THE RECORD JOURNALCRATTO / BLOG
Notes on collecting, listening, and living with vinyl.
Vinyl Knowledge ·
The catalog number on the spine tells you which release this is; the inscription in the dead wax tells you which pressing this is. Learning to read these two sets of numbers is the foundation for accurately identifying and valuing records.
Read article ↗Cleaning & Care ·
The stylus is the most wear-prone component in the entire system. This explains cleaning methods, wear signals, replacement intervals, and how incorrect handling damages records.
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 ·
Learn to estimate record value using Discogs median price, lowest price, and historical sales records, understand how edition, condition, and demand affect price, and avoid overvaluing or undervaluing your collection.
Read article ↗Cleaning & Care ·
Warping, mold, and scratches on records mostly come from how they are stored. A clear explanation of vertical storage, inner sleeve materials, temperature and humidity ranges, and the easily overlooked details of long-term preservation.
Read article ↗Vinyl Knowledge ·
Copyright year does not equal pressing year. Start with the inner groove codes, label design, 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 ·
Distinguish between skips caused by scratches, pressing defects, and dirt, understand which handling methods are safe, which permanently damage the record, and when to accept it.
Read article ↗Collecting ·
7-inch singles and shellac records each have their own specifications, playback requirements, and collecting logic. This article explains the differences between the two, equipment requirements, and preservation tips.
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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 ·
What exactly do weight and color change? Clarifying the real differences between 180g heavy vinyl, colored vinyl, and picture discs, and when it's worth paying extra.
Read article ↗Collecting ·
Store records and covers separately, leave enough cushioning, and choose the right box. A step-by-step guide to packing and shipping vinyl records that you can follow directly to reduce seam splits, corner dings, and breakage.
Read article ↗Music Stories ·
In the story of Pink Floyd, there are always those who leave, and those who try to hold onto the sounds left behind. Syd's imagination, Waters' anger, Gilmour's guitar, interwoven with the playing of Wright and Mason, become album after album. The music travels farther and farther, but the people who once made music together gradually can no longer hear each other.
Read article ↗Collecting ·
How to verify a suspected counterfeit vinyl? Gather evidence step by step from physical photos, release versions, and runout etchings on both sides, while avoiding common misjudgments. Includes reference sources from Discogs and the UK Intellectual Property Office.
Read article ↗Music Stories ·
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.
Read article ↗Music Stories ·
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 ·
Placing a record on the turntable requires a few very gentle movements. Fingers hold the edge, align the center hole with the spindle, let go, and then move the tonearm toward the outer groove. When the stylus drops, sometimes a faint, crackling sound is first heard in the room. Then, voices appear, instruments enter, and a performance long completed begins again from the start. Yet these few slight movements have undergone their own unique history!
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 ·
Vinyl history — Columbia and RCA’s Battle of the Speeds. 33 versus 45, and how the speed standards were born.
Read article ↗Vinyl Notes ·
For the same album on vinyl, the price can range from a few dozen yuan to several thousand yuan. The core of the difference is the version. This article helps you understand three things: how version types are classified, how to read matrix numbers, and what label terminology means.
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 ·
Learn what M, NM, VG+, VG and G mean, why records and sleeves need separate grades, and what to ask before buying used vinyl.
Read article ↗Vinyl Notes ·
If you’re broke and you love listening to music, get into vinyl!
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Explore bootleg recordings, counterfeit records and artist-approved fan releases, with a practical checklist for identifying and documenting vinyl editions.
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 ·
How records make sound, what MM and MC cartridges do, why a phono stage matters, and four playful ways of being a vinyl enthusiast.
Read article ↗Collecting ·
What 見本盤 means, how to identify a Japanese promotional record, and why a sample label alone cannot promise better sound or greater value.
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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