Benefits Of CD Duplication The process of CD duplication is the means of making several copies of CDs of various types without doing a replication of many. The term is used to describe the need and use of short run quantity copying of various types of CDs. Most CD duplication is done for quantities under 500. The value and quality of the duplicate is high, with the sound quality being very good and matching the quality of the original. There are many benefits to CD duplication, including: 1. Its less expensive to do CD duplication than it is to do a full replication, especially when the demands are much lower. 2. In most cases, during a replication there will be a minimum amount that is actually more than needed. By using CD duplication, you can actually eliminate this extra replication. 3. Believe it or not, it can actually be much faster to use CD duplication than a full CD replication run. There are other things that can cause you to take a second look as well. With most cases, CD duplication will cost more per CD than that of a full run replication. In the long run however, this may still be much lower. Not all will look like the original either, as some will have blue or even black burn marks on them that make them appear to be duplicates. CD duplication, never the less, is a widely used system of replicating CD's in a very effective and timely manner. The technology is always improving as well, so you can look for updates in the quality of CD duplication systems as well - which is great news for those who enjoy CD duplication. (word count 278)
CD Duplication Information It's important to realize from the start that the duplication and replication process is the same, regardless of content, as well as the differences between the CD duplication and replication process. The duplication of CDs refers to burned CDs, such as the CD burner with a personal computer. The burned audio CDs have playability issues in some CD players, normally car stereos, portable CD players, and even older types of CD players. The duplication of CDs has much faster turn times, simply because a stamp doesn't need to be made. The process of duplication can start as soon as the master is received, where the replication process doesn't start for 5 - 7 days, during which time a glass master and stamper must be made. When done locally with a personal computer, you can duplicate an audio or data CD in just a couple of minutes. To duplicate a CD, you must have a computer with a CD-RW drive. This drive copies the CD disks, and without one - you simply cannot copy disks. If you have a DVD-RW drive, you can copy both DVD and CD disks. These drives are normally the way to go, as they can copy virtually anything you stick in the drive. Once you have your drive, you'll also need software to copy the disks, which there are many out there for you to choose from. With a CD-RW drive, you can copy audio CDs, data CDs, even make SVCD copies. The disks used for CD will hold up to 700 MB (MegaBytes) of data, or up to a little over an hour of music. With everything CD duplication has to offer you, its no wonder why it's so popular. If you've never tried duplication before, you should rush and get you a CD-RW drive for your computer right now - as the many uses will simply amaze you. (word count 314)
CD Mastering Engineers If a recording artist or inspiring musician has any hopes of having their songs played on the radio, they'll need to have their rough mix mastered very well. The best way to do this, is to hire a CD mastering engineer. Professional mastering engineers can make a decent audio mix sound great and a good mix sound completely amazing. There are many different things that CD mastering engineers can do. They will work with the artist to decide what order the songs appear on the CD, and also equalize the volume of the different instruments in each song and across the entire CD. They can also help to add more definition and clarity to the instruments in a song. Then, they will adjust the introductions and ends of the songs, choosing the length of time between the songs and adding crossfades or other nice effects if they need to. The order in which the songs on a CD appear can greatly affect the way the CD progresses when it's played. If similar sounding songs are placed side by side on a CD, it can lead listeners into thinking the artist has a very limited range. It's ultimately up to the CD mastering engineer to work with the recording artist and choose the order of songs on the CD. It's very important that the instruments in a song and the songs on the CD be at an appropriate volume level. Within a song, the different elements must be mixed appropriately in order for the song to sound like it should. The CD engineer can also give clarity and definition to the different instruments in a song. The engineer will also have the task of assuring that the volume levels across all of the songs are the same, in order to help the CD sound more cohesive while still leaving room for dynamics. The CD mastering engineer will also determine how much time there should be between the songs on the CD. They will also fade and crossfasde the intros and endings of the songs to make them have a better flow. For an interesting career, CD mastering engineers is a great choice. They make excellent money, get to work with top artists, and enjoy what they do. If you like music, this career may be what you've always wanted. For those who are already in the profession - it's a job unlike any other out there in the world. (word count 408)
