Does this qualify as a manufacturing defect?

When the CDs for a recent project came back from the duplicators, they had an unexpected feature. 

It's a contiguous live performance and there aren't supposed to be any gaps between songs, but there is a brief, perhaps 100ms, gap between each song. Sounds like somebody quickly punching the Mute button. 

Is this my fault for not including instructions to the duplicator, or is it a mistake on their part that they should be held accountable for?

Did you supply a continuous wav with track markers or a series of files and a running order or a complete image file?


It could also be your CD player pausing at track markers while it sets up for the next track.   Have you tried a different player?

Is it just doing this between songs? Because if it is then I be suspecting someone hitting the mute ....

Sue the baystids. It's the Umerican way!!!

How many CD's ?

As much as it pains me to say it this is probably a "tough tittie said the kitty" proposition.  I don't think you'll get much satisfaction from the duplicator.  But you should certainly try.  Keep us posted will ya, Bit?

I'll have my lawyer, bapu, send 'em a sternly-worded warning letter. He'll let them know he has friends in Washington.

bitflipper


When the CDs for a recent project came back from the duplicators, they had an unexpected feature. 

It's a contiguous live performance and there aren't supposed to be any gaps between songs, but there is a brief, perhaps 100ms, gap between each song. Sounds like somebody quickly punching the Mute button. 

Is this my fault for not including instructions to the duplicator, or is it a mistake on their part that they should be held accountable for?

I'm sorry to hear this happened to you, bit. It's really a grey area in my opinion. I would think the markers may have been enough, but are you positive they even saw them? I've had people send me continuous wave files that supposedly had markers yet they never turned up for me in my software. I'm not saying yours weren't there, but I have seen it happen on my end.
 
The other thing that you should always do is send a pq sheet or yes, definitely give strict instructions at all times. If you gave them a physical pq sheet, they are at fault. If you didn't, they can probably say "Well a pq sheet wasn't included nor where there any instructions." The other side of the coin could be, maybe they DID just make a mistake and saw your markers...or maybe they just didn't understand or something.
 
When I sent one of my albums to be mastered by Bob Katz, the first three songs have no gaps. I gave him strict instructions and even sent a sample of how I wanted the songs to sound and he still messed it up on the first try to where we had to have him redo them. Once he got them right though, he of course shipped a pq sheet to me and the duplicator and they got the bulk CD pressings right.
 
With all the duplication companies I deal with these days, I always have the client forward them an email from me or talk to them on the phone asking them specifically what they want. Most times it's an audio CD burned at 1x with a pq sheet or a DDP package that includes the pq sheets and everything else. I usually send a DATA disc as a back up just in case there are any problems and then they can manually calibrate and bring in the files. With that, on the disc jackets themselves as well as in the data folder I send, are instructions (if any) that need to be followed with my number if they have any problems or questions. This way if a mistake is made, it's definitely on them. I hope you can resolve this or maybe they own up to a mistake to where they take care of you. Good luck man.
 
-Danny

bitflipper


I'll have my lawyer, bapu, send 'em a sternly-worded warning letter. He'll let them know he has freds in Washington.

Fixed

Ok, as you were - nothing to see here.......

Guitarhacker


I thought they always submitted a sample back to you before they "pressed" the job....for you to listen to carefully and approve before they run 1000 discs incorrectly or not to your approval.  

I would certainly inquire as to why they didn't send gapless product back since you sent them a gapless master. 

A reputable company will make it right for you even if it means eating the cost of doing the job a second time on their dime. Reputation is everything in a tough economy. 

If you paid on a credit card, the charge is 100% disputable if they don't agree to give you satisfaction. 

especially for replication they should do that.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. 

I believe we are responsible, fully or partly, for the mistake because we did not get a preview copy to approve before pressing. The artist needed the disks in a hurry because he was leaving for Europe and wanted some disks to carry over in his checked baggage to avoid customs hassles. Consequently, there wasn't enough lead time to do a test.

It was the artist who actually sent the master in, not me, so I don't know what instructions he gave them. This is like his 23rd album in 30 years, so I assumed he knows the procedure. But it's his first contiguous album, so it probably didn't occur to him to specify no gaps; it certainly didn't occur to me. I naively thought the copies would be verbatim copies of the master.

Lessons learned! Always give yourself enough lead time to preview a sample disk before approving duplication.