Runouts and Matrix Marks

Runouts and Matrix Marks

Runouts, sometimes called matrix marks or dead wax, are the small etched or stamped markings near the center label of a vinyl record. They can help identify the exact pressing, mastering, lacquer cut, pressing plant, or variant of a record.

You do not need runouts for every record. They matter most when the pressing identity affects value, sound, rarity, or confidence that you own the exact version you think you own.

When Runouts Are Worth Entering

Runout notes are especially useful when:

• several pressings share the same cover, label, barcode, or catalog number,
• a record is valuable or insured,
• you are comparing a Discogs listing to your physical copy,
• you are tracking a first pressing, promo, club edition, or special mastering,
• Store Mode or Wishlist shows a related match and you want more confidence,
• Collection Health reports a missing runout on a record you care about.

For common inexpensive records, it is fine to leave runouts blank unless you personally want the detail.

Where To Find The Marks

Look in the smooth area between the final groove and the center label. The marks may be:

Mark Type	What It Looks Like
Etched	Handwritten-looking text scratched into the vinyl.
Stamped	Machine-stamped characters, often cleaner and more uniform.
Symbols	Small logos, initials, shapes, or marks from a plant or engineer.
Side labels	Side-specific codes, often ending in A, B, C, or D.

Good light helps. Tilt the record carefully so the marks catch the light. Handle the record by the edges and label area.

Saving Side A And Side B

DeepGrooves stores runout text by side. Side A and Side B should be saved separately so each mark stays tied to the correct side of the copy.

1. Open the album detail or copy details screen.
2. Open the runout panel.
3. Enter the text for one side.
4. Click the side-level save icon for that side.
5. Wait for the save state to clear before saving the overall album or copy details.
6. Repeat for the other side.

If DeepGrooves asks you to save runouts before saving the rest of the details, it means one or more side fields still have unsaved changes.

Using Known Suggestions

Some records may have known runout suggestions from release data. Suggestions are starting points, not proof that your copy matches.

Use a suggestion when:

• it exactly matches what you see on the physical record,
• you want to avoid retyping a long known matrix,
• the suggestion helps you compare variants.

Do not use a suggestion just because it is present. Your copy may have a different side, plant, mastering, or variant.

Parsed Marks And Hints

When supported, DeepGrooves may parse recognizable parts of the runout text. This can surface hints such as:

Hint	Meaning
Mastering engineer	A known engineer signature or initials may have been detected.
Pressing plant	A plant code, stamp, or symbol may have been recognized.
Token or mark	A meaningful part of the runout was separated for review.
Unknown mark	The app saw something structured but does not have a confident match yet.

Parsed hints are help, not a final verdict. Always trust the physical record and reliable release evidence over an automated interpretation.

When you save a side, DeepGrooves stores both the raw text and any parsed hints it can recognize. If the save fails, the side remains unsaved so you can retry instead of accidentally losing the parsed context.

Editing Or Deleting A Side

If you made a mistake:

1. Open the runout panel.
2. Edit the side text or clear it.
3. Save that side again.

If there is a delete action, use it only for the side you want to clear. Deleting Side A should not delete Side B.

How Runouts Affect Health And Export

Collection Health may report missing runouts when a record appears to need more pressing detail. This is usually more important for rare, valuable, collectible, or uncertain records.

Collection exports include saved user-entered runout details when they exist: whether a runout is documented, which sides have text, the side-specific text, recognized mastering engineer hints, recognized plant codes, and the last runout update time.

Insurance exports include the practical runout fields most useful for documentation: documented state, sides, saved text, recognized mastering engineer hints, and recognized plant codes.

This matters for portability, insurance documentation, and future cleanup. The raw runout text remains the authoritative value; parsed engineer and plant fields are helpful hints.

Tips For Entering Runouts

• Preserve spacing and punctuation when practical.
• Use Side A, Side B, Side C, and Side D fields instead of putting all sides in one note.
• If a mark is unclear, use a question mark or note rather than guessing silently.
• Do not scrape or clean aggressively just to read a mark.
• For expensive records, compare the runout to a trusted release page before assuming a match.

Troubleshooting

I clicked the save icon but the app still says to save runouts first.
The side save may not have completed, or another side may still have unsaved changes. Save each changed side and wait for the save indicator to clear.

The parsed hint looks wrong.
Leave the raw runout text accurate. The raw text is the important source. Parsed hints can improve over time.

My record has more than two sides.
Use the available side fields if supported. For multi-disc or multi-side records, keep each side separate when possible.

I cannot read a mark.
Enter only what you can see confidently. It is better to leave an uncertain mark incomplete than to save a wrong one.

A known suggestion does not match my copy.
Do not use it. Type what is on your physical record.

---

Related topics:

• album-detail
• album-editing
• collection-health
• value-insurance
• store-mode