PMCD
Encyclopedia
PMCD is a specially formatted, recordable Compact Disc
designed to be sent to a CD pressing plant
for replication. The PreMaster CD format, developed in the early 1990s by the CD-ROM division of Sony
, in cooperation with "START Lab Inc." of Tokyo and Sonic Solutions
, contained a hidden “PreMaster Cue Sheet” that held the metadata needed for replication that a Red Book
-formatted Compact Disc lacks. The PreMaster CD format made use of the fact that not all data-recording surfaces are specified for use in the Red Book or Yellow Book
standards. CD transports were not able to recover the data hidden in the Cue Sheet unless forced to by proprietary software. The Cue Sheet specified a broad range of metadata, including number of channels, per track pre-emphasis status, per track copy protection
bit setting, per track ISRC Codes
, per disc UPC/EAN
, etc.
Despite claims to the contrary, only Sonic Solutions
’ “Sonic System” software was able to generate PreMaster CDs. PMCDs were subsequently obsoleted by the more modern and generalized DDP specification. Several factors led to the decline of the PreMaster CD standard. First, the CD-R mechanisms that were able to read and write the hidden cue sheet metadata went out of production in the late 1990s. Second, only Laser Beam Recorders or LBRs manufactured by Sony
were able to read PMCDs, which limited the formats adoption by replicators.
Many CD replicators now accept regular CD-R
discs in place of true PMCDs, which can be created using specialized Audio CD
pre-mastering software. Unfortunately, CD-Rs formatted as “Audio CDs,” which really are Red Book-formatted Orange Book discs, are not designed for disc replication, only content distribution. The CIRC
error correction used for the audio data on these discs is not as extensive as what is used for CD-ROM
or DVD
formats so, corruption of the audio data during readout due to dirt or mechanical damage could result in total loss of the audio data. Modern, professional pre-mastering software relies on the DDP format, which protects both the audio data and its associated metadata.
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
designed to be sent to a CD pressing plant
CD manufacturing
Compact disc manufacturing is the process by which commercial compact discs are replicated in mass quantities using a master version created from a source recording. This may be either in audio form or data form...
for replication. The PreMaster CD format, developed in the early 1990s by the CD-ROM division of Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, in cooperation with "START Lab Inc." of Tokyo and Sonic Solutions
Sonic Solutions
Sonic Solutions, acquired by Rovi Corporation in 2010, was a computer software company headquartered in Novato, California. In addition to having a number of offices in the U.S., the company also maintained offices in Europe and Asia.-History:...
, contained a hidden “PreMaster Cue Sheet” that held the metadata needed for replication that a Red Book
Red Book (audio CD standard)
Red Book is the standard for audio CDs . It is named after one of the Rainbow Books, a series of books that contain the technical specifications for all CD and CD-ROM formats.The first edition of the Red Book was released in 1980 by Philips and Sony; it was adopted by the Digital Audio Disc...
-formatted Compact Disc lacks. The PreMaster CD format made use of the fact that not all data-recording surfaces are specified for use in the Red Book or Yellow Book
Yellow Book (CD standard)
The Yellow Book is the standard that defines the format of CD-ROMs. The Yellow Book, created by Sony and Philips, was the first extension of the Red Book. It is named after one of a set of color-bound books that contain the technical specifications for all CD and CD-ROM formats.-External links:The...
standards. CD transports were not able to recover the data hidden in the Cue Sheet unless forced to by proprietary software. The Cue Sheet specified a broad range of metadata, including number of channels, per track pre-emphasis status, per track copy protection
Copy protection
Copy protection, also known as content protection, copy obstruction, copy prevention and copy restriction, refer to techniques used for preventing the reproduction of software, films, music, and other media, usually for copyright reasons.- Terminology :Media corporations have always used the term...
bit setting, per track ISRC Codes
International Standard Recording Code
The International Standard Recording Code , defined by ISO 3901, is an international standard code for uniquely identifying sound recordings and music video recordings. IFPI has been appointed by ISO as registration authority for this standard. The ISO technical committee 46, subcommittee 9 is...
, per disc UPC/EAN
European Article Number
An EAN-13 barcode is a 13 digit barcoding standard which is a superset of the original 12-digit Universal Product Code system developed in the United States...
, etc.
Despite claims to the contrary, only Sonic Solutions
Sonic Solutions
Sonic Solutions, acquired by Rovi Corporation in 2010, was a computer software company headquartered in Novato, California. In addition to having a number of offices in the U.S., the company also maintained offices in Europe and Asia.-History:...
’ “Sonic System” software was able to generate PreMaster CDs. PMCDs were subsequently obsoleted by the more modern and generalized DDP specification. Several factors led to the decline of the PreMaster CD standard. First, the CD-R mechanisms that were able to read and write the hidden cue sheet metadata went out of production in the late 1990s. Second, only Laser Beam Recorders or LBRs manufactured by Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
were able to read PMCDs, which limited the formats adoption by replicators.
Many CD replicators now accept regular CD-R
CD-R
A CD-R is a variation of the Compact Disc invented by Philips and Sony. CD-R is a Write Once Read Many optical medium, though the whole disk does not have to be entirely written in the same session....
discs in place of true PMCDs, which can be created using specialized Audio CD
Red Book (audio CD standard)
Red Book is the standard for audio CDs . It is named after one of the Rainbow Books, a series of books that contain the technical specifications for all CD and CD-ROM formats.The first edition of the Red Book was released in 1980 by Philips and Sony; it was adopted by the Digital Audio Disc...
pre-mastering software. Unfortunately, CD-Rs formatted as “Audio CDs,” which really are Red Book-formatted Orange Book discs, are not designed for disc replication, only content distribution. The CIRC
Cross-Interleaved Reed-Solomon Coding
In the compact disc system, cross-interleaved Reed-Solomon code provides error detection and error correction. CIRC adds to every three data bytes one redundant parity byte.-Overview:...
error correction used for the audio data on these discs is not as extensive as what is used for CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
or DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
formats so, corruption of the audio data during readout due to dirt or mechanical damage could result in total loss of the audio data. Modern, professional pre-mastering software relies on the DDP format, which protects both the audio data and its associated metadata.
External links
- "PreMaster CD" and "soundBlade", software from Sonic Studio, are the direct descendants of the original Sonic System from Sonic SolutionsSonic SolutionsSonic Solutions, acquired by Rovi Corporation in 2010, was a computer software company headquartered in Novato, California. In addition to having a number of offices in the U.S., the company also maintained offices in Europe and Asia.-History:...
. - A 1992 technical memorandum provides details concerning the PreMaster Cue Sheet.