© 2024
Total Sonic Media
Information on using the JMS Audioware Cue Sheet Generator (aka "CSG") with SAWStudio digital audio workstations to create Red Book spec compliant CD-R Audio Masters. 1) load the CSG plugin as the very last plug post fader on the output channel you are sending the complete stereo mix to (usually output 1) 2) load your wav files or regions onto the input channels in the multitrack order that you wish them to appear on your CD - with 0:00:00 on the timeline as the start of the audio on your CD. (note: I usually have the CSG set for no PQ offset - so I generally have the audio on the first track start at 6 to 10 smpte frames in so that the very first transient doesn't get possibly muted when played in CD players that have long unmute times.) In general I like to have a different track on a different input channel (so that the tracks “staircase” down) so that it's easier to set up unique settings for each track.) 3) apply any compression, eq, limiting, fx processing, fades, pans, etc. you wish to each track. 4) click the + (“add”) button on the CSG gui at 0:00:00 to create the initial track index id0 5) select "End" in the Track listing on the CSG gui and then place your cursor at the point you want the CD to end (I usually have this a second or 2 after all the audio ends so that the sound of the CD powering down doesn't break peoples concentration in an obnoxious way after the final fade). Hit the "Move" button on the CSG gui and then press "ok" 6) click the "Add" button at every point you want a track ID. In general I try to keep these points at about 200 milliseconds - 300 ms (which you can also figure as 5 to 6 SMPTE (30 non drop) frames (30 frames a second) / OR 15 - 25 CD Frames (75 CD frames a second) prior to the start of the audio in order to make sure that CD players with long unmute times (such as some car players) don't fade up on the start the track when someone clicks forward to the track. 7) If you want to add a "pause" id (where the CD player will start a backwards countdown to the next track id) - click the "Add" button and then hit the "-" key at the point you want the pause id to start. 8) click the "Disc" button to set all the parameters for the image creation. You enter the path or browse to where want the image files saved to. In general I prefer creating a cue sheet with a different wav file for each track (instead of a single wav file) as it allows revisions to be made much quicker. You can enter subcodes such as UPC (12 number barcode # preceded by a 0) or MCN (13 number "media catalog number"), CD Text for Album Title and Artist name in this dialog box. The "PQ Offset" allows you to have a number in milliseconds that the track id's will be automatically pushed backwards in time by. I prefer to keep this at "0" and enter the PQ offsets manually as detailed above. 9) click on each of the track id's listed in the CSG gui's track list and hit the "Edit" buttom to bring up dialog boxes where you can enter the track's CD Text title and ISRC (a code number that you can get from the RIAA to identify each track if you want to). 10) you can use the "Move" or "Kill" buttons to edit the track id's start times or remove them if needed 11) hit the "Setup" button and browse to the cue sheet compatible burning program under "program to launch...". Exact Audio Copy is freeware and works excellent for this. If you need a professional solution, including conversion to the DDP file format (so that you can upload CD-R masters to most replication plants) then Sonoris DDP Creator is also highly recommended. 12) you'll want either to have SAWStudio's dither enabled under the "Multitrack" options in the menu - or better yet - leave this off and use a dither plugin - my favorite is the Sonoris Dither - as the final plugin prior to the CSG. Make sure to leave a little headroom prior to dithering - i.e. the RML Labs Levelizer should be at the most normalizing to 99% or if you use a Limiter with output ceiling noted in dB keep to this -0.1dBFs at maximum. It's been recommended by many ME's to keep output ceiling somewhere around -0.3dBFs in order to keep the possibility of intersample overmodulations to a minimum so that you don't induce any extra distortion when the CD is played back on a players that have mediocre DAC's. 12) after everything is set as you like it mark the area of the entire CD program length by hitting the "B" at 0:00 and the "E" key at the CSG's "END" point - and then choose under the "Process/Mixdown" menu "Build Mix to FX" - make sure you choose “16 Bits” under the RES option - and then press “Ok” in the dialog box that comes up. This will create 16bit/44.1kHz wav files with all processing changes made to the folder you indicated in the "Disc" dialog along with a text file that contains all the PQ and subcode info (the cue sheet) with an extension of "cue" 13) If you indicated an app to launch in the "Setup" dialog it will automatically open as soon as the Build Mix completes - and if you use Exact Audio Copy or Sonoris DDP Creator for this the cue sheet will be completely loaded. 14) If you are using Exact Audio Copy open under the "CD-R" menu item "Write CD" and the press enter. Your CD-R will begin burning then. 15) If you are using Exact Audio Copy - to make sure that it will burn any embedded subcodes such as UPC/MCN, ISRC correctly to the CD-R master - in the menu go to: EAC -> EAC Options -> Write -> CD Text options -> make sure both "Upper All Characters" & "include artist in the CD Text title entry" are UNchecked EAC -> Drive Options -> Writer -> make sure both are "drive is able to write UPC/ISRC" & "drive is able to write CD Text" are CHECKED More info on Cue Sheet Syntax (so you can edit all PQ and subcode information contained in the .cue file with a text editor such as NotePad) can be found here.
