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What is the difference between track-at-once and
disc-at-once?
Track-at-once
is when the CD burner writes the disc one track at a time. This creates a gap
in between tracks. This is caused due to the laser turning on and off during the
process. This feature is best used when you know you need gaps in between the
tracks. These gaps are 2 seconds in length.
What does the term "jitter"
mean?
Jitter
is defined as "a time-based error caused when digital samples are
converted back into an analog signal". Audio data consists of the data,
as well as the address information for the audio blocks. When the audio data
is fed into the buffer, the address information is fed into a different part
of the controller. Thus, the data and the address info are seperated. Jitter
comes into play when the two are inaccurately put back together. This glitch
sounds like tiny, repeated clicks. This usually only occurs with adio
extraction. To compensate for this, you will want to use jitter correction
software, which is performed by most digital audio extraction programs.
What is finalizing and what does it
do?
When you burn a CD, you have a choice to either burn the disc as an open
session or a closed session. As an open session, you are able to add to the
disc at a later time. However, open session discs cannot be played on an
audio CD player. For playable audio, you need to close the disc, a process
that is called "Finalizing". Once closed or finalized you cannot
add any more information to the disc. When you finalize, you are creating the
TOC (table of contents) within the
lead in. The lead out is also created, thus closing the disc. You are also
finalizing the disc when you use disc-at-once recording.
Can you copy DTS encoded CDs?
Yes
you can. Writers will copy CDs with DTS encoding the same as they would copy
regular 16 bit stereo audio. But in order to play the CD correctly, you will
need to play them in a player that is hooked up to a DTS receiver. Most DVD players currently will play these discs.
How do you copy tracks from an audio
CD?
This
process is called track extraction. There are burning software titles on the
market that allow you to extract audio from another CD and make a compilation
disc. In this case, you would drag the files from the master CD and drag them
into your burning software. It will also allow you to place the songs in the
order of your choosing. If you do not want to go the computer route, there
are many consumer grade CD burners on the market that allow you to make
compilation discs. You will find these burners at your local electronics
superstore. Remember, these types of recorders only use special CD-R media
that is not duplicatable and tends to cost more. If you are looking for
something a little more professional, contact Microboards at 1-800-646-8881 for more information.
How can I make MP3 files from CD
audio tracks?
You
need to get conversion software or an encoder of some kind. These programs
will allow you to take the files from the master CD, encode them to the
specifications of your choosing, and store them on your hard drive for later
use. If you are going to be posting your music on the Internet, make sure you
use a high quality encoder so your audio will not suffer.
How can I get rid of clicks and
hisses on my CD?
The first step is singling out where the sound came from. Listen to your WAV
files to see if your extraction process could be redone. After that, extract
your audio from the disc you just burned and compare the audio to the WAV
that you have on your hard drive. Also listen to make sure that you are not
clipping the audio. This occurs when the recorded sound level is too high. If
none of these tests work for you, the last place to check is your burning
software itself. You may need to get a newer or updated version of the
software you currently use. Make sure that your CD-R media is certified for
recording at the speed you are trying to record at. Also try playing your CD
in different players to see if the clicks and hisses are still there.
How can I make a CD from my tapes and
records?
The basic idea here is to connect the audio outputs from the tape or record
player to the audio inputs of the CD recorder. If you own a stand-alone CD
recorder, just connect it to the source player using either RCA or 1/4 inch
plugs, whichever you need. If you only have a computer CD burner, you will
need to connect the output of the source player to the audio input jack on
your computer’s soundcard.
With the stand-alone unit, you just hit record on the recorder and play on the
player. Press stop when finished and you’ll have your tape or vinyl
collection on CD. When recording to the computer recorder, you will need to
record to an audio recording software. You can find this type of software in
computer stores or in music stores. Then just hit record in the recording
software and hit play on the player. Remember, you need to make sure your
recording level is loud enough or your CD will be too quiet. If you are in
need of a quality conversion that utilizes sound restoration and the work of
an experienced sound engineer, you should contact a local service bureau that
specializes in audio restoration and conversion.
How can I transfer my DAT to CD?
