Is there any need for CD Text?

[Adebar]

How many of your customers ask for CD Text?

There are not many CD Player capable to show CD Text.

Even iTunes can't read read it.

Who still cares about CD Text?

[Andy Krehm]

Originally Posted by Adebar

How many of your customers ask for CD Text?

There are not many CD Player capable to show CD Text.

Even iTunes can't read read it.

Who still cares about CD Text?

I put it on all masters.

It doesn't take much time and it is read by some car stereos, DVDs with menus plus WinAmp and Real Player on the PC.

So maybe the the question should be, why not do it?

BTW, this has been discussed so do a search to see what others have to say.

[IIIrd]

As a consumer I tend to read the cd box to get the track list...age I guess as thats what you did with records. Cd text does nothing for me in that capacity. I don't put it on masters unless I'm asked, and being dyslexic it fills me with a certain amount of dread.
As far as I can tell, it doesn't make the music any better, nor improve the sound, and my guess is that it doesn't sell anymore cd's...

Another consideration is that allot of the time I'm working with working titles. Sometimes these are not finalized till after the masters are run...so...only if asked , and I wont mention it.

Back to your original question, I'd say a very low % age...I've done 3 or 4 this year.

[audioaddict]

Nas was one artist who had CD text on just about all of his CDs....then stopped I think.

Linkin Park's last CD has CD text.

You never know, and honestly I don't see a reason why there shouldn't be CD text.

[Waltz Mastering]

Originally Posted by Andy Krehm

I put it on all masters.

Ditto.

[IIIrd]

Originally Posted by audioaddict

Nas was one artist who had CD text on just about all of his CDs....then stopped I think.

Linkin Park's last CD has CD text.

You never know, and honestly I don't see a reason why there shouldn't be CD text.

I agree, but I wouldn't lose any sleep if it disappeared or never had existed..indifferent i guess..

[Cellotron]

I'm one of the few who has 2 CD players that are CD Text enabled (my studio's Denon rackmount player, and a Sony portable I have as well), and I'm one of the few that actually still regularly buys CD's as well - so I actually like CD Text as an end user of the product myself.

For me adding it takes about 5 minutes of copying and pasting, and since there are in fact a good number of car players that are CD Text enable it makes sense to offer it. It also makes a nice way for me to have track titles appear automatically when I create the printed cuesheet for the client as well. I always send clients a pdf of the cuesheet for them to proof to make sure there are no mistakes on it before I burn discs or create a DDP image.

The thing that is bothersome is always having to explain how CD Text is completely different from CDDB - a speech I give about every other day - and a reason I created a page on my website regarding it - How to Get Album Info to Display on Computers

The only good argument I have seen about not including CD Text is that sometimes clients change their mind about it or make mistakes that they don't bother checking against with the proof I send them. Otherwise, since it is so easy to add, and since it does add value in certain niche situations, it's something I offer as an option to every client.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[Darius van H]

I always include CD text.

Here's a handy tool to make sure your text is correctly formatted to the CD text specifications:

Online charset/codepage conversion

Paste in your text (which you got from the clients excel sheet / word doc / papyrus scroll) and select iso-8859-1 from the "Select destination character set" drop down menu, then export it to a txt file.

[Mastering7]

Originally Posted by Adebar

How many of your customers ask for CD Text?

There are not many CD Player capable to show CD Text.

Even iTunes can't read read it.

Who still cares about CD Text?

Most of my clients ask for it so I always include CD text.
Sometimes it's not easy to collect the last titles of the songs though. Especially at the end of the year...

[Jerry Tubb]

We nearly always add CD-Text.

Why not (?) it's a permanent document of an artist's career at this point in the space-time continuum.

We encourage them to use Text and ISRC... Load it up with music, graphics, and metadata.

Those clients that -are- aware of how it works, appreciate it.

Cheers, JT

[Adebar]

Good point JT.
On the other hand most end consumer I ask if they aprecciate CD Text even don't know it at all.

They all know CDDB for Metadata with iTunes a d other Software Player, but nowbody knows CD Text.

Nobody uses original CDs in the car if he takes care for long life of a purchased CD. The other use USB Sticks and iPods for the car. There you add metadata again via iTunes and the like using CDDB.

[Table Of Tone]

I only add it if I'm asked to, and even then I want the client to double check the album and track titles they gave me, which in itself, takes more time waiting to hear back, etc.

In the UK especially, things often change with regards to album and track titles!

You may be told one thing by the artist when they are present, only to be told another thing by the label, once all parts have already been delivered.

No one wants to pay for the extra time of burning and checking a new set of parts!
This is the reason why many of the major mastering houses don't include CD text by default.
No new set of parts needed if an album title gets changed if there's only ISRC codes and barcode on the master!

[CJ Mastering]

There are not many CD Player capable to show CD Text.

Even iTunes can't read read it.

As far as iTunes, you need to submit the cd text (info) to their directory. Gracenote is the place you need to submit the cd text to in order for itunes to read it. There are many more places like gracenote that need to be submitted to, in order for your pc to pick up the cd text.
Many people have this idea that if you embed cd text onto a cd, when you insert the cd in the pc, it will automatically read all the codes and text. This is a wrong way of thinking and its not true.

As far as CD players reading it, the CD player needs to be capable of reading CD text. most newer ones are and the ones that can do not have any problems reading them.

CJ

[Jerry Tubb]

Originally Posted by Table Of Tone

No one wants to pay for the extra time of burning and checking a new set of parts!
This is the reason why many of the major mastering houses don't include CD text by default.
No new set of parts needed if an album title gets changed if there's only ISRC codes and barcode on the master!

