You may recall that in a prior post, I said that regardless of whether a CD is "duplicated" or "replicated," the information is acquired from the master in exactly the same way. Here is what I mean by that:
When a record label furnishes songs to a CD manufacturer, how do you suppose this data is supplied? In a few cases, the manufacturer might request it be sent via one of the file transfer programs such as Dropbox, but the size of the file (700 or more megabytes) can be unwieldy and transfer errors can occur if there is any interruption in internet service.
So most manufacturers with whom I've worked ask for an actual disk copy to be sent to them. Stop and think what this means: whether you end up having your final product replicated or duplicated, you are SENDING THE MANUFACTURER A CD-R COPY of your files from your home or office computer! Of course, you'll want to use a high quality CD-R and not some cheap brand from a dollar store.
If a CD-R was such an unstable medium as some of these loonies are trying to make you believe, would labels that have spent tens of thousands of dollars on producing a new album convey such important data in such a risky format if it was not trustworthy?
Here is what is even more absurd about this whole argument: When I produce a CD for my own labels, or my UK partners (H&H and now Mint Audio), we do not supply it in .wav or .aiff format as in the old days.
Instead, we provide it in the DDP format. I wonder how many of these so-called "experts" who are lambasting my recent CDs even know what DDP is? NO, it is not an insecticide!
DDP stands for "Disc Description Protocol." Google this and you will learn that:
DDP files are used when sending music to a CD manufacturer (also used for DVD formats). DDP files allow you to set all of the parameters for the CD such as the exact gap between each song, the cross fades and other information. A DDP file allows the producer and mastering engineer to have complete control over all parameters for the CD, therefore it is recommended for critical applications when you have very specific artistic needs for the production.
WE USE DDP FILES FOR ALL OUR PRODUCTS.
In the early days of CD manufacturing, a CD audio "master" would be sent to the manufacturer, and they would create a glass master from that CD from which all of the copies would be made. This approach is still used today in many situations. The advantage is that it's simple. The disadvantage is that if your original CD master contains any data errors (which are quite common, just not easy to hear because the CD player "rebuilds" the damaged audio on playback using redundant information stored on the CD), those errors get included in the manufactured CDs as well.
DDP files, on the other hand, have a significant amount of error correction built in which prevents any errors from making it to the final finished product.
Record labels large and small utilize two methods of manufacturing disks: duplication and replication. The former is at least TWICE AS EXPENSIVE but is also faster to accomplish, for quick turnaround times and shorter runs. The latter is used in cases such as the 8 CD "The Great Jim Reeves" set which has a large number of copies pressed, in which case a glass stamper is created. But it also takes a lot longer to get the product back from the manufacturer.
There is NO qualitative difference in sound quality between the two. It is a red herring for anyone to attack a commercially manufactured DUPLICATED CD.
Furthermore, we are very, very careful in selecting manufacturers. We don't use cut-rate, half-assed companies. The ones we use have equipment that scrutinizes EACH DISK as it is made, to make sure that all the data on it precisely matches the master. If it does not, it is rejected.
The quality control we assert over all the products I produce is the highest industry standard.
These idiots who are trying to slime these wonderful new Jim Reeves releases can't attack them on the basis of how they SOUND. So they are trying to make you think that the products are somehow defective or cheap. Don't fall for this ploy.
I hope you pass this information around to everybody you know who loves music. I note that some of these psychos are attacking other labels with similar complaints. They'd do well to buy a decent playback device and quit blaming labels for their own failure to enter the 21st century and invest in a decent CD player that employs today's technology.
If you see any "reviews" or "comments" on Amazon regarding these matters, please post clarifications in the COMMENTS sections to combat this disinformation campaign that these desperate people are trying to wage.
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