User Manual HOFA CD-Burn.DDP.Master (App) HOFA CD-Burn.DDP.Master PRO (App) V2.5.4 Content Introduction

User Manual
HOFA CD-Burn.DDP.Master (App)
HOFA CD-Burn.DDP.Master PRO (App)
V2.5.4

Content

Introduction

HOFA CD-Burn.DDP.Master is a software for the easy creation of Audio CD premasters as a burned CD or as a DDP image. Furthermore, the projects can also be used for other destination media like vinyl records or online distribution platforms.

There are two versions of this App: "CD-Burn.DDP.Master" and "CD- Burn.DDP.Master PRO".

Some features are only available in the PRO version. These differences are always mentioned where they apply in this manual.

Quick Start

For anyone who does not like to read manuals, here is a quick start guide how to create a project in HOFA CD-Burn.DDP.Master (App).

– Start HOFA CD-Burn.DDP.Master (App). – Drop the desired audio files into the editor window. – Edit all clips and markers as required. – Use the integrated plugins to edit your audio material as desired. – Define the sides for vinyl records (optional). – Enter UPC/EAN and ISRC codes (optional). – Enter CD-Text information (optional). – Burn a CD or export a DDP image or audio files in the desired format.

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Installation

To install CD-Burn.DDP.Master (App), you will need the HOFA-Plugins Manager which you can download here:

https://hofa-plugins.de/en/download

The HOFA-Plugins Manager also allows installing all further products by HOFA- Plugins which you can test for 14 days if you are interested.

Select "Install" in the field "CD-Burn.DDP.Master (App)". All plugins that can be used in CD-Burn.DDP.Master for free will automatically be selected as well. By clicking "INSTALL" or "APPLY CHANGES" at the bottom, the latest version of the software will be downloaded and installed to your computer.

Activation

The license activation of the software is done using the HOFA-Plugins Manager as well. A detailed description of the activation and deactivation process is available here:

https://hofa-plugins.de/media/HOFA_Plugins/manuals/Activation- Deactivation_en.pdf.

Evaluation version

If you have not yet purchased the product, you can test it for 14 days. Click on "Start Demo" to start that 14-day period. Please use the demo period before buying to make sure that CD-Burn.DDP.Master (App) is compatible with your CD writer. As a limitation the creation of DDP images is not possible without a license.

During the demo period you can choose each time if you want to test the standard version or the PRO version. If you already own a standard license, you can test the PRO features as well.

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Project window

When starting the application for the first time, you will see an empty project window which is named "New Project" in its tab.

Further projects can be opened in additional tabs from the File menu or by Drag'n'Drop of a .hofacd project file, a .cue playlist or a DDP image folder. All tabs will be re-opened when the app is launched the next time.

The project window consists of 3 parts. On top you can see the track list, which will show all track markers for the CD project and is used to edit all additional information like ISRC or CD-Text. Below that you can find the control panel and the audio editor with the plugin panels to the sides. The division between list and audio editor can be adjusted by moving the control panel up or down.

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Audio file import and formats

To fill the new project, just drop any audio file into the audio editor. Or you can choose "Import audio file" from the "Import” section of the File menu or from the context menu of the audio editor.

Generally the file formats .wav, .aiff, .flac, .mp3, .ogg and .wma are supported for import. Due to quality reasons we strongly recommend to use only the lossless formats .wav, .aiff or .flac for the creation of your Master.

All audio files used in a project need to have the same sample rate. That project sample rate can be chosen in the toolbar at the upper right corner. When trying to import files that have a different sample rate, they will be converted to the project sample rate using a resolution of 32 bit (float). The original files will not be overwritten.

If your project is only intended for the creation of a CD-A or an appropriate DDP image, it would make sense to use the target sample rate of 44.1 kHz as the project sample rate. In case you also want to use your project for other destination media like vinyl records or online channels as well, the (optimally higher) sample rate of your original audio files is the best choice. In that case a conversion to 44.1 kHz is only done when burning a CD or exporting a DDP image, but for the export of audio files you still can choose a higher rate.

In the PRO version, the sample rate conversion can also be performed using an external tool. Furthermore, the PRO version can handle multiple sample rates inside one project. This makes it possible to switch the project sample rate between all rates that have already been used, without any further conversions.

In the Import Settings you will find different options what should be done if mono files are being imported. You can select if you want to put it on the left, the right or both channels. If there are two mono files that belong together, you could import them as a stereo pair. This is the case if they are in the same folder, have the same format and length and have the same filenames with a trailing "L” for the left and "R” for the right channel (e.g. "TrackL.wav” and "TrackR.wav”). As a stereo pair they are handled like one stereo file in the audio editor.

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The Audio Editor

Let's now have a look at the audio editor. For each imported audio file, a waveform clip and corresponding track markers are created. So normally a clip is according to one CD track. But the clips can also be edited completely independent of the CD track markers if required. It is possible to add track start markers to a continuous audio clip to split it into several CD tracks. Or you can combine multiple clips to become one track on the CD.

