Precision Disc Blog

At Precision Disc we supply music CD Duplication services for clients throughout Canada and the U.S. when they either need a small quantity of music CDs, or they need their CDs in a hurry.

▪ What is CD duplication? You are probably more familiar with the phrase CD duplication than CD replication because duplication is actually the process that you can perform on your own home computer.

Simply stated, you use a computer program to copy your selected content onto a pre-manufactured CDR disc (the ‘R’ stands for ‘recordable’).

▪ The Benefits of CD Duplication? Because there is no specialized equipment or skill set required to duplicate CDs it’s a very cost-effective and convenient way to product small quantities of discs. The only possible down-side is that it’s not a particularly quick process unless you use a duplication tower that can copy several discs at the same time.
 
▪ Are Duplicated CDs Inferior? If you want the most professional, durable and quality disc you should consider CD replication, but due to there being a minimum quantity requirement (at Precision Disc our minimum order for replicated CDs is only 300 units) replication may not suit your needs or budget. If this is the case, there is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing music CD duplication services as an alternative.

We want to dispel the notion that an inexpensive price means cheap quality, so when it comes to CD duplication we don’t deal with cheap no-name blank media. We only use quality CDRs and then we ‘burn’ them using state-of-the-art duplication towers at slow speed to ensure the best possible disc image.

Your graphics will be printed on your CDR discs with a commercial grade high-resolution CMYK inkjet printer, but you can upgrade your order to our Silkscreen Printing or CMYK Offset printing for a totally professional look, quality and durability (an upgrade cost may apply).

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Choose Precision Disc Manufacturing Corp. for factory-direct music CD Duplication services featuring eco-friendly print and packaging solutions.

With offices and production facilities located in Surrey, B.C. (a suburb of Vancouver) we ship daily to clients throughout Canada and the United States.

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In the past year there has been a noticeable increase in audio clients who are creating their own Master CDs for CD manufacturing or duplication. While it seems most of the audio clients have an understanding of what CD Text is, there is still a lot of confusion about how to create CD Text and where you can view it. This article was written to clear up some of the confusion.

What exactly is CD Text?
 
CD Text is a technology that is used on audio CDs which enables low bit rate information such as the song name and the name of the artist to be stored on the within the disc itself. If CD Text is included on an audio CD, specific devices and applications that are able to read and display this information will recognize this information, retrieve it and, in turn, display it to the user.

Is CD Text visible on all players and programs?
 
No – and this happens to cause a great deal of confusion and worry for clients, because they often think there is something wrong with their CDs due to the the CD Text not being displayed. A particular culprint for such anxiety is Windows Media Player  – while it is one of the most commonly used computer programs for playing music, it doesn’t display CD Text unless you install a plug-in. (FYI – when you do see song and title information being displayed by Windows Media Player, it’s not actually CD Text that is generating that data).

Creating CD Text
 
It’s actually quite simple to create your audio Master for CD duplication or CD replication, but you need to be using a disc burning program (such as Toast or Nero) that allows you to enter in the appropriate data. 

I’ve already made my CD Master – can I add CD Text to it?
 
No, it is not possible to add CD Text after you’ve already created your audio Master. If you’ve already created your CD Master and you want to add CD Text after-the-fact you will have to create a new Master.

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Precision Disc Manufacturing Corp. provides factory-direct DVD and CD manufacturing, DVD and CD duplication, eco-friendly print and packaging. Located in the Surrey, B.C. (a suburb of Vancouver) we ship to clients throughout Canada and the U.S. daily.

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Whatever has happened to planning and preparation – especially when it comes to getting CD manufacturing done?

While CD manufacturing and CD duplication companies want to honor the old adages of “The customer is King” and “The customer is always right” there are some real inherent risks involved for clients who create rigid deadlines for the production of these kinds of custom-made products. Due to this I thought it was apt to re-publish an article I wrote for our sister-website at CDwest.ca.

If you’re organized and well-prepared, the CD manufacturing process can be surprisingly quick but you have to be ready for potential delays such as graphic design issues or even data flaws in your content master. We certainly can’t fault artists for being excited about unveiling their shiny new CD, but many times that excitement causes the artist to overlook important planning details.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking your release party is supposed to be the first time that anyone sees or hears your CD. Why do major record labels and movie studios promote their new releases in advance of actually releasing them? Imagine a big blockbuster production silently appearing in stores or theatres without the benefit of advertising, artist interviews, rave reviews, public appearances and press junkets. If the release isn’t hyped in advance by promotion, who is going to know about it? Who is going to care? Who will be lining up to buy it? The same thinking applies to your CD release party.

Your CD is only new once so take advantage of this great opportunity to promote yourself and your music – the purpose of which is to drive loads of people towards your release party. The time you spend waiting for your CD manufacturing is the perfect time to create a detailed plan about what you’re going to do when your discs arrive.

• Once you’ve got your CDs in-hand pick a release date that gives you plenty of time for promotion and doesn’t compete with other major events in your town.

• Write out a schedule for your promotional plans. Set targets, goals and completions dates.

