Recommended pressing plants?

[Darwin James]

I am ready to press my album. Who can you recommend to press top quality CDs?

I've had a number of albums pressed by Discmakers, and I am happy with the quality. But since they don't accept a DDPi master, I got to wondering who would be a great alternative? I am interested in comparing prices and features.

ps. (I want CD Text to display when my album is inserted into a car CD player right? Therefore I need to use a DDPi master.)

[Paul Russell]

When Cass and I pressed Monjour late last year it was cheaper to use a company in Singapore and ship the discs, without plastic cases, via DHL to USA. 1,000 discs and printed material cost about USD 800 including shipping IIRC.

The company we used was Infodisc, ::Infodisc Multimedia Mfg::Index

[csl]

I'm fairly sure you don't need to use DDP to have CD-Text; I submitted my last pressing master as an audio CDR, notified the broker of my use of CD-Text, and got a pressing which retained it.

So long as they're aware you're using it, they ought to be able to retain it.

[dave-G]

Did you get a production master CD from your ME, or a DDP? Or are you waiting to see what the plant prefers before making your final parts order?

Otherwise, both formats are capable of including CD-Text.

BTW, Discmakers seems to have multiple personality disorder when it comes to their outward statements about whether or not they accept DDP ... Seems incredible to me that there'd be any resistance.

-dave

[Paul Russell]

Originally Posted by dave-G

Did you get a production master CD from your ME, or a DDP? -dave

I downloaded the entire mastered wav from Sunbreak and created a production master in CD Architect. The artwork was supplied to them in hi res PDF

[aleatoric]

I thought Discmarkers accepts DDP's? I remember reading in a thread that the use to not but as of a year or so ago they do. I could be wrong buts it worth looking into if you have not already.

Also CD TEXT can be embedded just fine on a Red Book audio CD. Both a Red Book audio CD and DDP carry all the same meta-data (CD TEXT, ISRC, USP).

[Graham Goldman]

Disc Makers does accept DDPs. You do not need to use a DDP master for CD text.

[blip01]

Originally Posted by Graham Goldman

Disc Makers does accept DDPs. You do not need to use a DDP master for CD text.

It's like you still work here Graham!

Yes, we can definitely accept DDP file sets for replication.

I've just reminded the sales staff today that DDPs are no problem for us.

All of us in the SoundLab, the in-house mastering dept. at Disc Makers, send DDPs to a server for the glass mastering dept., a couple of thousand a year. So we're certainly familiar with the format here.

[Darwin James]

OK. I think I've got the correct information now.

One more thing: My mastering rep says that to encode CD Text, they can do it on the PMCD, but it has to be copied at 4X and not 1X. Does this sound right? And if so, is there any difference?

PS. Discmakers has always been great in the past, and I am going with them.

[aleatoric]

Originally Posted by Darwin James

One more thing: My mastering rep says that to encode CD Text, they can do it on the PMCD, but it has to be copied at 4X and not 1X. Does this sound right? And if so, is there any difference?

I have never heard that one before. Not saying its not true but I never burn discs at 1X. Maybe it has to do with there assembling DAW, not sure. Most modern burners achieve the lowest C1/C2 error rate at roughly 25% of maximum burn rate. Most ME's have tested C1/C2 errors on discs burned at different speeds to find at what burn speed there specific drive has the lowest error rate. Its a little different for every burner, disc media plays a role as well. I would not stress about it though, as long as your ME is doing some sort of C1/C2 verification on the final disc along with double checking CD TEXT info in a CD TEXT enabled CD Player (or even an application like Toast) than you will be fine.

[Darwin James]

Sorry for the left field thread. Thanks for helping me figure this out. This is the problem with hiring a big name mastering guy. You are forced to deal with an account rep and you have no idea if they have any clue on what they are talking about. Ugh.

[dave-G]

If you have your production master, and it's been prepared to match the ref you approved (IOW, with your CD-Text and all) ... then you really needn't concern yourself with what the ME's account rep says, unless they're somehow brokering your replication. Talk to your replicator with any such questions.

IME, there shouldn't be an issue. A production master CD with CD-Text is a production master with CD-Text.

-dave

[Cellotron]

Originally Posted by Darwin James

OK. I think I've got the correct information now.

One more thing: My mastering rep says that to encode CD Text, they can do it on the PMCD, but it has to be copied at 4X and not 1X. Does this sound right? And if so, is there any difference?

The vast majority of plants will do the transfer from your disc's data image to LBR (laser beam recorder - which exposes the glass master) at 4x unless you order "real time glass mastering" - regardless of whether your master is delivered as CD-R or DDP, and regardless of whether it contains CD-Text or not. Whether higher speed or real time glass mastering makes a darned of a difference to the quality of the pressed discs is highly debatable - and subject to the actual LBR used (i.e. more recent ones which have been further optimized for higher speed transfers - in which case for real time it's possible they could actually over expose a sector). It should be noted that pressed discs are subject to other factors that have an effect on the pit geometry - i,e. development of the glass, electro-plating the stamper from the glass master, the pressing and metallizing. So "real time glass mastering" does not necessarily guarantee better results for the pressing. Some plants do still offer it as an option (for which you usually have to spend extra cash on). Frankly - I personally don't think it's worth it.

PS. Discmakers has always been great in the past, and I am going with them.

I've had good experiences with a number of Discmakers' pressings as well.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[Darwin James]

Sorry, I am waaaay too excited not to post this:



Would it be a mistake to play it in my laptop and double check it?

[Cellotron]

Originally Posted by Darwin James

Sorry, I am waaaay too excited not to post this:



Would it be a mistake to play it in my laptop and double check it?

It would be preferential instead to check a reference/safety disc that the mastering house has confirmed as digitally identical to the master disc. Always good to have a backup copy for your own archives / duplication needs / reference listening / and in case the master disc gets lost or damaged in shipping.

Otherwise if you check it would be better to use a CD transport with a rather dedicated drawer than anything that slot loads or uses a caddy.

The issue is just that you want to make sure it remains scratch and smudge free. As long as you handle it very carefully and you know the drive is functioning properly you should be fine listening through it. If you do this I'd go ahead and copy the disc image to make a safety backup if the mastering house did not provide you one.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

Best

[Darwin James]

Thank you Steve and everyone else for helping me to understand this better. (and for the PMs)

I feel like an expectant father, nervous, excited, and not wanting to make even the slightest mistake!

God bless.

[24-96 Mastering]

Originally Posted by Darwin James

Recommended pressing plants?

Yes it is.