Edit: One more thing: What's "4-color"? Is that the same as full-color? (I assume not)

Just in case anyone is interested in such things.... There are two primary color schemes use for creating color output, subtractive and additive. Additive color starts with black and adds colors, combining usually red, green, and blue colors (the colors for which we specifically have receptors in our eyes) to create the other colors. Subtractive color starts with a white background and then puts something over it that prevents certain colors from bouncing off the white background (white includes all the colors.) So things like paper, which depend on reflected light, use subtractive color on a white substrate and prevent some colors from reflecting, and things like monitors, which put out their own light, use a black background and depend on additive color to create all the colors.

Your color printer probably uses the CYMK color scheme mentioned above.

Any particular set of colors you use (whether additive or substractive) will have a particular 'color gamut', which defines all of the colors it can create by mixing the basic colors it has in its palette. It also depends on how saturated each of the colors can be made as well and the fundamental frequency of the basic palette colors. With substractive or additive, you can increase the color gamut by just adding another color (five color) or more than one, but I don't know of any common devices that use more than RGB additive. The color gamut is usually presented as an image like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:CIExy1931_srgb_gamut.png

This layout allows you to find the position of the basic colors, and then the color gamut is defined by the straight lines between them (I'm simplifying but that's basically it.) The more area coved, the larger the gamut, and of course if you add a fourth or fifth color, then you go from a triangle to a square to a pentagon and cover more and more area.

I don't think I've yet burned 300 CD's or DVD's either one on any burner I've ever owned, so I don't know yet. Although I probably have burned more than 300 CD's on the one I have now if you count CD'-RWs where I only burned one or two songs to test in the car or something. Obviously burning just a song or two won't wear out a burner as fast.

Sam - I hope not, as I passed the 200 mark recently making various types of CDs and DVDs on my current burner - haven't noticed any problems yet, except that people still try to play CDRs on 10 year old CD players....

I have burned hundreds of CD on my Plextor 716A without any loss of quality. For duplication I use a telex automated tower and that has seen thousands of cd's with one asus burner. So far I only have about one unusable CD in 200. (I use TY only).

What I want to know is where can you find the gloss paper that was mentioned earlier for the packaging? Is this just gloss picture paper you would use for pictures? Is there some available that is "prescored" for folding? If I could find it, I would get some of it.

For tray cards and such, I don't have to worry too much because one of my inlaws have a printing business and I get things at cost (kinda nice). But they usually get their glossy paper from a wholesaler like Kelly Paper.

BTW I think the key is to keep the burners working.

Products like CD drives and printers are meant to have a steady output and usuage. They tend to malfunction after periods of non-use.

ORIGINAL: Ognis

Short Run looks awesome.

And very, very expensive for some reason.

Expensive Indeed. Check out http://www.diskfaktory.com, they have better short run prices. I have used them for 6 projects so far with good results.

Hello again everyone,

Please look over my timetable:

1. Record the music
2. Get rid of the glitches
3. Send CD off to get mastered
4. When I get the CD back, rip the WAV’s onto my hard drive and use these to burn copies (I currently use Sonic)
5. Register CD with CD baby
6. Send copy of CD and $45 to copyright office with form SR
7. Print my covers, including the phrases “Available at CD Baby” on them (I don’t have a directory on CD Baby yet, so presumably they just search for it there), also include "(c) 2007" on everything
8. Burn my CD’s (side note: I was going to pay someone but just discovered my church has a 10 CD replicator (or is it duplicator) so I may just do that now with Taiyo Yudens?) (Or I may still send them off, I’m unsure, thoughts?)
9. Send 5 copies to CD Baby
10. Try to sell other copies locally or give them away to family and friends

I am foregoing a barcode. Perhaps my only other issue is the ISRC code, which I do not have, nor do I have CD architect. Is it worth the money to buy it for this one project?

What else should I do, and in what order please? Is there another place besides CD Baby I should be involved in? (Remember it's pretty quiet, relaxing New Age piano if that helps at all).

Thanks everyone,

Sam

ORIGINAL: samhoff

3. Send CD off to get mastered
4. When I get the CD back, rip the WAV’s onto my hard drive and use these to burn copies (I currently use Sonic)

If you are going to burn the files yourself, why rip them onto the hard drive? Use a CD copy program. If you want them on your hard drive as separate files, it would be better to send the 2-track mixes to the mastering house via ftp or on CD as a data disk with 24-bit/44.1 khz .wav files. Have the mastering house return then as 16 bit individual files. I would avoid having to rip, as this is an extra conversion step. If you are using Sonic Solutions, or any other CD burner (e.g. Wavelab), then having the individual files allows you to sequence and space them as you want before burning a final.