CD Ripper Software CD ripper software will open up an entirely new way of how you listen to music. With the use of CD ripping software, you can take audio tracks from a CD and them into audio files for use on your computer. You can save them as WAV, MP3, OGG, or WMA audio files. The term "ripping" is the term used to describe this very process. There are advanced CD ripper software as well, which allows you to convert back and forth between these formats. You can also get software that can record vinyl LPs and cassettes to create those same audio files for your computer. You can get a variety of ripper software programs online by searching the internet. Most software is user friendly and offers you a variety of options. You should however, do some searching and comparing before you decide which CD ripper program is best for your needs. Each type of CD ripper software will offer it's own style and interface. You should always make sure the CD ripper software you choose is easy to use and easy to understand. It doesn't matter how good the software is - if you can't use it. When you explore the options of CD ripper software, make sure you also check the software's editing abilities. With most programs, you can select the output format for the music. This will include the bitrate, channels, and even the frequency. Quality ripper programs will also tag the encoded audio files with medadata, which will contain information about the artist, song title, track number, and even the album title. This will automatically be input for the file. Another great feature with some ripper programs is the ability to delete the silence at the beginning or end of song tracks. Some programs will even give you the ability to edit the songs themselves, giving you full control of the sound provided by your files. For those who enjoy to listen to their music from a CD, a CD ripper can aso be used to select your favorite songs and create a mixed CD. Some rippers will even let you rip audio tracks directly from a CD then burn them to a new CD - without having to save them as a new audio file. With millions of people ripping CDs these days, CD ripping is the wave of the future. You no longer have to keep your music on your computer, as you can rip them to a CD or even put them in your favorite MP3 player and take the music with you - wherever you go. (word count 433)
CD Terminology Below, you'll find the most common terminology that relates to CD duplication. Even if you are new to duplication, the terms below may help you learn more. BLER Block Error Rate. This is the raw digital error rate before any type of error correction. CD This the Compact Disc, a digital medium that's formed of a 12cm polycarbonate substrate, a reflective metalized layer, and a protective lacquer coating. CD-R Compact Disc-Recordable. The term CD-R is used to describe the technology of recordable CD along with the equipment, software, and media that are used to make the recordable disks. Data layer With CD-R media, this is the organic dye that is sandwiched between the polycarbonate substrate and the metalized reflective layer of the media. CD-R disks don't have any data on them at all until the are recorded. Injection Molding This is a manufacturing method where the molten material is forced into a mold, normally under high pressure, then cooled so that the material will take on the shape of a mirror image in the mold. Media or blanks CD-R media are the disks that are used to record digital information using a special recorder and premastering software with a computer. These discs are made of a polycarbonate substrate, a layer of organic dye, a metalized reflective layer, and a coating of lacquer for protection. Organic dye The data layer of CD-R media is made from a dye that is melted during the process of recording. Where the dye is melted, becomes opaque or refractive, scattering the reading laser so that it isn't reflected back into the reading sensors. Reflective layer This is the metal later that sits on top of the dye that reflects the laser beam back to the reading assembly. This is normally 24k gold in CD-R disks, although it can be silver as well. (word count 307)
CDR Brilliance Several years ago, CD-R media and CD burners were never imaginedputers were just reached the GHz speed, with Pentium 1 just starting to reach the horizons. Floppy disks were the ideal way to store data, even though it took several of them to store most types of information. Looking at things today, you can see at a glance just how far technology has come over the years. These days, computers are in 2 out of 3 homes across the world, with almost everyone owning one. CD burners and CD-RW drives are just as popular, with everyone realizing just how much money they can save by burning their own disks and copying their own media. There are so many benefits to CD duplication and CD-R disks that it's mind boggling. If you've never owned a CD-RW drive or dealt with CD-R media, you'd be amazed with everything you can do. CD media helps to simply life as we know it and make things easier than ever before. The theory of CD-R duplication is priceless. Writers, those that are self employed, musicians, small businesses, hobbyists, and even fortune 500 companies can all benefit from the brilliance behind CD-R technology. Not only to do they save you quite a bit of time, but they are also very affordable while providing you many different services. CD-R media is used to store files and important security documentation. The media disks are widely used in the computer field to conveniently backup software and data on disc. Musicians as well choose to use CD-R duplication as an affordable marketing and promotion tool to get their music out to those who want it. Even the corporate world as well, uses CD-Rs as a cost effective way of mass producing training videos and as an aid in converting to the ideal paperless office. You can also use CD-Rs as a business card, as they are smaller than a credit card and store all of your memorable business card information. With everything they offer you, CD media is truly something you can't live without. The disks are small and easy to store, yet they will hold an impressive amount of information. For all of your audio, storage, or backup needs, rest assured that CD-R media can help you meet your demands. The disks will last a lifetime, making them perfect for special memories. If you have the need for storage or saving data and pictures, CD media is the way to go to ensure that your precious files will be there each and every time you need them. (word count 429)