Hey Ade! (now that I know your real name ; - )

That's why we give clients ref discs to check for audio ~and~ text.

Then when they give final approval, we burn a master from the same DDP image as the ref, but make any last minute text changes, before sending the master disc to the plant or uploading the DDP. If it's done carefully you can use the same AUDIO.DAT file as the refs, assuming there are no audio program changes.

It's just that easy.

And in Tejas, we are a major mastering house! : - ) hahahahaha!

Cheers, JT

[Franco]

Here's a plug in for Windows Media Player that someone developed a few years ago:

WMPCDText - CD-Text plug-in for Windows Media Player - Hydrogenaudio Forums

Makes it really easy to rip your CD collection if they have CD-TEXT encoding to dump into iTunes or whatever. When dropping the MP3 folders in iTunes, it won't recognize the album or artist names, so that would be the only things to edit in iTunes (& find a pic online for the album art) but it's at least going to have the names of the tracks (don't know of a script fordoing this directly on iTunes on Windows).

Always have included CD-TEXT here as well.

[RCM - Ronan]

Originally Posted by IIIrd

I don't put it on masters unless I'm asked, and being dyslexic it fills me with a certain amount of dread.

I have to wrestle with this a little bit as well. If I am doing CD text I have the client give me a text file with all titles exactly as they wish them to appear, etc and I just cut and paste.

[Sunbreak Music]

Originally Posted by RCM - Ronan

I have to wrestle with this a little bit as well. If I am doing CD text I have the client give me a text file with all titles exactly as they wish them to appear, etc and I just cut and paste.

...and "World Music" projects can be a little tedious. One wrong letter and you've embedded something offensive.

[GoldMember]

Originally Posted by Adebar

How many of your customers ask for CD Text?

There are not many CD Player capable to show CD Text.

Even iTunes can't read read it.

Who still cares about CD Text?

Is there any need for CD?
Who still cares about CD?

[Waltz Mastering]

Originally Posted by GoldMember

Is there any need for CD?
Who still cares about CD?

Cd's make up for over 1/2 of all music sales... maybe until next year when they are estimating legal digital downloads might surpass cd sales.
Just One More Year Until Digital Music Beats Physical CD Sales - Techland - TIME.com

http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/06/say...me-since-2004/

[Jerry Tubb]

Originally Posted by Waltz Mastering

Cd's make up for over 1/2 of all music sales...

As Mark Twain said: "The news of my demise are greatly exaggerated"

Mainly by smarty pants music journalists going for shock factor, looking to appear superior,

and younger generation internet "hipsters"

who want to downplay anything that happened before they acquired their first DAW rig last year : - )

CD will be around for a long time, it's the base line for digital audio.

Cheers, JT

[Plush]

Originally Posted by GoldMember

Is there any need for CD?
Who still cares about CD?

Hello GoldMember,

What do you mean with your words?
CDs are still selling very large quantities world wide. Please comment on your post it is presumptuous language that you put forth.

[da goose]

Originally Posted by Waltz Mastering

Ditto.

same here.. i have dedicated excell sheet that is send to customers to fill in the cd-text they want along with the isrc codes. all i have to do is copy paste it. I think it's an extra service that customers REALLY appreciate.
So in my case, cd-master = 100% cd text.

[audioaddict]

Originally Posted by GoldMember

Is there any need for CD?
Who still cares about CD?

If you're an audiophile listener and you have to listen in digital, then most likely this will be the very best format.

Car audio competitions will always need CD.

This may not represent a huge demand/typical market demand, but to say a CD is completely irrelevant is not an accurate statement.

[Technologyworks]

I always ask, and if it's needed I makes sure the CD text is proofed and signed off by the label/client.

Like Jerry I use Soundblade to create my masters, so if the text changes I can make a new DDP just with the CD text changes or ISRC / UPC changes [so I don't have to do my QC listen all over again...]

For me the bonus is being able to extract the CD text into iTunes to upload the metadata to CDDB/Gracenote.

Peter

[IIIrd]

Originally Posted by audioaddict

If you're an audiophile listener and you have to listen in digital, then most likely this will be the very best format.

Car audio competitions will always need CD.

This may not represent a huge demand/typical market demand, but to say a CD is completely irrelevant is not an accurate statement.

Music labels in secret plot to kill off CDs? | News | TechRadar

It may not matter in the end

[Plush]

Huddy ain't buying this so-called news of a conspiracy. We broadcast from cd.

[IIIrd]

Originally Posted by Plush

Huddy ain't buying this so-called news of a conspiracy. We broadcast from cd.

You never know old chap,

[Wave theory]

Toyota CD players display CD text. Probably other auto manufacturers too.

I don't want any discs coming from my shop to look brain dead when somebody puts it in their car player and nothing displays.

My clients are actually very happy to have CD Text in their masters, and I charge a bit extra to encode them.

[Table Of Tone]

Originally Posted by Jerry Tubb

Hey Ade! (now that I know your real name ; - )

That's why we give clients ref discs to check for audio ~and~ text.

Then when they give final approval, we burn a master from the same DDP image as the ref, but make any last minute text changes, before sending the master disc to the plant or uploading the DDP. If it's done carefully you can use the same AUDIO.DAT file as the refs, assuming there are no audio program changes.

It's just that easy.

And in Tejas, we are a major mastering house! : - ) hahahahaha!

Cheers, JT

Absolutely agree and I sometimes do that too but I don't think I've ever had a single set of mixes delivered to me on time here in London which means I'm always working on a deadline so I'd rather play it safe.

Everyone is always late!
I guess it's a UK thing?

Maybe Tejas is a bit more organized?

[lu432]

I just always thought it was pretty much SOP to do it, I never even gave it a second thought.