CD Mastering and Audio Mastering

Most people are a little skeptical these days whenever they see the word 'FREE', however this particular offer is legitimate and sensible. Discmasters can actually be credited for developing and implementing the concept of the FREE test master! Why do they do this is you ask? This is a good question, which I will explain. Yet, a better question is what are you waiting for?

Depending on the mastering requirements of your music (and to help assure its maximum audio impact and quality in the marketplace) a free test master evaluation is a great idea that makes a lot of sense. This is truly evident by how many other CD mastering companies are now offering this service just like Discmasters has been doing for many years.

This free test allows the client to hear a sample of the final mastering result of their music before they make the big decision to have their new release completely mastered. Discmasters will take one song, analyze it and then actually master the track. (See previous posts for more information about cd mastering.) This gives the client the opportunity to listen to the original sample track and compare it to the newly mastered version. You will easily and instantly hear the difference in overall quality. This is why having your CD mastered is so important.

At this point you might be asking yourself what the gimmick is? Well there is none! Discmasters is so confident in their abilities and in how much you will love the results of that one mastered track you will want them to do the rest.

Discmasters is world class and offers a variety of professional mastering services. Keep in mind this free test master allows Discmasters to accurately evaluate and recommend which mastering options are best suited to your CD release or project. Check them out on line at www.discmasters.com or call them at 1-888-430-DISC (3472).

Posted by Brian at 08:25 PM | Permalink

Q.- What options or programs are available?
A.- The two largest companies that offer cd and dvd copy protection software are Macrovison and SunnComm. Macrovision handles content protection, software licensing and installation, and DRM (digital rights management) technologies. SunnComm helps publishers, record companies, and various artists protect their content ownership rights. There are many various other software programs out there such as: Alkatraz, CD-Cops, X-Protect, CDShield, and Crypkey to name a few.

Q.- Does it really work?
A.- Like any software or technology, there is always someone who is looking for ways to hack or bypass any type of security measures. So this also means that this type of software is ever evolving. The majority of the programs originally blocked consumers' ability to copy or "rip" digital files from CD's/DVD's altogether. To make matters worse some copy protection systems have caused various CD players to malfunction and made some computers crash. This obviously did not go over well with consumers. So the manufacturers looked for a new way to put protected pre-ripped files directly on CD's, which could then instead be transferred to PC's. So the long winded answer is yes, but you also need to ask yourself if it is really cost effective.

Q.- Is it cost effective?
A.- Depending on what you are planning to copy protect, there are a few facts you should keep in mind. You can buy the software to incorporate copy protection to your release for a few hundred or a few thousand dollars. If you plan on doing a very large project for retail release you can pay a company tens of thousands of dollars for licensing fees and copy protection and have them do all the work for you. This particular option would only become a low-cost variable when you hit approximately 50,000 units or more. So if you plan on making it big and becoming the next Michael Jackson or Britney Spears of the music world you may want to consider these options. Otherwise copy protection is probably not very cost effective or worth while to do for your new release.

Posted by Brian at 12:15 AM | Permalink

As we are all aware, technology is ever changing. The invention of the CD (compact disc) obviously did not happen over night and it's history is quite interesting. It evolved through the normal trial and errors associated with the inventing process. After doing a little research, which included an on-line visit to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, I have found the inventor of the compact disc to be James Russell. Unfortunately it is the big names of corporations, like Phillips and Sony that you hear about more often than the researchers themselves.

James Russell was born in 1931 and started inventing at a very early age. After receiving a B.A. in physics at Reed College in Portland (1953) he moved to Washington and went to work for General Electric, surprisingly enough, as a physicist. More than 10 years pass when James decided to expand his horizons and take a position as senior scientist with Battelle Memorial Institute, (Battelle) where he submitted his patent for the cd concept in July of 1969.

Batelle can be accredited for the development of xerography, which led to today's office copy machines and spawned XeroxTM, plus breakthroughs such as improving tool bits to understanding the behavior of materials that were crucial to the space age, and of course the development of algorithms and coatings for early optical digital recording that led to the compact disc.

Eventually other companies, like Phillips, started experimenting with audio-only optical discs. Their researchers used video Laserdisc technology to help in the development of their first prototypes of digital audio discs. Sony and other companies quickly followed suit. In 1979 Sony agreed to join efforts with Phillips to fully design the new digital audio disc. A year later this giant task force proposed worldwide standards and called it the "Red Book". Some of these proposed standards may have included the sampling rate (44.1 kHz), the 16-bit stero sound, the Reed-Solomon code, and the maximum playing time of 74 minutes, to name a few.

This collaboration ended fairly quickly and the race was on to see who could produce the first compact disc player. Supposedly, as the story goes, due to Sony's expertise on the implementation of digital electronics they beat Phillips by one month. In 1982 compact disc technology was finally released in Europe and Japan. Then in 1983, the United States got their chance to help with the phenomenon that took the music industry by storm. Some 30,000 players were sold at about $1,000 a piece and a mere 800,000 cd's were sold as well. Just three years later the numbers continued to grow by leaps and bounds. These numbers are truly astonishing. About 3 million players and 53 million cd's were sold. It is my guess that it will probably be a long time coming that an invention will take off like the introduction of the compact disc, but no one really knows.

Posted by Brian at 09:50 PM | Permalink

Is there a big difference between cd duplication and cd replication? The answer is No. The discs will function the same, but the overall production process will be slightly different. Let's look at the differences of duplication and replication a little more closely.

CD duplication is simply a method of copying CD's (also known as 'burning') onto pre-made discs such as CD-R media. The term burning comes from the laser that is used to write the data to the disk. CD duplication is usually used for small run projects for quantities under 500. It is cost effective, has excellent quality, and has a very quick turn around time if you plan on duplicating only a small quantity.

CD replication is a process of taking your cd master and through injection molding, it is pressed and then encoded to a glass master. This glass master then can be used to make exact clones with the use of a stamper mold. The final steps includes adding a coat of reflective aluminum to the cd and then it is sealed with a protective lacquer that is hardened and cured by ultraviolet light. Replication is normally requested and recommended when a project will excede a quantity greater than 500. However keep in mind that most companies will be able to give a customer the best price point when they order a thousand or more. Replication also offers 100% compatibility with all types of playback media.

If you have further questions about the difference between duplication or replication and what is right for your project contact Discmasters or even call them at 1-888-430-DISC (3472).

Posted by Brian at 05:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)