Vinyl pressings come in various weights. The heavier the record, the longer the press cycle, the more expensive that record is to produce. A standard record typically weighs 120 to 140 grams. A heavy record is in the 180 to 200 gram range. If you take these records out of the package and weigh them, they will always weigh at very least, the weight advertised.

The correct rotational speed of a record is called out in revolutions per minute. Most 12” albums are mastered at this speed.

The correct rotational speed of a record is called out in revolutions per minute. Most 12” singles are mastered at this speed. For improved sound quality some 12” L.P. albums are mastered at 45 r.p.m..

E.P. or Extended Player is a is a vinyl record, CD, or music download, which contains more audio than a single but is too short to qualify as an album or L.P.

For vinyl, an E.P. is typically 10 to 28 minutes of music and released as either a 33 1/3 or 45 r.p.m. 12” or a 33 1/3 or 45 r.p.m. 7”, or 10” at either speed.

When we master a record, there is an actual physical cutting process, involving a 14 inch lacquer-coated aluminum disc and a precision cutting stylus/ lathe. The lacquer is placed onto a lathe, which translates the audio information onto the etched groove, during playback of the source material.

Half speed mastering involves a capturing process in which the original recording master is played back at exactly half of the recorded speed. A sequenced cutting lathe is then timed at exactly half of the playback speed.

L.P. or Long Playing records are typically referred to as full length, 33 1/3 r.p.m. 12” albums. The LP format, originally introduced in 1948, by CBS Laboratories, in both 10” and 12” configurations, was designed to increase the quality of the existing 78r.p.m. 10” singles, by allowing for higher fidelity and customer convenience with an extended playing time.

The 33 1/3 r.p.m. 10” record began replacing the 78r.p.m. 10” single record as a format aimed at popular music buyers. The 12” 33 1/3 r.p.m. LP, was designed for higher priced classical recordings and Broadway Shows.

Frequently marketing and content stickers will refer to “master tapes”, “original analog tapes” etc. This refers to the ¼” or ½” tape that an album was mixed down to during recording. This is the master, from which safety tape copies are sometimes made. The master tapes are considered to be the purest example of a recording and in most cases closest to what the artist heard and or desired while making the album.

A tip on jacket, is an old style record jacket that is often hand glued and fabricated in order to match the quality and style of historic record jackets. Tip on, refers to the folded seams on the paper. The printing is done on paper as usual which is then glued to heavy board stocks called blanks. The effect over standard direct to board jackets, for most record collectors, is similar to the differences between a hardback and paperback book.