Master Disc Guidelines

Our preferred format for receiving Audio Masters is DDP (Disc Description Protocol) which is an industry standard format. The DDP is simply a locked down electronic version of your album which is instantly ready for duplication/replication.

You can upload your DDP using the WeTransfer link in Step 5 of your quote email. Alternatively if you already have the DDP uploaded to Dropbox or Drive please send us a link with your quote number referenced.

A majority of Recording Studios and Sound Engineers will be able to output your album to DDP (Disc Description Protocol) at no additional cost.

If you are mastering yourself and you don’t have any suitable software we recommend HOFA CD-Burn.DDP.Master. This cost effective, reliable software is simple to use and will output an industry standard DDP ready for replication/duplication.  For more information visit: hofa-plugins.de

The ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) is the system used to identify individual audio tracks and can be used for both physical CD and digital online formats.  Audio tracks encoded with ISRC metadata can be automatically identified for royalty payments.

Most recording studios and record labels can issue ISRC codes for artists. If you have used a recording studio to master your audio tracks they will also be able to embed the ISRC metadata in the DDP (Disc Description Protocol) which you will upload to us ready for Duplication/Replication.

Alternatively there are now a number of digital distribution sites and online stores where you can obtain ISRC codes for your music. The ISRC information will be emailed to you as a series of 12 digit codes that you can add to your DDP. (If you have opted for Disc Factory to create your DDP please include the ISRC codes in your tracklist).

In addition to your actual music, Audio CDs can also contain Metadata such as CD-Text. Information including Artist Name, Track Name and Album Title can be encoded as CD-Text and will display when the disc is inserted into a compatible device such as a car stereo.

It is important to note that CD-Text will only display on devices that support it. Devices with an internet connection such as iTunes and Windows Media Player will not recognize any of the CD-Text on the disc. When album information is displayed on a computer, it is a result of your CD being registered with the Gracenote or AllMusic databases.

When your CD is inserted into a device connected to the internet the music software will attempt to identify the disc by connecting to an online CD database. It will not use the CD Text metadata that is encoded on the disc. For the software to correctly identify your disc you will need to have registered your CD.

iTunes, WinAmp and Mac OS Finder use the Gracenote online database to display album information. You can find more information on how to register your CD with Gracenote here: www.gracenote.com

Windows Media Player, Rhapsody, and Real Music Player use the AllMusic online database to display album information. You can find more information on how to register your CD with AllMusic here: www.allmusic.com

It is important to note that even when your disc is registered it can still be matched incorrectly and display the wrong information. This is because the database will only try to identify the disc based on the exact length of the tracks in sequence. And because there are millions of albums already registered, incorrect matches do occur.

If you have your Master ready as a Physical Audio CD, please reference your quote number and post it ensuring the disc is securely packaged in a clean wallet or sleeve. (If the envelope is thicker than 5mm it will require a Large Letter stamp for posting).

If your master disc is the only version you have we recommend making an additional back-up copy before posting.

You can use the link in Step 5 of your quote email to print the address label ready for posting.

If you are unable to supply the Master as a DDP or Physical Audio CD you can send audio files. There is a £25 (ex vat) surcharge for us to create your Master from audio files.

The preferred formats are .WAV or .AIF or .FLAC (44.1kHz – 16 Bit – Stereo). We can also accept MP3 files but these are not recommended as they are a compressed format.

Please ensure your files are correctly numbered and named (01 Track Name.wav) Please also provide a tracklist as a text document or email with the following information:

• Album Title
• Album Artist
• Track Titles
• Track Artist
• UPC/EAN Number (if applicable)
• ISRC Codes (if applicable)
• Pre-gap duration

(the default gap between tracks is 2 seconds. If your album is a live recording or DJ style mix you may want 0 sec pre-gap so the audio between tracks is seamless)

You can upload your audio files using the WeTransfer link in Step 5 of your quote email. Alternatively if you already have the files uploaded to Dropbox or Drive please send us a direct download link with your quote number referenced.