2 sec pause before first track of CD?

WaveLab
1

I sent a DDP file to a client for evaluation before release. They are using the Steinberg DDP player to listen to and check the CD-text, etc.
They asked whether there should be a two-second pause before the first track, in order comply with the CD standard. This made me wonder if I had missed something.
In my case, the first track starts at time point 0 ms, but the actual sound starts approximately 200 ms later, as recommended in Justin Perkins’ excellent workflow walkthrough video. In the DDP player, both the time and the CD time are 00:00 when I start the first track, which starts immediately with no pause before. Should there be a difference there, like a negative countdown from -02:00 or something? My understanding is that if the CD is playable in the DDP player, it is correctly rendered and can be pressed at the CD plant.
Somewhere in the video it says that a 2-second pre-gap is handled automatically by Wavelab, but this doesn’t show in the DDP player. Is this pre-gap added when burning the actual physical CD? Or is it perhaps a thing of the past? Sorry for the newbie questions.
Any recommendations on the best practice regarding the “two-second pause” before the first track would be much appreciated. Thanks!

2

The two-second pre-gap is part of the DDP for sure. However I ignore if the DDP player plays it, but I guess now.
When you play a CD, you don’t hear this pregap. Yet, it is present on the CD.

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3

Thanks for the quick reply. Am I right in assuming that if the DDP is opening and playing in DDP Player, it’s also correctly rendered and ready for production?

4

You can also print a CD report from the Album menu

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5

Yes also check and read back your DDP folder into WaveLab then you know if it’s ready!

File > Import > “DDP folder” > IMAGE.DAT

regards S-EH

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