What Are Multisession CDs?

If you’ve ever wanted to expand medium of compact discs to video, photo, or executable programs, then multisession CDs are the way to go. It’s an excellent way of releasing two formats simultaneously on one disc, and we can take care of the authoring!

Ohbliv - Spirit Medicine

What are Multisession CDs?

Multisession CDs, also known as Enhanced CD, contain two different sections. The first is CD-audio, which is the music that plays when you pop the CD into a CD player. This contains the same Red Book audio standards as your typical CD— stereo 16-bit / 44.1kHz audio files.

The second section is a digital folder which can be accessed by reading the CD on a computer. You will see a disc folder that has digital files, such as video, images, or PDFs.

Enhanced CD multisession

Above is an image of how a multisession CD appears in File Explorer. Enhanced CDs will have a + symbol in the icon. Media players such as VLC or iTunes may open automatically when the disc is inserted based on your computer autoplay settings. To view the data in the folder, right click the icon and click Open.

What can you add to a Multisession CD?

That’s up to you! You can add music videos to your enhanced disc, or an all-access backstage pass video showing the band on the road. Many bands choose to add images or PDFs depicting high-resolution artwork and liner notes. The more computer-savvy artist may even consider programming an interactive executable file.

Are there limitations to Multisession CDs?

A CD holds 700MB of data, and there’s a good chance that a chunk of the disc will be taken up by the audio. If there’s not enough space for every file you’d like to include, you may want to consider compressing larger files like videos or image-heavy PDFs.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you want the experience to be friendly to both Windows and Mac users. For example, Windows users won’t be able to open a DMG, and Mac users won’t be able to open an EXE.

Where can I go to get a Multisession master created for me?

That’s where Duplication.ca comes in! For a small authoring fee we can provide multisession mastering with no additional cost per disc. Not only will we create your master disc, but we also do CD pressing, printing, and packaging. You can get your enhanced CD album pressed and shipped to your door in one simple order.

Our CD pressing page gives you an instant quote so you can mix and match options until you’ve built the perfect album package at the right price. Multisession discs are a custom order, so be sure to mention it in the ‘notes’ section so we can send you an updated quote.

Duplication.ca will ship your pre-orders for you!

Duplication.ca mailing services

Save Time and a Trip to the Post Office

The fun part of running a record label is the curation, design, meeting talented artists, and watching the orders roll in. The not-so-fun-part? Packing boxes and making trips to the post office. Fortunately Duplication.ca has an awesome service exclusive to our clients: Bulk Mail Order & Distribution.

The way it works is that when you place your media duplication order (be it cassette, CD, vinyl, DVD, etc.), you can go ahead and begin taking pre-orders from your fans. Once your order is ready to ship, send us your pre-order list and we’ll ship them out to your individual clients with a tracking number, arriving within 14 days. That way your fans won’t have to wait for you to receive your new album, package them in individual mailers, and make your way to the post office. You’ll have peace of mind that we’re taking care of the heavy lifting, and you can monitor its movement with your tracking number.

Here’s our prices per individual shipment:

Shipping to the United States
12″ Vinyl: $7.25 USD
7″ Vinyl: $7 USD
Cassette: $5.75 USD
CD: $5.75 USD
DVD/Blu-Ray: $6.35 USD

Shipping to Canada
12″ Vinyl: $15.83 CAD
7″ Vinyl: $14.34 CAD
Cassette: $12.69 CAD
CD: $12.69 CAD
DVD/Blu-Ray: $13.44 CAD

All you have to do is let us know that you’d like us to take care of the pre-order shipments when placing a new order. Once your order is complete we’ll contact you and take a tally of all the pre-order purchases you have in queue. We can get your product anywhere in the US or Canada quickly and safely, with a minimum of logistics. Every aspect of the mailing is handled in our warehouse, including mailers, labels, shipping, tracking, and storage. We can also accomodate international orders and bulk mailing to distros/record stores, just send us an email for custom pricing.

Check out our CD Pressing, Cassette Duplication, and Vinyl services at Duplication.ca

Our factory direct CD/DVD manufacturing keep your costs low!

Factory direct CD pressing and printing

Factory direct means no third party involvement and no outsourcing. Duplication.ca keeps costs low to make ordering easier for musicians and clients. Check out our awesome CD duplication and replication packages, as well as our DVD manufacturing services for competitive prices with quick turnaround!

Check out this awesome tour of our printing facilities in Scarborough, Ontario!

