Step-by-Step Guide for Making Your Own Professional Music CD

Materials

1. Blank CDs (clear surface may deliver better results)
2. Jewel Cases (slim or standard)
3. Pre-cut CD Label Stickers
4. Pre-perforated front and Back insert (optional)

Making the CD Label
Pre-cut CD label stickers can usually be found at office supply stores.  Most manufacturers provide free design guidelines and/or tools for making CD labels on their websites.  After you’re done designing the label, print it on a label sticker, peel the label off the sheet and place it on your CD.

Basic information to include on a CD label:

1. Title of the CD
2. Your name and instrument
3. Personal design and/or pictures
4. List of the composers whose works you performed and recorded in this CD (last names only)
5. Time you made the CD for your own records

Making CD Front and Back Inserts
With regular jewel cases, you need to make:

1. 1-to-4- page front insert
2. Spines and back insert

With slim jewel cases, you only need to make a 1-to-4-page insert

Front Insert
Things to include:

1. Page 1 doubles as the front cover of your CD with your name, instrument and CD title
2. Song list with track numbers, titles and composers of the pieces.  If a piece has more than one movement, please list them individually and give different track numbers.  Please include your partners’ names and instruments if it’s a chamber work.  The length of time of each piece is optional.
3. Brief bio
4. Place or recording studio where you recorded the pieces.  Orpheus Academy’s logo is available upon request.​

2. Spines and Back Insert
Things to include:

1. Your name and CD title on both spines
2. Song list with track numbers, titles and composers of the pieces—if you didn’t get to include it in the insert, it’s another good place to do so
3. More pictures

​After you are done designing the back insert, print it out on heavy-duty paper (using pre-perforated cover insert would make the job easier).  Gently pop out the CD tray, fold up both spines, put the back insert in, then gently snap the CD tray back in.