Homemade Record Database

Below is a listing of homemade lacquer records, acetate records, aluminum records and glass records with their approximate production dates. This database will be updated regularly to add new label variations and manufacturers in an attempt to provide information regarding the many types of homemade records produced from 1930-1960.

Acetate or lacquer records first came into use in the 1930s as a way to create reference copies of master recordings. However, it wasn’t until the 1940s and 50s that they became a popular format for creating demo and home recordings.

Acetate records are made by coating a metal disc, glass or cardboard fiber with a layer of nitrocellulos lacquer. A cutting lathe is then used to cut a groove into the acetate coating, which corresponds to the audio signal being recorded. The resulting acetate disc is a one-off recording that can be used for home or institutional use, demonstration purposes or to create a limited run of vinyl records.

Homemade lacquer records are extremely fragile and wear easily by simply playing them, many are now peeling, cracking or chipped. Playing them with the wrong type of stylus often further damages their delicate surfaces. The sound quality they exhibit is mostly extremely poor, especially due to the fact that they were often made by amateurs in a home setting with consumer grade equipment. Lacquer record digitizing will preserve the current state of the recorded media however the vast majority of the time digital audio restoration will be needed to further enhance the inferior sound quality. It is important to note that most lacquer record audio can not be FULLY restored by any means but can be improved through cleaning, using proper transfer equipment, and state of the art digital restoration tools.