dubplate
Enable an agent to recognise a physical dubplate, identify its recorded version and playback requirements, assess its condition, and decide whether to play, preserve or transfer it.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
6 bundles · 11 layers · 17 findings · 27 questions
Dubplate identity Establish the physical sense of dubplate and its boundary with neighbouring record kinds. Contemporary cutting practice includes direct-cut plastic variants: [Diz Lathe Cuts](https://www.dizlathecuts.co.uk/what-is-a-dubplate).
Physical carrier boundary
Determine whether the referent belongs to this physical-object model.
Disc versus recording
Record physical-carrier evidence separately from the name and exclusivity of its audio.
- Does dubplate here refer to a grooved physical disc or only to an exclusive recording? boundary
- What observation or documentation establishes that this disc carries a playable recording? definition
Cut and role
Distinguish an individual listening cut from replicated records and manufacturing intermediates.
Classification evidence
Combine production evidence with intended use instead of classifying from appearance alone.
- What evidence shows individual groove cutting rather than replication from a stamper? provenance
- Was this disc intended for listening or performance, or for a subsequent manufacturing process? boundary
Disc and cut Describe the blank, recording surface and side-specific cut that determine how the disc can be handled and read.
Blank construction
Identify the actual carrier beneath trade names and sleeve annotations.
Surface and support
Capture supported material identification and physical dimensions without destructive examination.
- What identifies the recording-surface material and any supporting substrate? provenance
- What are the disc diameter, thickness and centre-hole dimensions? measurement
Side recording layout
Represent each recorded side as a potentially different playback case.
Groove layout
Record speed, channel format and track arrangement at side level.
- What speed and groove/channel format are specified or verified for each side? measurement
- What tracks, durations, lead-in areas and run-out features are present on each side? measurement
Recording and cut provenance Connect the physical cut to its source audio, cutting session and any intended sound-system recipient.
Version identification
Identify what was actually recorded on the carrier.
Exact audio version
Separate label transcription from verified identification of the mix, edit or personalised vocal.
- Which exact recording, mix, edit or voicing does each side carry, and how was it identified? provenance
- Does a spoken or sung name identify an intended recipient, or is that connection only asserted by a label or seller? provenance
Cutting history
Trace the making of this cut independently of the recording session.
Cut-session evidence
Use inscriptions, cutting orders and documented custody to distinguish a particular cut from later recuts.
- Which inscriptions or records establish the cutting studio, engineer and approximate cutting date? provenance
- Is this an initial cut, a recut or another individually cut copy, and what supports that conclusion? provenance
Playback and selective use Translate the disc's format, condition and intended use into playback and access decisions.
Playback setup
Establish the setup needed to read the grooves without assuming all dubplates behave alike.
Compatible reproduction
Document speed, stylus, tracking and equalisation choices with their supporting evidence.
- What cartridge, stylus, tracking force, speed and equalisation are supported for this particular cut? action
- What condition or playback symptom requires stopping rather than repeating or adjusting playback? action
Selective use context
Record why the disc was made and what evidence governs its proposed use.
Recipient and use
Keep ownership, intended audience and claimed exclusivity as distinct assertions.
- Was the cut commissioned for reference audition, advance DJ testing or a named sound system? provenance
- What documented permissions or restrictions apply to the proposed performance, transfer or sharing of its recording? action
Wear and preservation Assess playback damage and preservation needs according to construction; a cutting studio distinguishes lacquer and vinyl dubplate behaviour in its [material comparison](https://www.dubstudio.co.uk/faq/60-difference-in-sound-quality-vinyl-vs-acetate).
Surface assessment
Locate physical defects and distinguish them from features already present in the recorded signal.
Damage and playability
Base readiness on observed defects and documented playback behaviour rather than a universal play-count limit.
- Where are wear, scratches, coating separation, cracks, deposits or warping visible? measurement
- What evidence distinguishes groove damage or mistracking from distortion already present in the source recording? definition
Preservation actions
Choose material-compatible care and determine whether a preservation transfer is needed.
Care and transfer priority
Connect supported care methods and recording uniqueness to the next handling decision.
- Which cleaning method, sleeve material and storage conditions are supported for the identified surface and substrate? action
- Does another verified copy or source recording exist, and should a documented preservation transfer precede further performance use? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of dubplate this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of dubplate this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of dubplate this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of dubplate this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of dubplate this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of dubplate this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of dubplate this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.OBJ
What it is Filled
A dubplate is an individually cut phonograph disc, traditionally made from lacquer-coated metal, used for reference listening, testing or exclusive DJ and sound-system playback rather than mass-produced distribution.