Information on using the JMS Audioware Cue Sheet Generator (aka "CSG") with SAWStudio digital audio workstations to create Red Book spec compliant CD-R Audio Masters. 1) load the CSG plugin as the very last plug post fader on the output channel you are sending the complete stereo mix to (usually output 1) 2) load your wav files or regions onto the input channels in the multitrack order that you wish them to appear on your CD - with 0:00:00 on the timeline as the start of the audio on your CD. (note: I usually have the CSG set for no PQ offset - so I generally have the audio on the first track start at 6 to 10 smpte frames in so that the very first transient doesn't get possibly muted when played in CD players that have long unmute times.) In general I like to have a different track on a different input channel (so that the tracks “staircase” down) so that it's easier to set up unique settings for each track.) 3) apply any compression, eq, limiting, fx processing, fades, pans, etc. you wish to each track. 4) click the + (“add”) button on the CSG gui at 0:00:00 to create the initial track index id0 5) select "End" in the Track listing on the CSG gui and then place your cursor at the point you want the CD to end (I usually have this a second or 2 after all the audio ends so that the sound of the CD powering down doesn't break peoples concentration in an obnoxious way after the final fade). Hit the "Move" button on the CSG gui and then press "ok" 6) click the "Add" button at every point you want a track ID. In general I try to keep these points at about 200 milliseconds - 300 ms (which you can also figure as 5 to 6 SMPTE (30 non drop) frames (30 frames a second) / OR 15 - 25 CD Frames (75 CD frames a second) prior to the start of the audio in order to make sure that CD players with long unmute times (such as some car players) don't fade up on the start the track when someone clicks forward to the track. 7) If you want to add a "pause" id (where the CD player will start a backwards countdown to the next track id) - click the "Add" button and then hit the "-" key at the point you want the pause id to start. 8) click the "Disc" button to set all the parameters for the image creation. You enter the path or browse to where want the image files saved to. In general I prefer creating a cue sheet with a different wav file for each track (instead of a single wav file) as it allows revisions to be made much quicker. You can enter subcodes such as UPC (12 number barcode # preceded by a 0) or MCN (13 number "media catalog number"), CD Text for Album Title and Artist name in this dialog box. The "PQ Offset" allows you to have a number in milliseconds that the track id's will be automatically pushed backwards in time by. I prefer to keep this at "0" and enter the PQ offsets manually as detailed above. 9) click on each of the track id's listed in the CSG gui's track list and hit the "Edit" buttom to bring up dialog boxes where you can enter the track's CD Text title and ISRC (a code number that you can get from the RIAA to identify each track if you want to). 10) you can use the "Move" or "Kill" buttons to edit the track id's start times or remove them if needed 11) hit the "Setup" button and browse to the cue sheet compatible burning program under "program to launch...". Exact Audio Copy is freeware and works excellent for this. If you need a professional solution, including conversion to the DDP file format (so that you can upload CD-R masters to most replication plants) then Sonoris DDP Creator is also highly recommended. 12) you'll want either to have SAWStudio's dither enabled under the "Multitrack" options in the menu - or better yet - leave this off and use a dither plugin - my favorite is the Sonoris Dither - as the final plugin prior to the CSG. Make sure to leave a little headroom prior to dithering - i.e. the RML Labs Levelizer should be at the most normalizing to 99% or if you use a Limiter with output ceiling noted in dB keep to this -0.1dBFs at maximum. It's been recommended by many ME's to keep output ceiling somewhere around - 0.3dBFs in order to keep the possibility of intersample overmodulations to a minimum so that you don't induce any extra distortion when the CD is played back on a players that have mediocre DAC's. 12) after everything is set as you like it mark the area of the entire CD program length by hitting the "B" at 0:00 and the "E" key at the CSG's "END" point - and then choose under the "Process/Mixdown" menu "Build Mix to FX" - make sure you choose “16 Bits” under the RES option - and then press “Ok” in the dialog box that comes up. This will create 16bit/44.1kHz wav files with all processing changes made to the folder you indicated in the "Disc" dialog along with a text file that contains all the PQ and subcode info (the cue sheet) with an extension of "cue" 13) If you indicated an app to launch in the "Setup" dialog it will automatically open as soon as the Build Mix completes - and if you use Exact Audio Copy or Sonoris DDP Creator for this the cue sheet will be completely loaded. 14) If you are using Exact Audio Copy open under the "CD-R" menu item "Write CD" and the press enter. Your CD-R will begin burning then. 15) If you are using Exact Audio Copy - to make sure that it will burn any embedded subcodes such as UPC/MCN, ISRC correctly to the CD-R master - in the menu go to: EAC -> EAC Options -> Write -> CD Text options -> make sure both "Upper All Characters" & "include artist in the CD Text title entry" are UNchecked EAC -> Drive Options -> Writer -> make sure both are "drive is able to write UPC/ISRC" & "drive is able to write CD Text" are CHECKED More info on Cue Sheet Syntax (so you can edit all PQ and subcode information contained in the .cue file with a text editor such as NotePad) can be found here.
© 2024
Total Sonic Media