Part 1 (of 3)
Manufacturing
A dream that many of us have as songwriters and artists, is the dream of
one day recording and manufacturing our own cd.
I'll always remember the day the Purolator truck backed into my driveway
as I was waiting for my much anticipated order of cd's that took me
roughly 3 years to write and record. After the initial thrill and high
wore off, I began to feel a little pressured and even uneasy. It was
really strange. I had finally achieved a musical goal that I had been
chasing for years, and yet as I stood starring amongst the boxes of CDS
piled on top of one another, I remember thinking to myself, Okay..now
what?
I learned quite a bit from that project, and I hope I can share some
information with you so that your project will run smoothly.
Finding a manufacturer:
Call at least 10 manufacturers and get quotes (have them fax or email
the quotes to you so you have it on paper)on your project. Make sure
that the people you speak with give you detailed answers to your
questions and don't make you feel uncomfortable about asking any
question.
One company that impressed me when I was calling around was the RDR
Music Group. They are based out of Toronto. I spoke with Joe Wood and
he was the greatest. He took the time to answer all of my questions,
and when he said he would get back to me on something, he did. I know
that he has been on the other side of things before - he was a starving
musician once also.
I finally decided to go with Joe at the RDR Music Group partly because I
trusted and felt comfortable with Joe handling my project, and also
because the RDR Group also deals with distribution of your project as
well as manufacturing. (I'll cover that end in part 3 of this series)
Getting ready to forward your material:
Proof your master!!!!
Before sending in your master, listen to it from start to finish. Make
sure you don't have any digital pops in it. (I had to send my master
back 3 times because of digital clicking)
Also, listen to the overall levels. Make sure they are all the same and
that you don't have any noticeable drop outs or gains within the mix.
Joe informed me that some of the masters he has received have been 10dbs
lower than what they should be.
Check your fade outs carefully to determine if they fade out too
abruptly.
If your engineer expanded a track on your project, even though the
levels seem to be within the same level of the other tracks, you might
possibly get the illusion of that track sounding louder than the rest on
the cd.
Go through your master with a fine toothed comb. After all, you spent
so much time and energy...not to mention money, going over and over your
material, you don't want to rush things at this stage of the game,
although it's really hard trying to keep your excitement from taking
over.
Once you are happy with the master, make sure you have a back up copy
just in case it gets lost by the courier or some other weird
circumstance. Murphies Law is amazing. Nothing ever happens when you
are prepared and ready for the worst possible scenario, but when you
aren't prepared...yup...you guessed it! Murphies a good bud of mine
too. I know him well.
Master Formats:
Most manufacturers accept the following formats: (always check with them
first)
- DAT
- PCM-1630
- PCM-Fl/601
- Analogue and digital open reel
- Cassette
The quality of the material and the master is totally your
responsibility. Remember: Garbage in/
Garbage out.
Track Sheet:
You will need to provide your manufacturer with a track sheet when
forwarding your master.
Go over your track sheet carefully before forwarding it along with your
master. Check to see that all of your tracks are in order and aren't
missing. Also make sure you put additional information on your track
sheet such as sudden stops within a track, hidden tracks, etc...
Check your I.D's:
If you are using cd-r format for your master, check your I.D's
carefully. Make sure your indexes are in the proper places.
Never write on your cd-r with pen, always use a soft marker and write on
the clear plastic in the center of the disc.
Again, always check with the manufacturer and ask what they prefer with
master tape preparation.
Recording time allowed:
You are allowed to record up to 78 minutes of music for a cd, and 45
minutes per side for cassette.
Once your master is received by the manufacturer, the engineer usually
listens to it and makes note of any noises or mistakes on the master and
the track sheet. If additional equalization, sweetening, or level
matching is required, you will be looking at an additional fee on top of
what you will be paying for the cost of manufacturing.
When they are ready to begin making your cd, they start by cutting a
glass master. The cost of cutting a glass master is usually waived if
your order is for 1,000 or more CDs. Otherwise you will be looking at a
fee between $250-500.
Most companies hold on to the glass masters when your project is
completed and recycle them.
Turn around time:
It usually takes up to 8 working days to press your CDs.
*Stay tuned for part 2 of 3 on "Manufacturing Your Own Cd" where we will
be dealing with "Graphics and Film".
Continue to Part 2
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