Release Time! Ep. 07: Compact Disc
CDs are still a thing! Though, they are becoming less and less common as we share digital files more directly. This is/was early digital tech, and so the technical quality maxes out at 44.1k/16 bit-this is an old standard.
And, if you’ve recorded at a higher bit depth/sample rate, which is a good idea and common to see nowadays, you’ll need to do a sample rate or bit depth conversion in order to make a CD.
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If you’re a group whose music depends on it being heard especially loud, CD is a medium where you can push the level up a bit. Perhaps you’d like to give the CD listener a slightly more impactful experience than the streaming listener.
Whether your music will actually sound better at these higher levels depends on the project, group, style, and of course your individual artistic preference. It’s always wise to consider that the amount of loud/soft contrast in music has as much to do with musical impact, as does the decibel measured volume level. It’s a balancing act that changes on every tune.
If you’re listening to very loud music, for example, you’ll probably notice that it doesn’t sound quite as impactful five minutes in as it did when you started. Your ears adjust to the volume if there’s no contrast, and pretty soon you’re just turning it up again.
But, this is all completely down to individual preference and style. Music that is intentionally meant to be aggressive should be heard that way. If you’re mastering with me and you want something louder, I’ll always do it, just ask.
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Paying a little more for a DDP file to send to your CD manufacturer is often worth it.
A DDP file is a manufacturing spec that makes the manufacturing of a CD significantly more accurate and less error prone. You can specify exact track lengths and the pauses between them (or a seamless transition) in ways that are more accurate than by sending in a group of WAV files. WAV files also have a small chance of flipping a bit during transmission over the network, so that could potentially result in unexpected clicks or distortion.
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