Copy CDs And Save Money Just a short while ago, the only people who had access to CD duplication were professional musicians, record company executives, and the higher end recording studios. As technology increased and became more affordable, private CD duplication companies began to pop up all over the United States and other major music centers throughout the country. These days, CD duplication has never been more accessible or more affordable. Most home computers and laptops come with a CD-RW burner and software that is very user friendly, making CD duplication very convenient. Even if you are new to computers, you'll find CD duplication very easy to figure out. You don't have to be a computer expert to use the CD-RW burner or the software, as most of it is self explanitory. All you need to do is give it a run and see easy things actually are. Those who are needing a large quantity of CDs duplicated or simply wish to have a professional company burn their CDs, there are several out there that offer great rates, package deals, and quality recordings. You can get as many as you want, with quality that matches that of the master copy. Most CD duplication companies offer packages that will include inserts, tray cards, and even packaging should you choose to take your duplicates to retail sale. You can also choose to have your graphic work imprinted on the inserts or have the CD duplication company design a totally new design for your very product. If you are worried about the inventory, barcodes can be imprinted on the CD case or the sleeve by the same company. For whatever duplication needs you may have, there are companies out there that offer duplication or you can do it yourself. Either way you choose, you'll get the copies you need in no time at all. (word count 306)
Copy Like A Professional Anyone who has burned CDs in the past has had to have encountered this problem - your CD doesn't want to play in certain CD players. You've probably tried switching to a different brand of disks, switching the writing speed of your CD burning software, and yet nothing seems to work. Most professional CDs that are purchased from a retail outlet such as Circuit City or Best Buy works in any type of CD player, which probably makes you wonder what they are doing that your not. All of us wonder this, especially when out duplicated CDs don't want to play back like they should. Much to the contrary, it's because the music industry burns their CDs differently. Instead of simply duplicating CDs, the music industry chooses to replicate CDs. Even though the terminology may seem synonymous, the process is actually totally different. CD replication is used for the mass production of CDs, which is normally more than 500. Instead of writing the data to a CD using a laser as with duplication, CD replication uses a glass master to stamp (or press) the data onto the disc. This helps to eliminate almost all of the issues associated with playability that are encountered when burning CDs at home. CD replication is a far superior process of burning CDs. Important to note, is the superior quality of CDs that are pressed using replication doesn't come cheap. Even when using independant CD duplication companies such as Absolute Disc or Oasis, there is still going to be a very high cost associated with the replication of disks. For your next project, try having your CDs replicated rather than duplicated. This will ensure your project is very high quality, even though you'll need to order more than 500 CDs to recive this process. (word count 299)
Differences Between CD DVD Media Even though both CD and DVD disks have the same media size and shape, the things they have in common ends there. There are many different things between the two, such as what they hold and how much they hold. Data pits and lasers A disc has microscopic grooves that will move along in a spiral around the disc. CDs and DVDs both have these grooves, with laser breams applied to scan these very grooves. As you may know, digital information is represented in ones and zeroes. Inside of these discs, very tiny reflective bumps known as lands and non reflective holes known as pits, which can be found beside the grooves, reflect both the ones and the zeroes of digital information. By reducing the wave length of the laser to 625mm or more infrared light, DVD technology has managed to write in smaller pits when compared to the standard technology of CD. This will allow for a greater amount of data per track on the DVD. The minimum length allowed for a pit in a single layer DVD-R is .4 micron, which is obviously more than the .0834 micron that a CD offers. The tracks of a DVD are narrower as well, which allows for more tracks per disc, which also translates into more capacity than a CD. The avaerage single layer DVD holds 4.5 GB of data, while a CD holds a mere 700 MB. Layers As stated above, a DVD has smaller pits and the lasers need to focus on them. This is actually achieved by using a thinner plastic substrate than in a CD, which means that the laser needs to pass through a thinner layer, with less depth to reach the pits. It's this reduction in thickness that's responsible for the discs that were only 0.6mm thickness - which is half that of a CD. Data access speed DVDs will access data at a much faster rate than a CD can. The average 32X CD-ROM drive reads data at 4MB a second, while a 1X DVD drive reads at 1.38MB a second. This is even faster than an 8X CD drive. Universal data format The recording formats of CDs and DVDs are quite different, as DVDs use UDF, or the Universal Data Format. This format allows data, video, audio, or even a combination of all three to be stored in a single file structure. The advantage to this is any file can be accessed by any drive, computer, or even consumer video. CDs on the other hand aren't compatible with this format. (word count 427)
