Acetate / soft wax

Well supported

The lacquer-coated disc a studio cuts one at a time, called soft wax because it wears out after a few dozen plays. It was meant as a test pressing on the way to a stamper; Jamaica made it a finished product instead. A dubplate is an acetate, and the whole economy of exclusive versions, specials and clash tunes rests on a format that was never supposed to leave the cutting room.