What format does the ME normally deliver?

[Sk106]

I'm curious as to what mastering engineers normaly deliveras the material as?

Just like 24 bit audio seems more of a standard (however not a requirement) it would seem reasonable to believe that a mastering engineer would deliver his work in a more or less standardized form.

To me, the mastering engineer is partially the compiler of a record. He could get eight songs in the form of eight 24 bit files. The work on the audio properties is one thing, but then the songs are going to be lined up as a CD, where start and end points for tracks are mapped out, as well as the pause between the songs. Let's also say that on this particular CD, one song is going to seamlessly flow into a second song, while the CD player should mark a certain point as the beginning of the second song. Also, the average sound level between all the songs will be carefully compared and adjusted.

A mastering engineer could do this in for example Wavelab or Sony CD Architect. Those apps - and many others - offers you the option to save the CD track markers within a wavefile. However, those markers will not show up to someone who does not use the same software.

I guess what I'm asking is, how do you deliver this material in a way that retains the markings? and is there a format, that is more commonly used amongst mastering engineers to deliver the material ready for CD Master creation?

[Nordenstam]

The delivery to plant is by plain audio CD (which then gets ripped before the glass master is written), or by DDP - which can be sent directly to the glass master.

For delivery to client that wish to burn their own, cuesheets (cue/bin) is handy. Other options are nero image and similar proprietary formats.

[Masterbrother]

Originally Posted by Sk106

I guess what I'm asking is, how do you deliver this material in a way that retains the markings? and is there a format, that is more commonly used amongst mastering engineers to deliver the material ready for CD Master creation?

Audio CD 44.1/16 PQ Sheet ISRC.

[MAzevedo]

Redbook audio CD or DDP image set, at 16b/44k1, with a cue sheet so the plant can verify that what they have is correct. Nothing fancy, really.

[Edward_Vinatea]

Working on both online and on mastering sessions with clientele sitting in, I can say that I deliver most online jobs as 44.1/16bit .wav or .aif files approximately 85% of the time while only 15% is other formats, resolutions and sampling rates.

When I have mastering sessions with the artist(s) they walk away with a red book compliant PMCD along with a cue sheet, and less than 20% of the time I am asked to write ISRC's and bar codes (I am required mainly by labels). I guess most indies artists are unaware of them or don't require it.

[jayfrigo]

JAY'S MASTER FORMAT PRIMER

Of course masters need to be 44.1 kHz 16-bit if they are for CD. If it's for DVD-V, it's likely 48k, but can be 96, or even AC-3 for Dolby Digital. If it's a full DVD authoring job, then it's DLT (Digital Linear Tape). SACD can be a data file or an MO disc from a Genex. Anyway, I assume CD is the topic at hand, so...

Most common: red book compatible CDR. (Note "red book compatible" technically, because as a recordable CD, it starts life as an orange book disc, and the "finishing up" puts a TOC on there so it is compatible with red book players).

Next most common: DDPi which is a Disc Description Protocol image file set typically on a Yellow Book CD-ROM. DDP is a format from DCA, Doug Carson & Assoc., and putting the image set on yellow book and calling it DDPi was originally initiated by Universal Music Group. DDP sets can also be put on other data formats such as DVD-R or sent via ftp directly to the plant. There are DDP 1.0 and 2.0 specs for CD, and even a DDP 2.1 spec for DVD masters. DP 3.0 is for HD-DVDs, and they plan a DDP for blu-ray discs as well.

Old formats not in use anymore:

PMCD: even though some still call a red book compatible CD-R a PMCD when used as a master, it really is not. PMCD was a proprietary format from Sony and Sonic Solutions that actually included a little data file of the PQ information (subcode containing start ID, track pause, ISRC, UPC, TOC, emphasis, and copy prohibit status). At the time, the plant couldn't extract accurate PQ codes from a disc, so the little PQ file allowed a CD-R to be used as a master. The format is dead now. The drives and software to create true PMCDs no longer exist (except in legacy systems).

