CD Master & DDP Creation
A finished master only becomes a CD through authoring. We create the DDP, the exact file your replication plant manufactures the disc from, and set everything a CD contains besides the music: track markers, pauses, codes and text. This applies to masters made here as well as to finished, mastered tracks that you send us.
What is a DDP?
DDP stands for Disc Description Protocol and is the standard format for handing a CD master to the replication plant. A DDP is a folder containing the audio as one continuous image plus several description files that define track order, timings and metadata. Unlike a burned master CD, it can be transferred without read errors and verified unambiguously by checksum. What arrives at the plant is therefore, bit for bit, what we approved.
What we define in the DDP
- Track markers and indices (PQ codes): where each track starts and ends
- Pauses and transitions: from the classic two-second gap to seamless transitions between movements
- ISRC for every track
- EAN/UPC of the album
- CD-Text: album title, performers and track names
The work is in the detail. A movement that leads attacca into the next, or two songs that run into each other, need a track marker in the musically right place, with no audible gap. Applause after a live recording should not cut off mid-decay when a listener skips ahead. We make these decisions by listening, not by grid.
Checking and delivery
An audio CD follows the Red Book standard: 16 bit, 44.1 kHz, no more than 99 tracks and a limited playing time. We check the DDP against these requirements, listen through it in full and deliver it with a checksum, so that you and the plant can confirm the data is intact. What exactly we check is described under quality control.
What we need from you
- The final track order
- ISRC codes and EAN/UPC, if available
- The CD-Text entries in the spelling you want
- For supplied masters: the audio files in the highest resolution available
Frequently asked questions
Can you create a DDP from tracks that are already mastered?
Yes. You send us the finished masters, we set the order, pauses, markers and metadata and deliver the DDP. If we notice anything while listening through, we get in touch before delivering.
Where do I get ISRC codes?
You get ISRCs from your label, your digital distributor or the national ISRC agency. Technically a CD works without ISRCs, but the codes matter for royalty accounting and digital exploitation.
Does my replication plant accept DDP?
DDP is the usual standard at replication plants. If you tell us which plant you use, we sort out the delivery route and any special requirements with them directly.
Do you have a pressing date? Give us the date, the plant and the track list, and we will schedule the DDP in good time.