Editing Acetate disc (section)

=== Direct recording ===
[[file:Presto 8N Acetate engraver, 1950 (24639289438).jpg|thumb|upright|Presto 8N Acetate disc engraver (1950) used by the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] to record radio programs]]

Before the introduction of [[magnetic tape]] for mastering, disc recording was done "live" (see [[direct to disc recording]]), although sometimes intermediate disc-to-disc editing procedures were involved.<ref name="Preservation" /> Before lacquer discs were adopted for the purpose, the master recording was cut into a disc of wax-like material that was too soft to be played non-destructively and had to be used as a mandrel on which to electroform a metal stamper, which was in turn used to make playable [[record press|pressings]]. Acetate blanks allowed high-quality playable records to be produced "instantaneously".

Acetates were used in [[radio broadcasting]] to archive live broadcasts, pre-record local programming, delay network feeds for broadcast at a later time, and provide programming "from home" on the [[Armed Forces Radio Network]]. (In many cases, the AFRN disc is the only form in which a classic radio show has survived.) {{convert|16|in|cm|0|adj=on}} discs recorded at {{frac|33|1|3}}&nbsp;rpm were used for these one-off "[[transcription disc|electrical transcriptions]]" beginning in the mid-1930s.

Disc recorders designed for amateur home use began appearing on the market around 1940, but their high prices limited sales, and then [[World War II]] brought their production to a halt. After the war, the popularity of such recorders greatly increased. It was not unusual for a [[travelling carnival|carnival]], [[circus]], [[amusement park]], or [[transit hub]] to offer disc recording in a booth for a modest fee. Countless discs were cut at parties and family gatherings, both for immediate amusement value and to preserve audio "snapshots" of these events and of the voices of relatives and friends. Schoolchildren and adults alike used them to practice speeches, amateur musical efforts were immortalized, and snippets of radio broadcasts were captured, all limited by the three- or four-minute maximum playing time of the 78&nbsp;rpm large-groove format which was still standard for all home-use records. The home recorders typically had two tone arms, one for recording and the other for playback, and a red light to indicate recording was taking place. One problem with the process was the "string" of cut material that followed the recording tone arm as the groove was cut. This "string" could interfere with the recording process and required manual intervention to remove.

This relatively bulky equipment, and the bulky discs, were hauled to remote locations such as [[Yugoslavia]] (see [[Milman Parry]]) or the [[Mississippi Delta]] (see [[Archive of American Folk Song]]) by [[ethnographer]]s, [[linguist]]s, and musical researchers. Substantial collections of these recordings are available to researchers at academic and national libraries, as well as [[museum]]s.

During the very early tape era, around 1950, acetate discs and portable disc recorders competed with magnetic tape as a location-recording medium, both for broadcast and semi-pro use, but tape's several advantages quickly won the contest. Recording services hired to record weddings and other private events routinely captured them on tape, but because most homes of the 1950s and early 1960s were not equipped to play tapes, while nearly everyone had a record player, typically the recording was dubbed to disc and supplied to the client in that form and the original tape was recycled. Acetate discs are inherently less durable than some types of magnetic tape, and have the disadvantage of not being physically editable; unlike tape, acetates cannot be cut and spliced.