However most mastering houses will send back a CD master ready for replication or pressing, with the gaps and fades already in place. You will want to just use that as a replication master (make several safety copies before doing that).

ORIGINAL: samhoff
5. Register CD with CD baby
6. Send copy of CD and $45 to copyright office with form SR
7. Print my covers, including the phrases “Available at CD Baby” on them (I don’t have a directory on CD Baby yet, so presumably they just search for it there), also include "(c) 2007" on everything

You can create your CD Baby account before you send them a CD. That will give you a complete URL. You will want that on your CD back if possible, e.g. "http://CDBaby.Com/myartistname"

I always use a copyright like (c) 2007 [my name or music company] ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WORLDWIDE

ORIGINAL: samhoff
8. Burn my CD’s (side note: I was going to pay someone but just discovered my church has a 10 CD replicator (or is it duplicator) so I may just do that now with Taiyo Yudens?) (Or I may still send them off, I’m unsure, thoughts?)

I have gone both ways, but found the best, cheapest, and most reliable way in the long run is to send out for limited run replication.
You can get 50 copies in sleeves, printed and shrink-wrapped, for around $50-$75, last time I checked. If you want jewel case and inserts, around $3.00 per for 100.

Doing it yourself:
1. Depends on the quality and reliability of the replicator
2. Does it print? Then you need special media, and I have found the white printed blanks to be less reliable than the T-Yudens.
3. You still have to print your own inserts, tray backs, and that is by far the MOST expensive part of DIY. I would avoid the DIY "kits". Getting everying to line up and print correctly is a real PITA, believe me, I have tried this many times and finally gave up.

ORIGINAL: samhoff
9. Send 5 copies to CD Baby
10. Try to sell other copies locally or give them away to family and friends

I am foregoing a barcode. Perhaps my only other issue is the ISRC code, which I do not have, nor do I have CD architect. Is it worth the money to buy it for this one project?

You will need a barcode for CD Baby and for retail stores, e.g Borders. If you don't do it yourself, CD Baby will stick one on your cd cover for an extra charge. If you send out for replication the house should be able to provide a bar code for about $45 or so. It looks much more professional. Your back cover design should allow space for it. Printing guidelines available at the replication site will show how much space to leave, or provide a dummy barcode graphic to insert into the image.

You don't need ISRC for doing your own distribution, nor does CD baby require it. The only way to get them in there is to be registered as a record label, as far as I know.

ORIGINAL: samhoff
What else should I do, and in what order please? Is there another place besides CD Baby I should be involved in? (Remember it's pretty quiet, relaxing New Age piano if that helps at all).

CD Baby can get you onto I-Tunes and other online sites. There a others but I would start there. They are reasonable in terms of their cut.

Have a release party, announce it by mail with special pre-release price that is only available at the party (knock of a couple of bucks). Send out an email blast to everyone you know. I was able to sell > 50 copies of my last release to friends and coworkers just by making a special price for them and then announcing it with a nice printed post card. Give out promo copies to anyone who is connected with music and who could help you. E.g. I know several DJ's on the local community radio station who are more than willing to play tracks on the air.

Best of luck, Sam!

Ok, another quick question.

I was to send my CD to an (unnamed) friend for him to Master. I just took the Wav's (at 16 not 24) and burned them as an audio CD. He is now asking if I should, instead, put them on the CD as data, because they were dithered. What does this mean? Is it important? So I can either send him a new CD (data not audio) or he can rip from the CD he has. I understand the former option would be better, but (1) why and (2) how MUCH better? 2% better or 98% better?

Thanks,

Sam

The information on a CD-A and a Data CD with wave files is pretty much the same as far as audio goes. Your friend probably wants 24 bit wav files that have not been dithered down to 16 bits. If your files were at any point 24 bits you should send him those and let him add dither to take the audio down to 16 bits. If your files were 16 bits to begin with and you added processing like reverb or eq, you should still export the audio to 24 bits because those processes add additional word length.

BTW. Dithering, as it is so frequently discussed, is noise added to a signal that will increase its resolution and reduce quantization distortion when reducing bit depth. It is generally agreed that you do not want to go through this process more than once because the noise might become noticable.