1. How should I
prepare my audio master?
We recommend for your final production master that you use a
high-quality CDR burned at the lowest speed that you can select for
your burner. This is generally 1x, 2x, or 4x. Pacific Optimedia can
provide high-quality Taiyo Yuden CDR discs if you need one for your
master. In your burning software, you should choose to burn in
Disc-at-Once (DAO) mode as CD-DA (Audio.) We
don't recommend using copies or copies of copies for your master,
as this increases the chances of uncorrectable errors in the new copies
-- which can later play back as scratches, pops, and skips. Also, never
use ballpoint pens to write on master discs. Use only felt-tip
permanent pens (such as a Sharpie) to avoid damaging the disc.
A Note on Disc Quality:
We will perform a basic scan of your master CD to check for major
errors. In the event that your CD is unsuitable for duplicating (i.e.,
too many errors, scratches, fingerprints, etc) we will contact you for
a fresh copy before proceeding. While we rarely encounter issues with
"clean" masters, we cannot accept responsibility for the quality of the
master disc we receive and therefore can only be liable for issues with
the duplication itself.
2. How long can my
CD be?
We use 80-minute discs in production. We recommend leaving a couple of
seconds near the very end just to reduce the risk of incompatibilities
during playback. Some older CD players may not be able to read the CD
towards the 80-minute mark. For this reason we suggest a maximum
playing time of 79 minutes, 58 seconds. Generally speaking, if your
project master burns onto an 80-minute CDR, it will be fine for
duplication.
3. What types of
media do you use?
We use the highest grade silver thermal printable CDs from MBI, one of
the world's top manufacturers of blank CD & DVD media. This is
the good stuff. If you want to go a step further, we offer Taiyo Yuden
media for enhanced compatibility and longevity. Either way you're
getting a disc that will last you a lifetime if properly cared for.
4. Can you take my
MP3s and create an audio master from them?
Yes. This service is $25.00 and we will create an audio master from
your files as outlined in Question 1, above. However, MP3 files trade
off quality for file size and therefore are not ideal for creating
great-sounding duplications. We only recommend MP3 files if there is no
other way to provide us with an audio master within your time frame.
For the best possible results, you should encode your files into 256 or
320kbps MP3 files, stereo encoding (NOT joint stereo.)
