After the record is mastered, then what?

[MikeTSH]

I want to press 50 to CD and have found a company that do both my jewel case inserts etc and also duplicate the CD and shrinkwrap it etc. My question is - is there any special way I have to burn the CD with the files on? I'm using Sony's CD Architect after seeing here that a few people said it was good for adding the 2sec gap for the first song, adding IRSC codes (which I'd still like to know how to do :P) and doing the crossfades between songs.

Basically I'm asking, once the record is mastered and all 11 files are sent back to me, where do I go next?

[inlinenl]

Hi Mike,

I would ask the ME to create a proper masterdisk, how much he's asking for that ???? if you've done 11 tracks , you should get a nice deal ..

after that, just make a new record ...

[MikeTSH]

the ME lives in the USA, I live in the UK, so that's where the confusion begins

[spice house]

He could send you a disk image - thats more accurate than a master cd anyway. they are bigger files 400+mb

[inlinenl]

if you both swimm , you can meet halfway ...
sending it would not be that much by normal air-mail ..
first let him send an image ..
you could burn the image yourself .. no need for a physical disk
you just miss out on the physical error checks ..

but if you want to do it yourself .. no problem ... 2 sec. pause is never a standard ..

[MikeTSH]

I'll probably do the image of a disc then. So I just burn the image to a CD-R and then send that off to the duplication plant?

Sorry for sounding so much like an idiot, I put out a record in March 2010 but with mastering all done by myself and just burn to CD-R's with no care of time between songs etc. I really want this record to be as good as it physically can be

[Tarekith]

Ask the duplication plant if they accept DDP files. If so, ask your ME for one and you can just send that to the duplication plant online, no need to burn a CDR at all.

[PBM]

Originally Posted by MikeTSH

I want to press 50 to CD and have found a company that do both my jewel case inserts etc and also duplicate the CD and shrinkwrap it etc. My question is - is there any special way I have to burn the CD with the files on? I'm using Sony's CD Architect after seeing here that a few people said it was good for adding the 2sec gap for the first song, adding IRSC codes (which I'd still like to know how to do :P) and doing the crossfades between songs.

Basically I'm asking, once the record is mastered and all 11 files are sent back to me, where do I go next?

Check your PMs

[4130]

Why can't your ME just ship you a disc with pauses and ISRC codes already on it? This allows the ME to do all quality control and removes any confusion on your part. I've done this before between US and Spain and it only took a few days. Send your ME an email and let him/her help you make the best choice for your timeframe.

[loji]

Yup .. that's one of the biggest parts of an ME's Job. To provide an error free, correctly formatted PMCD. If your engineer cannot (or will not) do this, their not an ME. Their just doing 2-bus sweetening.

They should be able to ship it directly from their studio to the plant you've chosen to use. Just let them know the address, and details, etc .. If you don't want physical parts, ask if the plant will accept a DDP format. Some do, some don't.

btw: inlinenl: the 2 sec gap at the start of a disc is not optional. It's part of the redbook standard, and while most applications will automagically add it for you, it's good to be aware that a disc cannot start at 00:00:00 and still be in spec.

The gaps between songs after the first track can be any length you want. (including negative if you get tricky with indexing flags).

[mrlouie]

Originally Posted by MikeTSH

the ME lives in the USA, I live in the UK, so that's where the confusion begins

i think fedex goes to the uk

[Adam Dempsey]

Originally Posted by loji

The gaps between songs after the first track can be any length you want. (including negative if you get tricky with indexing flags).

It's rare but that aspect can be an issue for CD-R duplication (not replication), depending on the firmware in the duplicating machines. ie, earlier versions have been known to mute any pause intervals.

But yes... the 2 sec (150 CD frame) lead-in is necessary and part of the format's specs.

I don't know of any duplication plant that will accept DDP, unless they're also replicators and hence will likely charge for creating a master CD-R. And a good plant will also error-test the master CD-R. If the deadline really is tight, sending them two discs, created at different speeds, can be a simple insurance against lost time.