Denon's U.S. optical-media mastering, pressing and manufacturing plant, owned by Denon Digital LLC and located in Madison, Georgia. The plant officially opened for production on April 15, 1987 with 12 presses capable of producing one million CDs per month. By the summer of 1992, Denon was producing nearly 4.5 million discs per month and later that year purchased new equipment increasing capacity to 5 million discs per month. The plant produced titles under the Denon label and custom-pressed CDs for RCA, A&M and other major labels. They also had a licensing branch which may be credited as Denon Digital Industries, Denon Digital Industries, Inc. or Denon Digital Inc. on releases.
In 1994, Denon Digital Industries, the optical-media production arm, and Denon America, the hardware production arm, merged into the new Denon Corp. but each unit continued to operate under the same company name.
In October 2006, Americ Disc acquired the plant and Denon Digital LLC. The plant ceased production in the summer of 2007 and the contents were sold at auction on July 19, 2007.
CDs glass mastered (and possibly pressed) at this plant from April 1987 up to, and for a brief time after, the introduction of SID codes in 1994 can be identified by the following matrix patterns etched or printed into the mirror band around the center hub. The catalog number typically appears on one side of the mirror band with a mm/yy date code and four to six digit alpha-numeric code on the opposite side in the following pattern:
- [Release cat#] mm/yy xxxxxx (e.g. 160332 4/91 1DA1X)
The releases identified by this matrix pattern should receive a “Glass Mastered At” company credit. The catalog number was supplied by the label and should not be entered as a catalog number for Denon. The month/year codes are believed to be glass mastering or production dates and are not reliably transferrable as a released date. The month/year codes changed whenever the moulds were replaced during normal manufacturing cycles. (Discussion is ongoing whether matrices with different dates/years should be grouped as 'variants' (RSG §5.2.c), vs. separating different pressing years into their own Unique Releases).
CDs pressed at this plant after the introduction of SID codes in 1994 will have:
- Mastering SID code IFPI L43*
- Mould SID code IFPI 74**
Releases with the above SID codes should receive a “Pressed By” and/or “Glass Mastered At” company credit. Again, the catalog number was supplied by the label and should not be entered as a catalog number for Denon.
The matrix pattern of these releases may have all or a combination of the following distinguishing characteristics:
- A lone symbol/number/letter/symbol (i.e. *1D*, *1R*, *2D*, ◆5D◆, etc.)
- A lone etched letter/number (i.e. A1, A2, A3, A4, etc.)
- Matrix pattern: (UDxxxxx) [release cat#] #X [the UDxxxxx number was introduced sometime in the mid-2000s]
In 1997, Denon submitted a patent for a CD identified as the “Denon Cool Disc”. The mastering and mould SID codes will be the same as those listed above and CDs produced on the patented Cool Disc technology will have matrix patterns similar to:
- Cool Disc™ by DENON Pat. No. D453.521 5 (UD59390) IMPREC055 1D 8
In 1994, Denon Digital Industries, the optical-media production arm, and Denon America, the hardware production arm, merged into the new Denon Corp. but each unit continued to operate under the same company name.
In October 2006, Americ Disc acquired the plant and Denon Digital LLC. The plant ceased production in the summer of 2007 and the contents were sold at auction on July 19, 2007.
CDs glass mastered (and possibly pressed) at this plant from April 1987 up to, and for a brief time after, the introduction of SID codes in 1994 can be identified by the following matrix patterns etched or printed into the mirror band around the center hub. The catalog number typically appears on one side of the mirror band with a mm/yy date code and four to six digit alpha-numeric code on the opposite side in the following pattern:
- [Release cat#] mm/yy xxxxxx (e.g. 160332 4/91 1DA1X)
The releases identified by this matrix pattern should receive a “Glass Mastered At” company credit. The catalog number was supplied by the label and should not be entered as a catalog number for Denon. The month/year codes are believed to be glass mastering or production dates and are not reliably transferrable as a released date. The month/year codes changed whenever the moulds were replaced during normal manufacturing cycles. (Discussion is ongoing whether matrices with different dates/years should be grouped as 'variants' (RSG §5.2.c), vs. separating different pressing years into their own Unique Releases).
CDs pressed at this plant after the introduction of SID codes in 1994 will have:
- Mastering SID code IFPI L43*
- Mould SID code IFPI 74**
Releases with the above SID codes should receive a “Pressed By” and/or “Glass Mastered At” company credit. Again, the catalog number was supplied by the label and should not be entered as a catalog number for Denon.
The matrix pattern of these releases may have all or a combination of the following distinguishing characteristics:
- A lone symbol/number/letter/symbol (i.e. *1D*, *1R*, *2D*, ◆5D◆, etc.)
- A lone etched letter/number (i.e. A1, A2, A3, A4, etc.)
- Matrix pattern: (UDxxxxx) [release cat#] #X [the UDxxxxx number was introduced sometime in the mid-2000s]
In 1997, Denon submitted a patent for a CD identified as the “Denon Cool Disc”. The mastering and mould SID codes will be the same as those listed above and CDs produced on the patented Cool Disc technology will have matrix patterns similar to:
- Cool Disc™ by DENON Pat. No. D453.521 5 (UD59390) IMPREC055 1D 8
