Preparing your master to send to your vendor is the most important step on the process. A master that is prepared incorrectly can cause delays and playability issues. Correctly prepping the master eliminates any problems that might cause delays. It is crucially important that you test the master in several other players other than one the player it was created on.
With so many cheap brands or media out there, it's important to use a quality brand for the master. After all, the master is what all your other copies are going to be made from. Some of the higher quality brands are Mitsui, Maxell, and Taiyo Yuden. If you're not sure what to use, ask the company doing the project what brand they prefer you use. This will assure you produce a quality master.
Duplication and replication facilities deal with numerous accounts and many different masters. There is nothing worse for them than getting a master that is not identified. It can delay your project. Clearly label your master with your company name and the project name either by using disc labels or markers approved for writing on the surface of the disc. Doing so will save you and the dupe or rep houses headaches down the line.
Testing is the most important step in the whole process. Once you have completed your master, you need to test in several different target media players to assure it behaves as you want it to. Listen for the sound quality, playback speed, etc.. Whatever you see and hear on the master, is going to be what you see and hear on the copies. Some burners produce masters that will only play well on the system they were produced on. This is why it's important to assure your master plays across various systems. Duplication houses don't play them on players; instead they verify the information with bit to bit verification against the master. So, if your master has playability issues, so will your copies.
Following the very basic steps of the producing your master will assure your project goes smoothly. Vendors want to complete your job on time and right so that you will refer more business to them and use them again when you need their services. Take a few extra moments to follow these steps and your project will get done much quicker.
