DownloadCRATTO / BLOG
Notes on collecting, listening, and living with vinyl.
Music Stories ·
In 1942 American musicians stopped recording, and modern jazz took shape in the silence. What the war, a tax and the three-minute record did to bebop, with the full documentary, tracks to hear and nine records to explore.
Read article ↗Vinyl Notes ·
City Pop was born in an era when Japan's economy was on the rise, capturing a generation's optimism that "tomorrow will be better than today"; more than thirty years later, it has been rediscovered by the world.
Read article ↗Music Stories ·
A hundred years ago, jazz was considered sinful; today, it has become synonymous with class. This article draws on sociology and jazz history research to examine who attached this label and to explain why the joy of listening matters more than labels.
Read article ↗Music Stories ·
Christian hip hop began as gospel rap, made by pastors, youth workers, ex-gang members and students in different cities. The people behind it decade by decade, Stephen Wiley, GRITS, Lecrae, NF and more, with 12 essential albums.
Read article ↗Vinyl Knowledge ·
A 1948 Paris concert of recorded noise, a Chicago warehouse club, a Detroit high school and a South London record shop: the places where electronic music's story happened. 15 main genres along two lineages, a quick-reference table and 12 must-hear albums.
Read article ↗Collecting ·
Crate digging means hunting down good music you haven't heard yet, instead of waiting for a recommendation. Where the term came from, and five leads to follow: credits, labels, a genre's roots, samples and the record shop.
Read article ↗Collecting ·
What to record for each record, which tool to use, and how to catalog vinyl with CRATTO: scan to find the exact pressing, let crates sort by genre or A–Z, then build your own crates and move records so the catalog matches your shelf.
Read article ↗Collecting ·
An obi doesn't prove a Japanese pressing: what direct imports are, how to check the country, and why sound depends on the pressing.
Read article ↗Collecting ·
The main types of Japanese obi, how an obi affects price, what the other inserts are, and how to keep one safe.
Read article ↗Formats & Quality ·
Japanese pressings are prized for quiet vinyl, careful quality control, obi strips, and complete packaging. Learn whether they really sound better, plus how to identify and date a Japanese pressing.
Read article ↗Vinyl Basics ·
An idle turntable usually trips on three things: the belt, the stylus and the connection. Check them in order (condition and power, belt, stylus, speed including 50/60 Hz mains, phono stage and speakers), then test with a record you don't mind risking.
Read article ↗Music Stories ·
In 1995, 21-year-old Jun Seba opened a record store in Udagawacho, Shibuya. By day he flipped through records; by night he made beats. He rarely appeared in public throughout his life, yet he looped two bars from old records into lo-fi beats that spread across the world. From his store and his collaborators to Samurai Champloo, plus nine recommended albums for further listening.
Read article ↗Vinyl Knowledge ·
A checklist for identifying your pressing: where the catalog number sits on spine and label, how to read the dead wax with a flashlight, how etched differs from stamped, plus the exceptions and how to confirm it on Discogs.
Read article ↗Cleaning & Care ·
Most styli last 300–1,000 hours, though makers differ widely. Learn the wear signs, such as dull highs and inner-groove distortion, how to rule out tracking force and antiskate first, and how to clean a stylus safely.
Read article ↗Vinyl Basics ·
From timing your entry, what tools to bring, how to inspect records without a turntable, to the art of haggling—a practical guide to buying records in person.
Read article ↗Vinyl Knowledge ·
Find what a vinyl record is worth: identify the pressing, grade it, and check recent sold prices on Discogs, eBay or Popsike, plus when an appraisal is worth it.
Read article ↗Cleaning & Care ·
Warping, mold and scuffs come from storage, not play. The rules first: keep records upright with a finger's width of space, then inner sleeves, stable temperature, humidity and a six-month check.
Read article ↗Vinyl Knowledge ·
Copyright years are not pressing years. Use inner groove codes, label designs, sleeve text, and packaging details to determine a record's actual manufacturing date.
Read article ↗Cleaning & Care ·
From carbon fiber brushes to wet cleaning and record cleaning machines, this explains what each of the three cleaning methods solves, when to use which one, and which common practices can actually damage your records.
Read article ↗Cleaning & Care ·
A skip is not always a scratch. Learn to tell dirt, pressing defects, and real groove damage apart, which cleaning and troubleshooting steps are safe, and which popular fixes damage a record for good.
Read article ↗Collecting ·
Most 78s are shellac, not vinyl: they need a 3 mil coarse stylus and never alcohol, while 45s share an LP stylus. Here is how grooves, speed, EQ curves, cleaning and storage differ between the two.
