Hi guys

is there anyone here with experience in having music replicated on glass mastered cd ?

Basically ive been doing it on and off 10 years and i just got a batch of cds back that have strange smears on the playing surface , its part of the die by the looks of it ?

I only ever saw this on very cheap 4 cd box sets years back i use to buy from a label.

Does anyone know what causes this ? or have any experience of it ?

It looks like the cds are stamped onto a defective die cd or soemthing ? or have been smeared in the process ?

Is this a sign of poor grade replicated cds ?

Do you have any pictures?

I've had commercial disks, that seem to have a smear in the foil, but they have been fine. I suspect it is a visual illusion and that the disks are fine, but other more experience people on here may have more information.

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http://soundcloud.com/richie-royale
http://www.mixcrate.com/richieroyale

the smears a pretty big one and the real issue is that it looks defective.If i was selling replicated cds i would not send this out.

Ive bought and sold also maybe 1000 cds in my lifetime ( music cds by other bands - i am a big cd collector ) , pressed 10 releases myself and never had this.I only saw it on some cheap [ ****** ] 4 cd boxsets i use to release on via a london label , there cds always had it which i always guessed were pressed cheap as they looked cheap , bad paper parts etc.

The replicated cd in my case is from a company i did 2 others with oin the last 4 weeks.Both other cds were fine but interestingly look like they have been replicated onto a different make of cd , they have different centres , feel cheaper.

Whats got me paranoid is that the company sent a ' proof ' cd without me asking last week in its packing and i noticed this error , i emailed and said can you look into the smears .They didnt reply due to the weekend holidays i guess and now i just got the 500 cds....

I usually pay and they ship , this time they just shipped them all and i am wondering a bit what game they are playing , they have yet to communicate over the error and so i guess the phones next but i get the feeling they knew this was here and also that people dont always like these smear errors ( which dont effect play maybe but do effect the quality of your product )and so quickly shipped out the whole order ? without addressing my issues . . .

i am guessing they will tell me its nothing to worry about and doesnt effect the sound . . . .but i cant sell them looking like that.

I was more interested in knowing what causes this from a technical point of view.

Edited by bobsyour uncle (26/04/11 12:43 PM)

If these are glass mastered they won't have been written to any particular make of CD...

However, each plant's CD's will have slightly different characteristics - maybe an extra barcode in the centre or different numbers. The best way to tell is by looking for the IFPI number which is usually stamped on the discs somewhere. This will tell you the exact plant that pressed the discs.

If I had received a batch of suspect CD's, the first thing I would do is run them through an error check in Plextools.

James.

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JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration.
http://www.jrpmusic.net

Hi james

as expected it shows no errors.the manufacture / accounts guy says he is looking into it and finished by saying ' it wont effect play though ' which showed me they knows this issue even though he says he doesnt and needs to look into it.

The cd in question is a different ' brand or make ' from the other 2 from this company.They both show similiar numbers or formats of numbers , this one shows just one long number and is very different in its spindle design .

My guess is they have different grades myself , the fact he suggested it would effect play indicates its a known issue this smearing and possibly happens a fair bit.

The problem is they are odviously sending out these cd with these marks knowing its not really meant to be like that.

Can anyone recommend a decent quality cd replication company who dont try and sell you cheap [ ****** ] with thin brittle jewel cases and 150gsm booklets that are more see through than the manufacturers themselves ?

I appreciate the advice on error checking but unfortunately the visual quality pisses off the cd collectors / buyers who think its a defective cd even when it plays fine .

Have you checked the IFPI codes?

James.

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JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration.
http://www.jrpmusic.net

hi james , well i just had a look but i need a magifying glass to check fully.With the naked eye the 2 that were ok from this company ( who are suppose to be a pressing plant also ) read ld02 or 22 and the defective one reads lk97 .The 2 decent pressings are definately the same code and the dodgy ones definitely different.

Quote James Perrett:

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Have you checked the IFPI codes?



Edited by bobsyour uncle (26/04/11 05:53 PM)

looking at the codes it looks like the first 2 releases done by this company were uk pressed and the 3rd one is a german company which ties in with what some people elsewhere are saying about poor grade replication from europe.

If you have paid for a certain standard of work then that is what you need to get, and no explanations, or excuses, as to how a product came to display such errors.

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Samplecraze
Stretch That Note

Quote Zukan:

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If you have paid for a certain standard of work then that is what you need to get, and no explanations, or excuses, as to how a product came to display such errors.

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thats my take really , they did phone today after i requested order cancellation and reminded them i had not paid yet and needed pickup of the cds.The guy seemed freindly and after i mentioned it looked like this press had been done in germany and the other to in uk and mentioned different pressing codes on cds he kind of understood i think that i #understood .

Its all really about cost cutting and fast turnover as some euro pressing plants seem to be known for poor grade cd etc.

Its probably helped as the company i deal with are reliable or were , they are good on the print side and they do seem to communicate if your assertive and it may have shown them my boundaries as an account / client and also me that you have to watch payment in advance.

Its should get sorted out now and thanks to everyone for the advice etc.