CD pressing with dozens of packaging options from Duplication.ca
Dual-layer DVD pressing from Duplication.ca

How to create a DDP master for CD pressing

 

CD replication pressing at Duplication.ca

When sending Duplication.ca or any pressing plant a master for CD replication, the standard format is called a DDP. The DDP is an exact image of an audio disc, meaning that all the information found on that disc (audio, CD-text, ISRC codes, gap lengths, etc.) will appear in the DDP folder.

How do I acquire a DDP folder?

When you send your album to be mastered professionally, the engineer will supply you with a DDP folder for you to use for pressing. It’s important that you or the engineer include a checksum file with the DDP. The checksum is used to verify that all the individual files in the DDP are present and not corrupted in any way. If you plan on adding CD-Text and ISRC codes, they must be embedded before exporting the DDP. It is required that the DDP be created with 16-bit / 44.1kHz lossless audio files.

If you’re mastering the album yourself, some pro audio software can export DDP folders, such as Sonoris DDP Creator and WaveLab.

DDP Player by Steinberg

How do I listen to a DDP folder?

Steinberg has a freeware DDP Player you can download for Mac and Windows.  WaveLab Pro version allows you to burn a CD using the DDP folder, giving you a taste of what the CD will sound like when you receive it from our pressing plant.

How to send us a DDP:

A DDP can be easily uploaded using our FTP server. Make sure to compress the folder beforehand so there’s no need to upload/download loose files. We recommend compressing the DDP as a RAR archive or zip file, as it will verify if any corruption has occurred during the transfer.

Kerry Jane - Romance of Many Dimensions CD pressed by Duplication.ca

That’s it! Now you can focus on how you want to present your album. Perhaps a 4-panel cardboard sleeve, or maybe a classic jewel case with a booklet of liner notes? We have tons of options over at our CD replication calculator. Take a look and receive an instant quote!

FREE SHIPPING ON CD PRESSING ORDERS THIS WEEKEND ONLY

 

Silkscreen, inkjet, and thermal CD and DVD printing at Duplication.ca
Looking to release a new album but worried about shipping costs? Then we have a great deal for you! This weekend we’ll knock off the shipping fees to the United States and Canada when you order CD duplication or replication with cardboard packaging.

Discount expires Sunday June 9th at 11:59 PM. Cannot be combined with any other offer.

All standard shipping to North America is absolutely free, you just have to add one of our awesome cardboard panel packages to your order! If you’re looking for major label quality discs, check out our CD replication calculator for professionally pressed CDs with silkscreen printing. Those needing smaller runs of their albums might want to view our CD duplication page– no minimum order required!

Our cardboard sleeves are printed in-house, meaning a quick turnaround and our meticulous quality assurance standards. Choose your CD jacket style:

'Illicit Paper' 2-panel cardboard sleeve from Duplication.ca

2-PANEL SLEEVES

The light-weight design makes it perfect for bringing on tour and carrying to gigs. Fits a CD and booklet.

Alex Henry Foster 4-panel cardboard sleeve from Duplication.ca

4-PANEL SLEEVES

This package opens like a book, allowing slots for the CD and a booklet. The interior panels are fully printable to add extra artwork and liner notes.

Kerry Jayne 6-panel cardboard sleeve from Duplication.ca

6-PANEL SLEEVES

Ideal for when your album is fully loaded with artwork and information, the 6-panel sleeve unfurls to reveal three fully printable panels on each side.

American clients take note: there are no hidden sales taxes or duty fees attached when ordering through Duplication.ca. So what are you waiting for? You only have a couple of days to put in your order! Take advantage of this awesome offer and get your new album on the merch table.

Click here to receive an instant quote on CD replication

And here to view our CD duplication calculator

50% off Digital Download Cards at Duplication.ca

Why choose between a physical album and a digital release? Have both with our Digital Download Cards!

We’ve slashed the cost of our digital download cards by 50% until the end of June! Take this opportunity to package digital download cards and hosting services with your next physical release, that way no fan is left without a way to listen to and purchase your music. You can even sell the download cards individually from your merch table without the need of a physical release!

Our cards come in two sizes: 4″ x 2″, or 3.5″ x 2″ (standard business card size) printed on thick and durable 14pt cardstock. All you have to do is upload your audio in a compressed folder (ZIP or RAR) with a maximum file size of 500MB. For only $10 you can add custom artwork. Just upload your image using our templates and we’ll add the codes!

Click here to order Digital Download Cards and save 50% until July 1st, 2019!