Read article ↗Cleaning & Care ·
When facing moldy, dusty, musty old records, how to safely handle them step by step, how to distinguish mold spots from ordinary dirt, and when to give up the sleeve and keep only the record.
Read article ↗Vinyl Basics ·
When you can't see the item in person, what to ask the seller, which photos to look at, how to read VG+ and Goldmine grades, and which signals mean you should walk away from the deal.
Read article ↗Collecting ·
The inner sleeve is the material that stays in contact with a record the longest. Compare the pros and cons of paper, polyethylene, anti-static, and PVC inner sleeves, and whether original inner sleeves should be kept or replaced.
Read article ↗Formats & Quality ·
180g vinyl weighs about 180 grams: stiffer and flatter, not automatically better-sounding. What weight, color and picture discs really change.
Read article ↗Collecting ·
Store the record separately from the sleeve, leave enough cushioning, and choose the right box. A directly actionable step-by-step guide to packing and shipping vinyl records to reduce seam splits, corner dings, and breakage.
Read article ↗Music Stories ·
An empty Roman amphitheatre in 1971, Syd's exit and four men relearning how to write songs, the prism, the burning handshake, the pig over Battersea — and where to start listening.
Read article ↗Collecting ·
Think a record might be a fake? Work through seller photos, the exact release version and the runout etchings on both sides, step by step, and see why a missing label or one odd character is not proof of a counterfeit.
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From the rehearsal room at Abingdon School to the era anxiety of OK Computer, the sonic reconfiguration of Kid A, and the reapproach of In Rainbows, this retrospective follows the choices of the five members and their long-time collaborators to look back on Radiohead's music, friendship, and change. Includes all nine studio albums plus three alternative rock extended recommendations.
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Postwar radio and city life, following the collaborations of Haruomi Hosono, Yumi Arai, Tatsuro Yamashita, Taeko Onuki, Tetsuji Hayashi and others, to hear the origins, flourishing, and journey of City Pop. Includes thirteen introductory records.
Read article ↗Vinyl Notes ·
Emile Berliner received the Gramophone patent on November 8, 1887, the year lateral-cut disc recording took shape. This article explains key steps: etching, duplication, materials, and home players.
Read article ↗Vinyl Notes ·
In version 1.1.2, CRATTO added two players. Player 2 is called Steinweiss, named after Alex Steinweiss, the father of the vinyl record cover. Vinyl covers, unlike the records themselves, make no sound, but they are indeed the earliest reason we pause, linger, and pick up a record to look at it. I hope this story helps you understand the warmth within this player.
Read article ↗Music Stories ·
Why do turntables have 33 and 45 RPM? Columbia's 1948 LP spun at 33⅓ to fit a symphony on one disc; RCA answered in 1949 with the 7-inch 45 single. After a year of format war, LPs took albums and 45s took singles.
Read article ↗Vinyl Notes ·
Shine a flashlight on the runout groove to read the matrix number, then check the label design and promo markings. How to read RCA, Decca and Columbia codes, what a Japanese sample pressing really is, and when a reissue is the smarter buy.
Read article ↗Collecting ·
Choose a sorting system, identify your pressings, record shelf locations, and build a manageable catalog that brings your collection back into everyday listening.
Read article ↗Vinyl Knowledge ·
What M, NM, VG+, VG and G mean, why the disc and sleeve are graded separately, how grades affect price, and how the same scale applies to CDs. Includes a downloadable one-page grading chart (PDF).
Read article ↗Vinyl Notes ·
If you’re broke and you love listening to music, get into vinyl!
Read article ↗Collecting ·
A bootleg holds live, rehearsal or unreleased recordings no label ever issued. Get the definition, then five in-store checks — discography, label, packaging, sound source, runouts — and how a bootleg differs from a counterfeit.
Read article ↗CRATTO Tutorial ·
Scan vinyl barcodes or recognize CatNo catalogue numbers with CRATTO, preview music while record shopping, organize your collection and rediscover older albums with Today's Pick.
Read article ↗Vinyl Basics ·
A beginner's notes on what the stylus, MM and MC cartridges and the phono stage actually do, how a groove turns into sound, and four playful kinds of vinyl listener so you can spot yourself.
Read article ↗Collecting ·
What is a sample record? From free records for American radio in 1942 to Japan's white-label, red vinyl, and CD sample records, understand its origins; then learn to identify them by labels, catalog numbers, and matrix codes, and distinguish claims about sound quality, rarity, and price.
Read article ↗Vinyl Notes ·
Why listen to vinyl? One listener reflects on recommendation algorithms, music made for clicks, and the unexpected discoveries waiting in the used-record bins.
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