• “WIIFM”: What’s In It For Me? This is the philosophy to keep in mind when you’re trying to attract new fans (ie: customers). Remember, your CD release party is for the fans… not the band… so provide lots of reasons why people should be excited about attending.

• Targeting Fans: There is no point spending time and money to promote yourself to people who won’t like your music. Find out where your type of crowd is (on the street, on the internet, in print publications) and then saturate those areas with interesting promotions.

• Targeting Media – Research local media outlets and figure out who the right people are to talk to for reviews, interviews and even personal appearances. Call them and ask permission to send them your press-kit for consideration. Be friendly and polite, and follow-up with them. 

• Artist/Sponsor Alliances: There are local businesses who will want to take advantage of having all your fans together in one place at one time so see if they are willing to offset some of your promotional costs (like posters and hand-bills) or if they will offer some prizes or give-aways in exchange for advertising or on-site access.

Remember – the vibe at a sold-out show is 10-times more exciting than having every second chair empty, so create excitement and anticipation for your CD release party. Don’t blow it with poor planning… get your CD manufacturing plans and preparations done in advance as to avoid the risk of having your CDs show up a week after your party.

One of the leading causes for order delays and extra charges throughout the CD and DVD industry is artwork that isn’t supplied correctly. This issue can be split into two separate areas –  the first of which being the actual design components of the artwork and then, secondly, the physical dimensions of the design (ie: length x width). Contrary to the popular saying, ‘size’ it would appear, actually matters, and a graphic design template will help you on your way to successfully submitting your artwork.

One of the most common misconceptions about designing for CD or DVD manufacturing or duplication, is that there is an industry ‘standard’ whereby all suppliers of discs and related packaging use the same sizing guidelines and have the same requirements. This couldn’t be further from the truth as it is very common to find variations between different vendors. Therefore, choosing which vendor you are going to use should take priority over finalizing your artwork. Once you’ve decided on the company who will manufacture your discs, download the applicable graphic design template for your needs and then finish off your design.

A good template should show you a number of visual references:

1. Crop marks: These are fine black lines generally located at the corners of the template and they will actually print, so don’t move them, removed them or change their colour values. The crop marks are used to line-up the cutting blade that will trim the print down to its finished size.
2. Keylines: These are used as guidelines to provide you with a visual reference of where the page will be cut, folded, perforated, etc. Keylines are for visual reference only and will not actually print but they are much easier to use as reference points than the crop marks.
3. Bleed: If your design is supposed to touch the edge of the finished product (as represented by the keylines and crop marks) you must extend, or ‘bleed’, your design 1/8” past that finished edge. Your graphic design template may provide you with a separate keyline to give you a visual reference of how far to bleed the design. Due to variances and tolerances in the cutting process, bleed ensures you won’t see white unprinted paper or board-stock running along the edge of your print.
4. Gutter: A common design mistake is to crowd the finished edges or folds with text and graphics – the result of which negatively affects the visual appeal and legibility of your design. If you look at a book or magazine you will notice that there is a significant border that frames any non-bleeding text and imagery from the edge of the page and folds. This border is called ‘gutter’. In the CD and DVD manufacturing industry an absolute minimum gutter of 1/8” is generally advised but you may want to experiment and increase it to 3/16” or 1/4″ or greater.

Using the correct graphic design template will help you to create a design that’s right, but before you finalize your design it’s always recommended to create a printed mock-up of your artwork. Print it and use the crop marks to trim it to size, then fold it or assemble it using tape or staples as required. This is the best way to determine if your design really works as intended. Is the text large enough to read? Have you used enough gutter? Did you create bleed in all the appropriate areas? Does the design look… ‘right’?

While it great to see more and more people feeling empowered to produce their own Music CD projects, it can lead to mistakes caused by inexperience. This can lead to head-aches when the time comes for CD manufacturing.

Without a doubt, design related issues are still the largest source of delays, but there is definitely a new up-and-comer on the scene. Namely, do-it-yourself Music CD Masters.

Here’s a quick Top Five List of the most common mistakes we see… I hope that it helps you (or someone you know) when the time comes to get CD manufacturing started.

1. Recommended maximum duration for a replicated Music CD is 74 minutes.

2. Make sure you’re creating a music/audio disc and not a data/CDROM disc. Any reasonable disc copying software should ask you what type of disc you’re trying to create so make sure you have chosen the music/audio format.

3. Before you burn your Master disc make sure the software settings are set to ‘finalize’ your disc after the burning stage is completed – this may also be referred to as ‘single session’ or ‘closed session’ or perhaps even ‘disc at once’. You do not want to supply an ‘open session’ disc as it can lead to problems when we try to make the glass master and replication stamper from it.

4. Create at least three copies of your Music CD Master disc, always keeping the original copy for you own safety and back-up purposes. The additional two copies should go to the CD manufacturer (if anything goes wrong with one copy the CD manufacturing company can use the second copy as a back-up).

5. Listen to your Master(s) from beginning to end to ensure they perform exactly the way you want them to, with no pops, skips or any type of error or mistake. That means listening to the entire CDR all they way through – not just the beginning and endings of songs. Remember, the CDs that get manufactured will be exact clones of the Master disc you supply to the CD manufacturing company.

Please visit our website for additional Music CD Master information.