CoCrPt/TiCr perpendicular recording media sputter deposited on 230°C SiO2/Si substrates with 2 mTorr argon pressure have strong c-axis vertical orientation. Increasing argon pressure during CoCrPt deposition to 15 mTorr increases particle separation, which improves media signal to noise ratio, but decreases preferred orientation, resulting in poorer high density performance. Improved signal to noise ratio and high density performance are obtained using a 2-layer CoCrPt layer. A 2 mTorr argon pressure CoCrPt nucleation layer poduces strong c-axis orientation that is maintained during continued, particle separating growth at 15 mTorr argon pressure. TiCr underlayers have ∼5 nm particles, poor orientation and are not columnar. Nevertheless, they improve CoCrPt c-axis vertical orientation. Low argon pressure during TiCr deposition maximizes CoCrPt orientation, but particle separation increases with increasing pressure. A TiCr bilayer having a high pressure growth layer followed by a thin low pressure template produces improved improved performance of the subsequent CoCrPt layer.