Disc Quality The high demand and dramatic increase in CD media, plus the competitive pressures to squeeze out every possible cost and improve the profit margins have given rise to many manufacturers of CD related media. To help reduce the costs of increasing capacity, many of these firms have relocated their old manufacturing lines and hired staff that learn on the job. The biggest problems with CDs occurs when discs are produced using older equipment then end up failing when you try to use them. Luckily, most of these types will fail when you first try to record on them. There is however, a likelihood that the disc will complete a burn and the media won't play at all. The agony of taking your photo or video treasures and putting them on CD or DVD and then deleting them from your camera or computer only to realize that the copy is corrupted is far too much to risk. The brand name company's such as Verbatim choose to guard their reputation for quality and durability by using only advanced recording dye and other types of technology to produce high speed discs. The stability of the recording dye is very critical as heat, humidity, oxygen, and even UV light can degrade the dye. Verbatim research has also proven there is a strong correlation between the production and bonding processes of disc quality. For data and personal pictures that are important, you should always buy quality CD media. Then, before you go ahead and delete the source file, trying playing the disc back to ensure that it copied correctly. This way, you won't have to worry about losing your precious files and photos when you remove the source from your computer. (word count 286)
Duplicating Within Your Budget If you plan to produce, market, and sell your own CDs, you have the need for high quality CD duplication. If you have the need for great quality and great prices, you should thing about things before you turn to one company to do all of the duplicating for you. No matter what you use it for, CD duplication is an expense that shouldn't take over your budget at all. Below, you'll find several tips on how to keep duplication within your budget. 1. Shop with comparison All companies out there need to able to find the company that is going to give them the best possible price. If you have access to the internet, you can do this online. Look from one company to another until you find the best price that fits your budget. 2. Keep within your budget Although this is easier said than done, it's very important to find a company that can work within your budget or you'll need to get a bigger budget. Even though you may not realize it now, doing these types of things on credit can hurt you later on down the road. 3. Quality If your music or other CDs mean a lot to you, then you should put them in the hands of a reliable duplicator - and never skimp on quality. Always make sure you a guarantee of the quality of their work as well, to protect yourself. CD duplication is a must have for the movie and music business. There's no doubt that you need this type of service, although you should take the time to find the best company for the job. When it comes to developing your product - you'll want to have only the best. (word count 291)
Duplication 101 If you've been shopping for blank CDs or blank DVDs recently, you may have found yourself a bit confused by all of the choices - CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW. Trying to figure out the abbreviations between them can be a bit mind racking indeed. To make matters worse for those who aren't up on the lastest marvels of technology is the rate at which the industry of technology is evolving. Just when you think you've caught on to the concepts of MP3s and burning CD and DVD media, new twists on blank media hits the market and you found yourself confused more than you were to start with. The "R" found in CD-R and DVD+/-R media stands for recordable. It will tell consumers that these disks are blank recordable media. You can record movies, data, music, and photos on the disc, but the discs cannot be erased. The "RW" on CD-RW and DVD+/-RW media stands for rewritable. This lets you know that media with RW on them can be recorded and erased several times. Even though the prices for blank CD and DVD media is inexpensive, you can expect to pay a bit more for RW type media. The biggest source of confusion stems from DVD-R and DVD-RW and how they are different from DVD+R and DVD+RW media. In order to avoid a long technical speech on the differences, you simply need to know that each DVD types can record movies just like the next type. DVD+R and DVD+RW are a newer more expensive technology that offers a few technical advantages over DVD-R and DVD-RW. None the less, DVD-R has greater compatibility with more DVD players than any other format of blank DVDs. If you have a newer DVD player or if you use your computer to play back media, you should have no problems with DVD+R/DVD+RW media. Some say that they provide a better range of quality, although the quality is indeed similar. Keep in mind that all recordable CD and DVD media do the same thing regardless of their particular brand or extension. Because there is not an industry standard that involves DVD technology, not every DVD player is compatible with each and every format you see on retail store shelves. For this very reason, you should always check with DVD player manual to see which type of recordable media it will play back. This way, you'll know what to buy the next time you go shopping for blank CD or DVD media. (word count 418)