This
can be done in a similar manner as tapes and records. With a DAT, there are
analog and digital outputs on the back. You will want to connect those
outputs to the inputs of your CD recorder or your sound card in your
computer. If you are using a digital connection like S/PDIF, make sure your
input source has these types of inputs. Higher end sound cards and CD
recorders usually have these types of inputs. If your DAT player is an older
unit that only has audio at 48 kHz, you’ll need to convert the audio to 44.1
kHz for it to play on a CD. This should be done on your computer. Whether you
are transferring the audio in analog or digital format, press record on the
CD recorder or the recording software and press play on the DAT.
Is there a way to put data and audio
on the same disc?
Yes, there are actually 2 ways to do this. The first way is to put the data
on track 1 and put the audio on the rest of the tracks. The other way is to
put the audio in the first section of the disc and the data in the second
section of the disc. For this to work, you need to use CD recording software
that allows you to record the audio disc-at-once, but also allows the disc to
be unfinalized. Then, you add the data in the second section and finalize the
disc.
How can I record audio without the 2-second gap?
You
need to record your disc using the disc-at-once format. This can be selected
within the burning software and it usually asks you right before it starts
the burning process. By using disc-at-once writing, you are writing the disc
as a whole, not per track. If you are using more advanced CD burning software,
you may be able to set your PQ subcodes and designate when each track starts.
You can create a gap at any length or create no gap at all.
How do you record and play MP3 files
onto a CD-R?
Whatever the audio file, it needs to be converted into an uncompressed, red
book standard audio file like a WAV or an AIFF. Only these types of files can
be played on a conventional CD player. Many of the current CD recording
software programs will convert the MP3 to WAV or AIFF for you when you try to
record the MP3s to a disc. However, there are newer devices on the market
that allow you to play MP3’s from a CD-R, not having been converted to WAV or
AIFF. By going this route, you are able to fit much more than 80 minutes of
audio on a disc, though it still has to fit within 700MB. Depending on how
you compress your MP3 files, you can fit up to 99 tracks on a disc.
Will my audio quality suffer by
recording at fast speeds?
To answer this question, there are several factors that need to be addressed.
First, is the CD burner you are using of professional standard? There are
many brands of CD burners on the market, but there are a limited few that
would be considered a quality recorder. These professional standard recorders
include Plextor, Teac, and Sanyo to name a few. The next factor to look at is
what is the quality of the CD-R media you are using? As with recorders, there
are some good manufacturers and there are some bad manufacturers. I recommend
Taiyo Yuden as the best quality piece of media on the market. Some other
notable brands include Mitsui and Verbatim. Assuming you are using a
professional recorder with professional media, there should not be a
noticeable difference in your audio quality. Some have claimed to hear
audible differences between discs burned at lower speeds and those burned.
Many times, this is due to poor quality media, a low-end recorder, or both.
If you have a pair of the greatest ears, along with a tweaked out room, you
may hear a difference between recording speeds. The question to ask is not do
you hear a difference, but will your listeners? Even people with good stereo
systems cannot match an acoustically pleasing mixing room, not to mention a
pair of good ears is hard to come by. For all practical purposes, there will
be no audible difference between 1X and 16X recorded CD-Rs.
How do you create a hidden track?
On a CD, the start of the first track is labeled at “index 00.” The audio
starts at “index 01.” The gap in between these two indices is called the
pre-gap. This pre-gap must be at least 2 seconds in length to make it Red
Book standard. In order to make a hidden track, you need to find burning
software that will allow you to change index times. First, you need to
combine the two songs that will become the hidden track and track 1. This can
be done with any digital audio editing software. Select this “combined” song
to be track 1, setting “index 00” to time zero. Then set “index 01” to a
point right after the “hidden track” is complete. What will happen is when
this disc is played on a CD player, the player will automatically go to
“index 01” which is where the audio is supposed to start. You then will have
to rewind back to listen to the “hidden track.”
Is it possible to record live audio directly to a CD?
Yes,
but you will need the proper equipment to do so. There are products on the
market that allow you to record direct from a powered source like a mixer or
an amplifier. It is not feasible to record direct to CD via your computer.
You would first have to record to some kind of audio recording software, then
save the file as a WAV, then burn it to a disc. If you are looking for a
product that will record audio, Microboards makes a product called the StartREC.
This product allows you to record audio directly from a source like a mixer,
and then burn multiple copies of the finished recording.
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