Optimal Media GmbH

Pressing plant located in Röbel/Müritz, Germany. CD manufacturing started in 1990, Vinyl in 1995, DVDs in 1999.

Company History

The company Optimal Tonträger Produktionsgesellschaft mbH was founded as a subsidiary of Hamburg based independent media company Edel AG. The plant in Röbel/Müritz opened in 1990. CD manufacturing started in 1990, Vinyl pressing in 1995.

In September 1997 the company was renamed to Optimal Media Production GmbH. DVD manufacturing started in 1999. In 2002 service centers in Berlin and Hamburg were opened, in 2006 a service center in Stockholm, Sweden. The same year a UK branch, optimal media UK Ltd., was founded, in 2009 a branch in Denmark optimal media DK ApS, both without manufacturing.

Since September 2007 VinylDiscs are manufactured in Röbel and also Blu-ray Disc were added to the product range.

In 2011 the company was renamed to Optimal Media GmbH.

Identification

Sometimes the company is directly mentioned on artwork or disc as Optimal Tonträger Produktionsgesellschaft mbH, Optimal Media Production GmbH or Optimal Media GmbH.

• Matrix Identification (CD and optical media)

Dec 1990 to Sep 1997 - Optimal Tonträger Produktionsgesellschaft mbH:
Discs glass mastered in Röbel mostly have "OPTIMAL", "OPTIMAL GERMANY" or "OPTIMAL Production, Germany" printed in the matrix. But there are documented cases when Optimal acted as a broker and such credits appear on discs made by Sonopress in Gütersloh.

There was no specific numbering scheme (until 1997). Usually the label's catalog number was used, often prefixed by 00.

Since 1994 SID codes can be used to identify this plant. (see below)

Oct 1997 to Sep 2011 - Optimal Media Production GmbH:
Mostly there is a company credit in the matrix: manufactured by optimal media production (until approx. 1998/99 sometimes appearing as a logo). Often the credit was omitted, if the production was done for a manufacturing broker, but a characteristic matrix scheme was introduced. (see below)

Oct 2011 to present - Optimal Media GmbH:
The matrix credit was changed to manufactured by optimal media GmbH, but no further changes to the style of the matrix were made. The credit may be missing, if the production was done for a manufacturing broker, but the matrix scheme was continued.

• Matrix Scheme (all media)

CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray Discs, as well as Vinyl records manufactured in Röbel can be identified by a characteristic numbering scheme:

XY#####-ZZ (Single letter format identifier, followed by single character year identifier, followed by a 5 digit numeral code, followed by an appended two digit disc numbering, e.g. B847793-01)

X is the format identifier:
"A" = CDs
"B" = Vinyl records (in 1997 also "I" was used)
"D" = DVDs or Blu-ray Discs

Y is the manufacture year identifier.
For releases manufactured between 1997 and 2009 it is a single number (0 to 9). The numbers 7, 8 and 9 are ambiguous.
For releases manufactured since 2010 it is a single letter (A to Z).
7 = 1997 or 2007
8 = 1998 or 2008
9 = 1999 or 2009
0 = 2000
1 = 2001
2 = 2002
…
A = 2010
B = 2011
C = 2012
D = 2013
E = 2014
F = 2015
G = 2016
H = 2017
I = 2018
J = 2019
K = 2020
L = 2021

ZZ is a 2 digit disc numbering, which starts at "01". On multi disc releases the last digit usually incrementally rises by 1 for each disc. (Example: Disc 1 = 01, Disc 2 = 02, etc.)

Examples:
CD: AB57815-01 manufactured by optimal media GmbH
DVD: DA98810-01 manufactured by optimal media production
Vinyl: BJ78101-01 A1

• SID Codes (optical media)

In 1994 IFPI was implemented:
Discs glass mastered in Röbel have mastering IFPI codes L571, L572, L573, L574, L575, L576, L577 or L578.

The mastering SID denotes a specific laser beam recorder (LBR) used for writing the glass master, each with a characteristic layout for the mastering code. The letters IFPI appear as iƒpi with L571, L572 and L573, as ifpi with L574 and L575 and all upper-case IFPI with L576 to L578. Often the codes appear more than once in the matrix.

There are reported mastering SIDs IFPI L622 (usually CDA Datenträger Albrechts) and LZ09 (usually QOL France), but these discs were probably glass mastered at the respective plants.

Discs pressed in Röbel have assigned SID codes IFPI 97**

• Vinyl identification

• The matrix string of Vinyl records carries the side position along with an additional digit, next to the matrix number (see section • Matrix Scheme above). A company credit is not included.
• The matrix number can be either machine stamped or hand etched.
• Initials of a mastering engineer (see the list below) appear next to the matrix number. If there are no mastering engineer initials present, the mastering / lacquer cutting was done externally.
• Due to the nature of the hand etching, the B (format identifier) might be mistaken for a 3, an 8 or a D. Also, G as the second letter, year identifier, can often be confused with the number 9. The numeral 1 can be mistaken for a 7 and the 5 can be mistaken for a √.
• There are sometimes additional, faintly inscribed "geometric" marks. These are added during plating, and are therefore mirrored. They consist of a digit and a symmetrical symbol such as +, =, △. (e.g. "1=", mirrored)
• In 2020 matrix numeration reached number BK99999, then started with BK00000, not with BK100000.

List of Mastering engineer initials:
- since 1995:
KL
MK
- additionally since 1997:
BK
HL (Heino Leja)
KR
TW (Thorsten Wyk)
- additionally since 2011:
AM
BW
JP (Jörg Peters)
SJ
ST

Example: <'1 ❘' mirrored> BH72422-01 A1 ST

Attention: Do not confuse the Universal Records catalog number scheme with the vinyl matrix scheme of Optimal Media!
Universal Records catalog numbers can be easily distinguished by the zeros after the B:
• Releases until roughly mid 2007: B000####-XX (B followed by three zeroes, followed by 4 digits)
• Releases since 2007: B00#####-XX (B followed by two zeroes, followed by 5 digits)
(-XX is the release format, e.g. "01" for an LP, "02" for a CD, "11" for a 12" vinyl single).