If the audio file was dragged behind the end of the CD project, the clip is appended to the end with the distance defined as Default pause in the Global Settings. A track start marker in front and a track end marker at the end of each clip are created. The distances of these markers can also be defined in the Global Settings under Marker distances.

If the file is dropped before the end of the CD, the clip is placed exactly to that mouse position. In this case, markers are only generated if no other clip is already there. By dropping a file onto an existing clip, the clip will be replaced by the new file and all following clips and markers are moved accordingly if necessary.

By pressing the delete key, all selected clips and related markers are removed. When also holding the shift key, only the clips are removed and the markers remain. By holding Ctrl/Cmd^*, the clips and markers are deleted and the gaps that arise are closed, as far as possible and reasonable.

If you move the clips so that they are overlapping, a crossfade will automatically be done between them. If they are on different tracks in the editor, they will be mixed without crossfade. Especially if you are using cross fades, you should pay attention to find a reasonable position for any track start marker in this area.

Audio Editor Tracks

By default a new project always contains two Audio-Editor-Tracks. Using the "+" button you can add as many tracks as you like. With the trash icon button they are deleted again. You can modify the track order by moving them vertically. All these functions are also available in the context menu.

When pressing the "M" (Mute) button, all clips on this track are muted. The "S" (Solo) button will mute the clips on all the other tracks.

For simple projects where you only want to place some already mastered

* Ctrl on Windows / Cmd on macOS

8tracks into the right order and create a CD or an image from that, it can be sufficient to use one Audio-Editor-Track only. There are two situations where you will need to use multiple Audio-Editor-Tracks:

I clips are overlapping, a crossfade will automatically be done between them. If you do not want to have a crossfade, you will need to place the clips on two different tracks.

You can use different plugins on each Audio-Editor-Track. For further details please refer to chapter Using Plugins.

Audio Editor Mode

There are two modes in the audio editor: "Insert" and "Slide". You can toggle between these modes in the toolbar or switch temporarily using the "Alt" key. The mode determines what happens when you select and move clips with the mouse.

Mode: Insert

In this mode the CD tracks that belong to the selected audio clips can be inserted between two other CD tracks. This allows an easy modification of the CD track order.

Mode: Slide

This mode allows moving the clips on the time axis, e.g. to adjust the length of pauses. If you select a clip in this mode, all following clips are selected as well. All CD track markers that belong to the clips are moved with them. By holding the Shift or the Ctrl/Cmd^*key you can also move single clips without moving the markers.

In this mode, the additional "Snap" button is revealed in the toolbar. If this button is enabled, the movement of clips will "magnetically" snap to certain positions. This happens when a clip touches its neighbor clip, if the distance to the neighbor clip matches the current default pause or if a track start marker reaches its neighbor pregap marker. Movement is generally blocked if other track markers are in the way.

* Ctrl on Windows / Cmd on macOS

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Audio Clips

While moving the mouse over a clip, the shape of the mouse pointer will vary. This is associated with the following functions:

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1. In the time bar you can set the orange marker for the current playback position. By moving the mouse up/down while the button is pressed, you can also zoom in/out here. A double click into the time bar will start playback.

2. At the borders, the beginning and end of a clip can be adjusted. 3. Here you can move a marker independent of the clip border. The movement is only possible up to the neighbor markers or as far as the red book will allow this.

4. The horizontal line is a level slider for the clip. A double click will reset the volume to the original value of the audio file.

5. By moving the square, you can modify the fade in and out times. A right click will change the shape of the fading curve. Modifying the times of crossfades is not possible.

6. The level of the clip is displayed in dB here. A click on this label will allow entering the level in dB as a number.

A click on the file name of the clip will open the path in a Windows Explorer / macOS Finder window.

A right click on a clip will open a context menu with the following functions:
– Mute/Unmute: Mute/unmute clip. – Reset Level: Resets the clip level to the original value of the audio file. – Copy: Copies a clip to the clipboard.

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– Delete selected clip and related markers: Removes a clip and all markers associated with it.

– Delete selected clips only: Removes a clip while all markers remain unchanged.

– Delete selected clip and related markers and close gap: Removes a clip and all markers associated with it. The gaps that arise are closed, as far as possible and reasonable.

– Slice Clip at Playback Position Pointer: Slices the clip at the current playback position (of course only when it is inside the clip).

– Slice Clip and Add Track Start Marker: Slices the clip at the current playback position and adds a track start marker there (using the Marker Distance "Before Track” defined in the Global Settings).

– Move Up/Down One Track: Moves the clip to the upper or lower neighbor audio editor track.

– Show Audio File in Windows Explorer/Finder: This will open a Windows
Explorer or macOS Finder window and show the path where the audio file used in this clip is stored.

– Replace Audio File: Use a different audio file for the clip.

A right click outside a clip will open a context menu with the following functions:

– Paste: Inserts the copied clips at the current playback position pointer. – Import Audio Files: Inserts a new clip to the project. If the mouse is before the current end of the CD, the clip will be inserted at the mouse position. If it is behind, the clip will be added to the end of the CD.