Burning/Manufacturing CDs - short runs

[Leon Grizzard]

Maybe I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, since my new Zoom R24 sits unboxed in my music room, but...

We want to make some demo/bandstand CDs. What do those of you of do short runs use?

I've been through self produced CD process before, with a Korg 1600, mixed at home and had professionally mastered and a 500 unit run from a CD manufacturer.

Any suggestions for self burning, or a good company for short runs, like 50 or 100 would be greatly appreciated.

I plan to use the R24 and Reaper.

[Jack Stoner]

I do a lot of CD production for my home recording studio clients and for others. Mostly under 50 but I have done one 100 CD order.

I have a bank of 5 USB connected CD Burners and two internal burner drives in my PC that will burn at 8X (my standard) and can burn 7 at a time with Nero BurningRom CD burning program. 8X, possibly 12X at most, is needed so the CD's will work in older audio CD Players. Audio CD's burned at higher speeds will skip or not play at all in older audio CD players. When you are selling to the general public, with who knows what CD player, you need to be aware of that. Most SATA interface CD/DVD drives (all that have been used in PC's for the last 7 or 8 years) will only burn at 16X (lowest speed) and that can be a problem. Some commercial duplicators also burn at high speeds and fall into the skip/no play category on older audio CD players. We found that out when I was working with Tommy Cash and he brought some "advanced copy" CD's that had been burned somewhere in Nashville and they apparently were burned at high speed as we had some complaints (this was about 10 years ago).

I only use ink jet printable discs and have a Primera Bravo model disc printer. This printer will take 20 CD's at a time and print them without intervention. NO Paper Labels.

[Gary Reed]

Great info!
Thanks

[Leon Grizzard]

Great info. That is so helpful, not only in terms of what we would need to self produce, and also to look locally for someone with a similar set up trying to offset their own investment expense. The printer is the big expense; probably a deal breaker for our level of expected sales for something like you have, although I see there are some cheaper photo printers that might do well enough for our low volume. Many thanks.

[Tony Prior]

I no longer attempt to make my CD's look like retail, I burn 25 to 50 copies at home. For printing, the CD labels and the jacket covers, I make the originals at home then go to the UPS store with my paper (labels and cover) with 2 CD labels and 2 covers on each sheet, I use the copiers at the UPS store. Lowest price per sheet in town.

Remember, each sheet is 2 labels. With the jackets I think they are $20 for 200, I got the price of the whole offering at around .40 cents each.

I don't do color anymore, only B+W.

If you burn at home, do burn at the slowest rate, 8X. Some CD blanks do not like faster burns.


And yes, to be legal, royalties need to be paid.