here you go :

http://www.dubstudio.co.uk/studio/shop

Very interesting, thanks. This is a relatively new development. How do they sound compared to a regular press?