Japan CDR Acetate 튌 춗瘡 Hamatsuki Lan Studio Tour
Your guide today is Haddon Hall
CD-R Acetate (REPRODUCED FROM AN INDUSTRY TECHNICAL REVIEW) Compact Disc-Recordable - also known as CD-Writable are now often produced by record companies prior to, or instead of, distribution of a ‘finished’ promotional CD. Also known as a CD-R ‘acetate’, they got this name when they first appeared as they were the digital technology equivalent of the metal and lacquer ‘acetate’ discs of the 60’s & 70’s and often distributed without accompanying artwork. These CD-R were first cut in the studio, direct from the master tape and they enabled the artist, producer or record company executive to hear a track away from the studio environment almost straightaway. Hamatsuki Lan’s first sound suite included an Oxford Equalizer, a
Waves S1 Imaging Suite, Waves Renaissance & S1 Stereo Imager plus an L1 Ultramaximizer and his own adapted speciality software and peripherals to edit, process and finally output an audio compilation to a .WAV file or disc which was individually numbered, printed and then boxed. Because of the excessive technology and labour required to output high quality audio with unique art most HL CD editions were produced in ultra limited numbers.
Nowadays the same theory applies, although on CD-R record companies or producers simply play the disc on their own car stereo or personal Walkman then dispose of the gem! Early U.S. CD-R’s were gold in colour, and usually had simple handwritten artist and title information on the disc and sleeve insert, much like the acetates of previous decades. As technology progressed these discs were customised by the studios using them. They subsequently progressed to the silver and blue discs in use today. These almost always have computer printed titles on the ‘label’ side and since duplication techniques have improved they are often a cheaper, and quicker, alternative for record companies to use instead of manufacturing proper compact discs. In extreme cases some CD-R’s may be produced weeks or months before a promotional disc is planned; even before titles, catalogue numbers and release dates have been scheduled. As a result some tracks may be left un-mastered, meaning they have not gone through the final editing process, they could have alternate ‘work-in-progress’ titles or be somehow different to the final mastered version. Generally, however, they are more likely to be used as a simple promotional format in much the same way that the more traditional promotional CDs are.
HL CD-R’s were usually housed in an arty 2CD jewel case with a clever clear display see through window so the artwork disc inside could be viewed without even opening the sealed package. Depending on their intended purpose HL discs were sometimes just 1-track, multiple track albums, full live concert albums including Matinee shows or even multiple four disc quad box sets which showcased two separate nights at the same concert venue. Sometimes a DVD was also included in larger boxes. HL art and CDs always reached significant sums when they turned up in auctions like Yahoo! Japan, Todocoleccion and eBay and have become ever more collectable, early examples have been known to fetch significant sums and change hands for amounts well into three figures. If you find one not already listed on this site or can provide more interesting information about your HL collection please contact us using the form provided.
|