DDP's original media format was 8mm exabyte tape. The only time you'll see that anymore is if you are doing a compilation record and somebody sends you an old master. These drives are hard to find and maintain now, and DDP on Exabyte is essentially dead as well.

PCM-1630 and other flavors like PCM 1610 were the original CD master format with digital audio encoded to 3/4" Umatic video tape. As above, it's now a dead format with difficult to find and maintain machines and likely only to be seen when doing old compilations.

PCM-9000 was Sony's intended replacement for 1630, but it came at a time when DCC (Doug Carson & Associates) had introduced both equipment that allowed the plant to extract everything needed directly from a red book CD-R to use as a master, and DDP was gaining ground. PCM-9000 was too expensive by comparison and was essentially still-born. It recorded to MO (Magneto Optical) discs and supported 44.1 and 48k sample rates at 16, 20, and 24 bits. As above, we sometimes see PCM-9000 discs from archives when doing compilation, career retrospective, and and greatest hits albums.

DAT: Oh my goodness. I can't believe people used to use this as a master. There was even gear that allowed you to read the start IDs from the DAT tape over SPDIF and write them to a CDR to use for PQ codes. Yikes. Bad news.

[Bob Olhsson]

Doug Carson cleaned up by allowing people to master data CDs using a computer that looked like a 1630 to early generation laser beam audio recorders. Sony/Phillips had wanted plants to buy a second, even more expensive LBR for data disks.

[ed littman]

Jay's post should be a sticky!
Great infothumbsup.

Ed

[Sk106]

Wow, some great answers here. Especially Jay's detailed post. Thanks guys.

I did not previously know of the DDPi format. From learning about it, I read somewhere else that DDP is most commonly stored (and delivered) on DLT or SDLT .. that a DLT/SDLT tape is one of the most preferred delivery formats for disc replication plants. Perhaps that is more common for DVD-5 and/or DVD-9.

But despite searching, I haven't encountered any information about how to generate/create the DDPi image set with software. It seems reasonable to suspect that this info is collected/put into a burning software (if the info about putting it on yellow book CD/DVD is correct). But I haven't found one trace of info regarding softwares who can create DDPi images or DDPi formatting details. I know for a fact that Wavelab can't and that Nero can't - since I use both.

Maybe I'm making the wrong deductions from the info given so far, and searching for the wrong thing .... or this must be one hard to find thing.

[24-96 Mastering]

Originally Posted by Sk106

Wow, some great answers here. Especially Jay's detailed post. Thanks guys.

I did not previously know of the DDPi format. From learning about it, I read somewhere else that DDP is most commonly stored (and delivered) on DLT or SDLT .. that a DLT/SDLT tape is one of the most preferred delivery formats for disc replication plants. Perhaps that is more common for DVD-5 and/or DVD-9.

But despite searching, I haven't encountered any information about how to generate/create the DDPi image set with software. It seems reasonable to suspect that this info is collected/put into a burning software (if the info about putting it on yellow book CD/DVD is correct). But I haven't found one trace of info regarding softwares who can create DDPi images or DDPi formatting details. I know for a fact that Wavelab can't and that Nero can't - since I use both.

Maybe I'm making the wrong deductions from the info given so far, and searching for the wrong thing .... or this must be one hard to find thing.

Search this forum. There should be dozens of threads about which software can author DDP. (If you searched for DDPi, try searching for DDP only.)

In short, there are:

PC:
Wavelab (via CubeTech Addon)
Sadie
Gear Mastering

Mac:
Sonic Sound Blade
Sonic Premaster CD
Audiofile Wave Editor

Hop I didn't forget any.

As for images being preferred on tape, that's very much yesteryear's information. (Experiences may vary.)

[jhg]

And Pyramix!

[miscreant]

Sequoia also does DDP.

[24-96 Mastering]

Ugh... sorry... forgot a whole bunch there. Please excuse my ignorance