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CD
duplication and CD replication, what's the difference?
CD duplication (or CD-ROM duplication) refers to CDs which
are "burned". CD replication (or CD-ROM replication)
refers to injection molded CDs. Although the terms Duplication
and Replication are use somewhat interchangeably among consumers,
within the CD manufacturing industry those slightly different
connotations. For more info on the difference between CDs
created by duplication and CDs created by replication, see
below.
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What is the difference between
CDs and CD-Rs?
On an injection molded or "pressed" CD, the grooves
(called "pits and lands") that represent the binary
data on the disc's polycarbonate substrate are pressed into
it by a "stamper" when it is manufactured. So hundreds
or thousands of identical CDs can be created from the same
mold. CD-Rs (the "R" stands for "recordable")
are manufactured first as blank discs and then data is later
recorded on them using a laser disc burner. CD-Rs do not have
true pits and lands, rather the data layer of a CD-R is selectively
melted by the recording laser during the recording process.
Where it is melted it becomes refractive, thus scattering
the reading laser beam so it is not reflected back into the
disc reader's sensors. The difference between the reflected
and non-reflected light is interpreted by the disc player
as binary information. CD-Rs are sometimes called "one
offs", because it is easy to make just one or a few using
inexpensive equipment. For short run projects (less than 200
or so), CD-Rs are sometimes the most cost-effective solution.
For larger quantities, or where stricter quality control is
needed, injection molded CDs are almost always preferred.
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Can I put cover
songs on my CD?
Yes. If you plan on including any songs you didn't write on
your CD you will need written permission (called a "mechanical
license") from that song's publisher. For details, check
out this article: Mechanical
License Tips and Info
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What is mastering and why
do I need to have it done?
When your record is completely mixed and the songs are arranged
in the proper order on one tape or CD with the desired space
between songs, this tape is usually called the "master".
Before this master is used by the CD manufacturer it is usually
put through another stage of EQ and compression adjustments
to create what is called a "production master".
This process of turning a master into a production master
is referred to as "mastering". The engineer who
performs this work is called the "mastering engineer".
It seems that engineers just like to use the word "master".
The mastering engineer is usually not the recording engineer
from your project, but an engineer who specializes in this
particular stage of the process.
Mastering is an important step in the production process.
A simple way to understand the difference between a mastered
recording and an unmastered recording is to compare the sound
of a demo recording (unmastered) with the sound of a retail
CD (mastered). The retail CD usually possesses qualities that
the demo does not. People often use terms like "punchy"
or "hot" or "sparkling" to describe these
desirable qualities. Generally this difference in sound is
the result of mastering. Of course there can be many variables
involved and this is an overly simple explanation, but it
will help you get the idea. On the mastered recording, the
stereo mix has been equalized to sound full and consistent,
from track to track, and on a variety of listening systems.
The extreme volume peaks and valleys have been smoothed out
slightly which gives the overall impression of a "hotter"
sounding recording (one with a louder average volume). When
you hear a record on the radio that sounds noticeably louder
or softer than the previous one, this difference is usually
the result of mastering. So, in short, you should have your
recording mastered by a reputable mastering engineer. Typically
5% to 15% of your total recording budget would be used for
mastering.
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What is a "glass master"?
Before manufacturing takes place, the machines that mold the
CDs must have a pattern to follow. A digital signal from a
computer is used to guide a laser beam that etches a pattern
of "pits and lands" onto a highly polished glass
disc coated with photoresist. This "glass master"
is then developed with ultraviolet light and rinsed off. A
nickel or silver mold is then electroformed on top of it.
The mold is removed and then electroplated with a nickel alloy
to create one or more stampers to be used in the injection
molding machine to press the data into the polycarbonate substrate
of CDs.
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At what speed are glass masters made?
Wonderdisc glass masters are made at 2x speed. This is a high quality
industry standard and will result in very accurate reproduction of
your audio master. For CDs
requiring "audiophile"
quality, we also offer real time glass mastering by request for an additional fee of $200.
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What is a "test pressing"?
