 |
|||||
 |
 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
PreMaster CD 2
Just what your DAW • Professional Premastering |
 |
Not CD, PMCD
CDs are great for distribution but are not ideal for use as replication masters. That’s why PreMaster CD™ provides a better way to hand off your hard won work for replication: DDP or Disc Description Protocol, the standard specifically designed for optical disc replication. PreMaster CD creates the industry’s most compliant DDP image files, a surefire method for error–free manufacture of great sounding Compact Discs.
Tired of buggy software with lame PQ support? PreMaster delivers the features that matter, with sound quality to match.
Professional Editing & Premastering
PreMaster CD is a host–based premastering application that opens AIFF, WAV, BWF and SD2 stereo files. It edits, sequences and provides essential PQ support while costing one third less than our more full featured product, soundBlade. Yet, it shares the same engine that all our products use, for the best fidelity bar none.
The program features Sonic Studio’s familiar and accessible NGC™ user interface, allowing any Mac running OS 10.4 to open, play back, edit and adjust gain of audio files. In addition, PreMaster CD joins soundBlade as the only Mac OS application to save completely compliant DDP image file sets back to disk.
Of course, PreMaster CD also creates “CD refs” in the background, so your system is freed up to do other work. These CD-Digital Audio–formatted discs are playable by your clients on any audio CD transport worldwide.
PreMaster CD; OS X–native for stable, secure operation. We invented desktop premastering on Mac OS way back in 1990. So, trust our knowledge gained from thousands of high end customers who rely on Sonic Studio gear for non–stop, reliable replication workflow.
Key Features of PreMaster CD:
• Saves to DCA’s DDP, the Disc
Description Protocol format specifically for replication
• Fast, easy editing with advanced Smart Fade Tool™
• Breakpoint-based gain adjustment tool helps even out
track–to–track amplitude
• Opens AIFF, WAV, BWF & SD2 44.1 kHz interleaved files
at 16 to 24 bits
• Optionally opens DDP file sets for rework & repurposing
• Provides essential PQ editing, including UPC/EAN and
ISRC
• Automatically generates & validates PQ subcodes in real time
• Lets you decide on track spacing with fully manual
& assisted PQ generation
• Creates CD-DA–formatted Orange Book “audio”
CD-Rs in the background
• CD-R “check discs” support CD Text including album title & artist,
track name & artist
• Automatically creates
track name & artist from Project metadata
• Re–sequencing CD Tracks is just drag & drop
• Saves version 2-compliant DDP image file sets
• Navigate with convenient Mark Info pop–up
• Tape transport–like direct Transport Controls
• Keep track of your noise floor with premastering–optimized meters
• Produces industry standard Sonic Studio PQ log
files for your duplication house
• No additional hardware required-plays back
through
Core Audio
• Leverages our SSE playback engine for unprecedented fidelity
• Clean, uncluttered, easy to navigate NGC user interface
• Optionally supports Manual DeClick II, the gold standard of audio restoration
• Uses the same iLok you already have, for complete portability
• OS 10-native for Mac OS 10.4.3 or newer
Accept No Substitutes
Red Book–formatted CD-Rs are not PMCD discs! Sony, in conjunction with START Lab and Sonic Solutions, created and defined the PreMaster CD standard over a dozen years ago in an attempt to provide a way to safely deliver a replication master on optical media. Many companies claim to provide PMCD support but only legacy Sonic Solutions products can actually deliver PMCD-formatted discs. A technical memo on the PreMaster CD format is available for download. MORE…
The DDP format has completely replaced the PCM-1630/DMR-4000, PCM-9000 and PMCD formats used by professionals in the past for premastering delivery to the plant. DDP is both more reliable and costs less than these older formats. Our PreMaster CD product burns Red Book–formatted CD-Rs for audio playback & QC, as well as creates DDP file sets, which can be delivered to the duplication facility on CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.
Now, with PreMaster CD 2, you can optionally load back DDP file sets with the DDP File Open option. This allows you to rework and repurpose existing DDP file sets, opening up an additional source of income.
PMCD Backgrounder
The PreMaster CD or PMCD format was created by Sonic Solutions in the early days of desktop premastering to address the high total cost of the then–current delivery formats for disc replication. The PMCD format allowed error–protected CD metadata to be embedded on an Orange Book CD-R so that data could be recovered, without error and at high speed, during the glass “mastering” process. PMCD discs could only be created with a Sonic System when equipped with a 1st or 2nd generation Sony CD-R writer. No CD burner manufactured in this century is able to create a true, PMCD-formatted disc.
As the “purpose–built” DDP format gained acceptance in the industry, the costly PCM-9000 and unreliable 1630 and Exabyte premastering tape formats were phased out, along with the PMCD format that acted as a transitional delivery format. Today, DDP is the worldwide standard for the safe and low cost delivery of CD and DVD files to replication facilities.
More Resources
An informational PDF (157 kB, requires Adobe Reader 5 or newer) highlighting PreMaster CD’s capabilities and how it can help you in your replication workflow is available. MORE….
A Feature Matrix provides a comparison of features between this product and the full featured soundBlade. MORE….
Don’t take our word for how great PreMaster CD is…Larry DeVivo reviewed PreMaster CD in Issue #55 of Tape Op Magazine…“All in all, I’m very happy with Sonic Studio’s PreMaster CD. It will be my first choice in assembling masters to send to the manufacturing plant from now on. A powerful program with a tried and true heritage available as native software for the Mac at a reasonable price.” READ the review.
Erik Zobler reviewed PreMaster CD in the December 2006 issue of Mix Magazine…“I’m sold on the benefits of PMCD as a highly evolved, powerful tool for audio CD preparation that delivers high-quality masters on a superior format at a very reasonable price.” READ the unedited review.
Buy Now, Upgrade Later!
We at Sonic Studio have a painless upgrade policy: If you purchase PreMaster CD, you can upgrade to soundBlade for only the difference in cost. So, head on over to our store, and pick up a copy of the only premaster app for Mac OS X that fully supports the DDP format!
Questions?
For a list of frequently asked questions about PreMaster CD, please see our FAQ. Have questions about PreMaster CD? Contact your local Sonic Studio reseller to discuss your needs. PreMaster CD is available worldwide through authorized Sonic Studio resellers.
