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Ensuring your audio CD is ready for manufacturing.

Before you start you should know about ISRC and CD Text.

The International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) uniquely identifies each track on your CD. It is important to add ISRC information to keep track of your music for licensing and usage reporting - not only for physical product such as CD and DVDs but also for digital downloads, internet streaming, and usage for radio and TV.

iTunes insist on ISRC information before uploading to their site and all major and most independent record labels require the codes on their CD releases.

An ISRC is a 12-character alpha-numeric code made up of four elements:

• ISO Country - e.g. NZ for New Zealand, US for the USA, etc.
• Registrant Code - a three alpha-numeric unique reference.
• Year of Reference - the last two digits of the current year, e.g. ‘10’ for 2010.
• Designation Code - a five digit unique number.

ISRC codes can be obtained free of charge from RIANZ.

CD Text is an extension of the Red Book Compact Disc specifications standard for audio CDs. It allows for storage of additional information (e.g. album name, song name, and artist) on a standards-compliant audio CD. CD text is becoming more popular but there are still few CD players that can read it so it is not essential.

The following is a list of steps to prepare a CD master for manufacturing. This assumes that the audio has already been mastered and the album sounds exactly as you want.

1. Carefully listen to the album from start to finish from your workstation to ensure every track is error free and in the correct order. Check the gaps between tracks are the correct length.


2. Check that the track ID for the start (and end if used) of each track is in the correct place. It is common practice to place the track ID slightly before the start of the audio as some CD players mute a fraction of a second of the audio when skipping to the next track.


3. If your software allows, you can add ISRC information and CD text now. Be aware that some basic CD writing software uses the file names of your audio as CD text without the option to turn it off. This can cause unwanted CD text on your master. If your mastering software does not support ISRC information or CD text and you wish to have them on your CD you can burn a CD now and take it to a professional mastering facility. They will be able to add the codes and text and create a final master for you.


4. Write a CD sample of your master. Put the CD in a computer with software that can read the ISRC information and CD text (e.g. Roxio Toast) and check that they are all present and correctly spelt. Play it in a CD player and check the track IDs are in the correct places and listen to it from start to finish to confirm that everything is correct. At this point you might like to send a copy to your client or to the rest of your band to check.


5. Write a CD master. Manufacturing plants can accept a variety of formats as a master. The two most common are playable CD-Rs and DDP image files. DDP image files can be supplied to the manufacturer via the internet or written to a data CD-R. When writing your final master to CD you should write at the slowest speed your CD writer is capable of, usually 2 or 4 speed, to minimize errors. It is very important that the master does not get fingerprints or dirt on it and that you put it carefully in a hard CD or DVD case so it doesn’t get scratched during transit or storage. A master should not be supplied in a paper or plastic sleeve or a clamshell as it will most likely get damaged.

For further information you can contact a mastering engineer at Stebbing Recording Centre. Simon Lynch, Dave Rhodes and Kim Walker have many years of experience and can assist with any stage of the mastering process.

Simon Lynch - simon@stebbing.co.nz
Dave Rhodes - dave@stebbing.co.nz
Kim Walker - kim@stebbing.co.nz

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