In scope
- Physical disc construction, recording surface and evidence of individual cutting
- Side-specific groove format, speed, recorded duration and playback requirements
- Connections between the disc, its cutting session and the exact recordings carried
- Reference, advance-play and sound-system-specific uses
- Surface condition, playback wear and preservation decisions
Out of scope
- The musical composition and sound recording as independent intellectual works
- Exclusive digital recordings called dubplates without a physical disc
- Disc-cutting lathes, turntables, cartridges and sound systems as equipment
- Pressed records and test pressings as neighbouring physical record kinds
- Manufacturing masters intended for electroplating rather than listening
- Artists, cutting studios and sound-clash events as independently modelled entities
Why it exists Filled
Enable an agent to recognise a physical dubplate, identify its recorded version and playback requirements, assess its condition, and decide whether to play, preserve or transfer it.
Distinguishing features Filled
- A physical disc with playable recorded grooves separates this entry from an exclusive audio file also called a dubplate.
- Evidence of grooves cut individually from audio separates a dubplate from a record replicated using a stamper; a handwritten label or small edition alone does not establish this distinction.
- Documented reference-listening or selective-performance use helps distinguish a dubplate from a lacquer destined for manufacturing.
- Material alone is insufficient: traditional lacquer discs and contemporary direct-cut plastic discs can be described as dubplates.
- A personalised sound-system vocal identifies a possible dubplate special, but neither personalised vocals nor dub music is required for every physical dubplate.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Copy, digitize or distribute an exclusive dubplate without the rights holders' permission.
- Play or wear a fragile lacquer disc more than its keeper allows.
- Misattribute a dubplate's artist, version or origin.
Only with a human decision
- Selling, lending or digitizing a dubplate from an archive or private collection.
May
- Describe dubplates and their place in sound-system culture.
- Catalogue dubplates in a collection with the keeper's permission.
Moral aspects Filled
- Exclusive cuts carry the trust between artists and sound systems.
- Sound-system culture belongs to communities, especially Jamaican and British Caribbean ones.
Who is affected
- Artists
- Sound systems and DJs
- Collectors
Owners Filled
Steward
The sound system or person who commissioned and keeps it; rights holders own the recordings.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q4673255 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.dubplate
- Wikidata: Q1263218 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1263218)
Direct properties required Filled
- Recording surface and substrate: Lacquer-coated substrate; identified direct-cut plastic; other documented construction; unknown
- Disc diameter: mm, with labelled inch size retained separately
- Playback speed by side: rpm; unknown when unverified
- Groove and channel format: Documented groove format and mono/stereo configuration; unknown
- Recorded duration by side: s
- Cutting provenance: Links to cutting studio, engineer, date, order and source recording where evidenced
- Recorded version by side: Links to exact mix, edit, voicing or take; unresolved identification allowed
- Intended use: Reference audition; advance DJ play; sound-system special; other documented use; unknown
- Groove and surface condition: Observed wear, scratches, contamination, cracks, coating separation and warping, located by side and region
- Playback readiness: Unassessed; suitable under documented setup; restricted playback; specialist assessment required
Recognition required Filled
- A one-off disc, often with a handwritten label, in a plain sleeve.
- Lacquer discs have a metal core visible at the edge or centre hole.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Classify the disc using cutting evidence, construction and documented use.
- Match each side to its exact recording and intended recipient.
- Select and document a compatible playback setup.
- Audition or cue the recording when its condition permits.
- Create a preservation transfer when permitted and record the transfer settings.
- Choose supported storage, cleaning or specialist conservation actions.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Lacquer wears quickly and can crack or flake with play and age.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- IEC 60098, issued by the International Electrotechnical Commission, specifies characteristics of analogue audio disk records and reproducing equipment relevant to compatible dubplate playback.
Context of use required Filled
- Dubplates are used in recording studios for reference listening and assessment of a recording before wider production.
- They also appear in DJ and sound-system practice as individually cut discs carrying exclusive recordings or versions.
- Archives and collectors encounter them as potentially unique sound carriers whose condition affects playback and preservation decisions.
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q1263218: dubplate - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Dubplate - general description of the item
Open questions
- Does the registry intend dubplate to cover all contemporary direct-cut plastic variants, or a narrower historical lacquer-disc sense?
- How should locally documented uses of dubplate for very small pressed editions relate to the individually cut physical kind?
- Which reliable identification methods distinguish lacquer coatings and plastic blanks when manufacturer records are absent?
- Which conservation guidance supports material-specific cleaning, storage and playback limits without assuming a universal service life?
- What evidence is sufficient to verify the date, recipient and claimed exclusivity of an undocumented sound-system special?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q1263218/spec.json