The basic source required for making a CD (whether a CD Audio or a CD ROM) is
the source master. For Audio CDs, we have to have the Cue sheet, with all the
details, that is, the song name, the start time and the duration of each song,
and the sequence in which it will appear on the final CD. The songs are usually
supplied on a DAT. A premastered CD-R will also do for this process. This DAT
or CD-R contains the exact information which is to be put on the final CD Audio
in the sequence which is required on the final CD.
For manufacturing CDROMs, we require a premastered CDR (or a Gold CD as it
commonly called) This contains all the information as required on the final
CDROM.The Gold CD has to be made using the ISO 9660 format or any other format
as required for the final CDROM, so that it can be used directly for the glass
mastering process. Any of the many commercially available software can be used
for this purpose. It should be checked to ensure that the CDR behaves exactly
like the CDROM desired as this is how the final CDROM is going to be! Thus the
CD-R or the DAT tape is called the source master, as this is where the
information for the CD is going to come from.
Once the source master is obtained, it goes to the next process, which is
pre-mastering
