Master Tape Preparation For DAT Transfer to CD

 Drawing of 3 Microphones

  1. DAT tapes should be recorded at the sampling rate of 44.1KHz which is the industry standard for recording CDs. However, if it is recorded at 48KHz, we will convert the sample rate for you.
  2. Make sure your levels do not peak beyond zero (0). In the digital domain, levels beyond 0 result in silence (not golden) or distortion (hurts the ears).
  3. Your DAT Original should be recorded exactly as you want your CD duplicated. The DAT Master Tape will be treated as the complete Master Recording and will be duplicated for song order, timing, track ID placement and levels. Listen to your DAT Master Tape and the copy you send for production to make sure they are correct, accurate and sound the way you want them to sound. You are responsible for verifying that your DAT Master Tape is of good quality and recorded at proper levels without dropouts or distortion.
  4. Each original tape should be accompanied by a complete and accurate cue sheet providing the following information:
    • Total tracks
    • Total time
    • Song title for each track
    • Start time of each track
  5. The cue sheet should specify any non-musical material (tones, codes, etc.) that you want recorded. We normally will not record any tones or codes unless specified on your order.
  6. Provide at least 30 seconds of silent Pre-roll and Post-roll recorded with inputs set at minimum at the beginning and end of your DAT Master Tape. Include this time on your cue sheet.
  7. Provide adequate spacing between songs - three to five seconds. If you are fading between songs or have less time between songs, provide complete and accurate information on your cue sheet and be sure the next track number/program ID is where you want it to be.
  8. Each program must be a minimum of 20 seconds to allow for track IDs.
  9. Please be sure your songs are in the correct order and correspond to the cue sheet
  10. Test tones are required for analog originals. If they are on your DAT tape, be sure to tell us whether you want them on your CD or not.
  11. For analog tapes (cassette, reel to reel), specify type of tape (normal, chrome, metal) and type of noise reduction (none, Dolby B, Dolby C).
  12. MAKE AT LEAST ONE SAFETY COPY OF YOUR ORIGINAL.
    Here is a form (Cue sheet) for providing the above information.
    • Click on CD/DAT RECORD FORM
    • Print the screen.
    • Use the Back button in your browser to return to this page.

    CD/DAT RECORD FORM/Cue Sheet
         The CD/DAT Record Form is provided via a .txt file created in Windows notepad. By following the directions above you should get a form which is perfect for documenting your CD/DAT project. If not you'll at least get the idea of what we need from you. Or you can contact us and we will send you an "official" form or create your own, being careful to include the essential information. 
    46 Productions
42W557 Hawk Circle
St. Charles, IL 60175
(630)-365-5003
(800)-850-5423
    Email: 46pro@46p.com

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