A test pressing is a reference disc which your duplicator sends back to you for
approval before manufacturing your CD order. There are 2 different kinds
of test pressings that can be done.
(1) A CD-R copy is made of your audio master and sent back to you. This is
exactly what most CD manufacturers do when they offer a "test" CD
before manufacturing occurs. They just don't communicate to you that it is a CD-R.
At Wonderdsic, we're more than willing to do this before manufacturing occurs.
The only cost would be freight and the only time lost is the day it takes to
make the CD-R, freight time of the CD-R back to you and the length of time
it takes you to approve the CD-R. Unless you have not listened to the
audio master you send in (this is not recommended!), then there is not much to be gained
with this kind of test CD. It is, after all, just a duplicate of the audio master
you provided.
(2) The manufacturer actually molds and silk-screens the CDs, but sends you
a copy of the CD before packaging occurs. There is no cost to this, unless the
CD is manufactured incorrectly due to an error on the original master you provided,
in which case you can either live with the CD or remanufacture it. If you
are interested in doing a large run (5K+), then it might be wise to do an initial
500 run as a test pressing. You could then check some of these discs to verify that the
rest of the run will match your expectations. The cost of doing an actual molded CD test
pressing will never be less than the cost of manufacturing 500 CDs.
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Why do I have to pay a deposit?
Your CD is a custom product that is manufactured specifically
for you. The manufacturing process involves material and labor
costs that cannot be recovered once production of your CDs
has begun. Since your CDs are a custom product containing
your unique content, you are the only customer that will be
willing to purchase them in such a large quantity. In other
words, if you don't pay for the CDs that you order, there
is very little chance of us selling them to someone else!
That is why a guarantee of full payment must be secured at
the time your order is received.
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How much does shipping cost?
The normal UPS ground rate is about 10¢ per unit. Rates
will vary slightly according to final destination. We also
offer overnight shipping if you are in a hurry. Call or e-mail
us for a quote.
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Can my 4/1 artwork use a color
besides black on the one color side?
Sorry you can't, the one color side of print pieces is only
available in black. If you would like another color, you'll need 4/4 printing which
is slightly more expensive than 4/1 printing.
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What is the turn around time
for prepress?
If you have provided the artwork to our specs in a digital
file, the prepress process usually takes about 3 or 4 business
days.
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What is the turn around
time for manufacturing?
Manufacturing begins the day after you approve the artwork
proof. Manufacturing takes about 10 to 12 business days. Shipping
then takes approximately 3 to 5 business days. Business days
do not include Saturdays and Sundays.
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How can we assure accurate color
printing?
If you are providing us with prepress, then it is up to your
service bureau to provide you with color proofs and assure
you that their image setters (which output the film used to
make plates for the offset printing presses) are regularly
calibrated. If you manufacture a matchprint from the films,
then the printers we use are obligated to come very close
to targeted colors.
If we are doing prepress for you, we provide
you (unless you request otherwise) with a hard digital color
proof for you to approve before films are made. The digital
proof is approximately 95 to 99 percent color accurate, so
it pretty much looks like what your final job will look like.
If there are any problems, changes can be made before the
relatively more expensive films (and matchprints) are done.
If color matching is important to you it is very important
to get a hard color proof made (digital proof or matchprint
or both) instead of relying on computer monitors, even if
your designer, manufacturer or service bureau claims their
monitors are calibrated. The digital proof we provide is made
using a four pass process, simulating how your job will actually
be printed on the press. It does everything entirely in the
CMYK color space, the only color space applicable to anything
that is printed.
Computer monitors are problematic for color reference in that they are
inconsistent from unit to unit, and what is exhibited is done
so in the RGB color space. Even when the monitor you are working
with is calibrated (and calibrated correctly - which is a
rare thing), the RGB color space always has the potential
of misrepresenting what the final printed outcome of your
job will be. For these reasons we also highly recommend that
- if color matching is important to you - you steer away from
the use of emailed jpegs as a means of color proofing (although
we are more than happy to accommodate requests for jpegs).
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