Essentials Of CDR The simple rule of thumb is that whatever you have stored as a file on any other storage medium can also be stored as a file on a CD-ROM. To the recorder, a file is a file, and an ISO doesn't care whether or not the file contains pictures, text, or even audio sound. There are a few special cases, as to where you would want to record a file to a CD in a special type of format. The most obvious here is CD-DA audio. If you wanted to record an audio file to a CD so that you could play it back on your home stereo, you would need to write a CD-DA (or Digital Audio) disk. When you copy data to a CD, you need to ensure that your data doesn't exceed the capacity of the CD that you will be recording to. Due to the audio requirements of CDs, the amount of information a CD can hold is measured in minutes/seconds/sectors. Each second can contain 75 sectors, each of which are capable of holding 2,048 bytes of Mode 1 user data. By using the CD Size command in the edit menu, you can set the capacity of the set you wish to produce, which will help you to prevent exceeding it. The status bar will show you how much space you have used, how much remains free, and the percentage of each one. Even though this may sound a bit confusing at first, keep in mind that it may take some time if you are new to computers. Even though copying a CD is quite easy, knowing the limits and how things work is a bit more complex. Give it some time, and you'll be copying files to CD like the pros do it. (word count 298)
Factors In CD Duplication The process of writing data to a recordable CD can be a complex process, as it demands a lot from both hardware and software programs. Much of this complexity is hidden from the user by the program, although you should be aware of these factors. Data The total amount of data you are writing is much less important than whether or not it contains large or several small files. If there are a lot of small files, the system may have problems with locating and opening the files quickly enough to send them smoothly to the CD recording drive. The computer Any interruption that may occur is fatal to CD duplication, so you should ensure that your CONFIG. SYS and AUTOEXEC. BAT don't load any TSR utilities which may interrupt operations. Screen savers, alarms and reminders, or incoming faxes may also kill disc writing. You should also turn off network sharing so no one will access the files that you are trying to write, as this could also kill your disc recording. Hard Disk Speed To write an image to the CD, the hard disk from which you are writing must have a transfer rate that is fast enough to keep the memory buffer full in the CD recorder. This normally means an average hard disk access time of 19 MS or better. Defrag If your hard drive has to search everywhere over a fragmented hard drive for the data to be written, it can cause the operation to slow down or even cause a fatal error. Therefore, always be sure to fragment your hard disk drive. Recording speed Most new CD recorders and even some older ones, are capable of writing at two (sometimes even four) times the standard playback. It should be possible for you to select the speed; as even though fast recording is a time saver, it can also cause some bad situations. When you copy an ISO (image file) from the hard disk to a CD, the speed is rarely a problem as the image is already one large file in which the files and structures are already in order and divided into CD-ROM sectors. When you write from a virtual image, things can get a bit trickier. In order to copy to CD, the program must consult with the database to find where each file should go in the image and where it is actually stored on the hard disk drive. Then, it must open the file, divide it into CD-ROM sectors, at the same time sending the data in a smooth continuous stream to the recorder. Locating and opening the file is a bit more time consuming, as writing is more difficult if you have a lot of small files. (word count 455)
How To Copy CDs Copying CDs is something that is very popular now more than ever. When CD burners and duplication was first introduced, people caught on although it wasn't nearly as popular as it is today. These days, millions of people throughout the world copy audio, data, and even video to CDs. To make a copy of a CD, you'll need a master to copy, a blank disk, a CD-RW drive, and the proper software. Most newer computers include either a CD-RW or DVD-RW drive. If your computer is older, you'll need to go out and buy the drive, which doesn't cost much money and is very easy to install. If you have a DVD-RW drive, you'll be able to copy both CDs and DVDs. The rate of copying will vary, with 4X being the slowest and up to 48X being the fastest. If your drive supports 48X, you can duplicate a CD in a matter of minutes. Once you have the CD-RW or DVD-RW drive and some blank CD-R media, all you need is the software to duplicate. Nero is among the most popular, as well as Sonic Record Now and Easy CD Creator. There are many different types out there, from those that cost money to the freeware software that doesn't cost anything to use. Once you have everything you need, simply run the software and create your disk. You can copy many types of media, including pictures, video, audio, and even data from your computer. Depending on what you want to copy, all need to do is select it from the software menu and let it rip. CD duplication is a lot of fun and easy for everyone to learn as well. You can back up a lot of things, or just save pictures of your special memories - the choices are entirely up to you. (word count 306)