Windows 7: 4 Frisbees and Counting...

Hello All:

All I want to do is create an Audio CD from some .mp3 files I have.
(15 .mp3 files = 55.9MB)

I have tried ImgBurn, Ashampoo Burning Studio, and BurnAware.

I have tried changing the write speeds to the lowest settings.

It all seems to go well until the end of the burn when every program tells me the Write Failed. That's it- and I don't know why.



I have an IDE Plextor DVD/RW (PX-870A ATA) drive.

Any ideas about settings? Or anything else I should be checking?

TIA!

How long are those mp3 files, not in bytes but in minutes?

Things ro consider... when buring a standard audio CD, the mp3 files must first be converted wav files, the burning programs do this automatically.. at least most of them do. If the mp3s are encoded at a high bit rate the wav files could be quite large... is it possible you're exceeding the size limit for the CD?

The other thing to remember.. although it shouldn't affect the burn, use "Disk At Once".

Ap

Aphelion:

• I will convert them to .wav files manually this time before a burn attempt - good idea?
• How do I figure out the 'time' of a file based on its size?
• When I look at an Audio CD, all I see are .cda files 44 bytes long- what's with that? Track headers?
• I believe 'Disk-At-Once' was the method used.

Thanks for your quick reply! Xmas is coming fast!

First, my other suggestion is to use a different CD medium.

questions...

Yes, any two track editor will convert them upon loading, like the free Audacity.. (use the beta, it's solid and for Win-7)

The time of the cannot be based on the size unless you know the encoding bit rate. A file encoded at 128kbps and a file encoded at 384kpbs will have the same time (length) but the mp3 encoded at 384 will be larger and of better quality.

.cda files are pointers to the wav files which you will not see.. (by design).

Ap

OK- I'll get Audacity. Have been meaning to try it for a while now anyways.

As for the medium, I just bought a 10-pack of Maxell CD-R's for this purpose. I've 'coastered' 4 of them; and 6 more is all I have

I'll give Audacity a try.

If you see a lot of Crying-Faces in my next post, you'll know what happened...

I will try to make a note of all settings and results in case it will help narrow it down for you.

Thanks for the info...

I'm so nervous about making another Coaster that I wanted to check a setting with you before I started.

You'll notice that is says "32-bit float"; should this be changed to 16-bit PCM before the export?
The manual says something about 16-bit & 44100Hz settings...



TIA...

Yes, for saving use 16-bit, 44.1!

Do any of the programs you're using to burn show how much room is left on the CD as you add files.

Burning at 8x is usually safe.

Ap

p.s. What I meant by different medium was using another manufacturers CD
although Maxells are usually compatible with most everything.

ImgBurn showed about 80% used with all 15 tracks.

ImgBurn won't let me burn to these particular discs slower than 16x (16x, 24x, 32x, 48x are my options).

I'm going to try exporting these files to .wav format, play them, and if they sound OK, I'll try to burn another disc.

Shee! I haven't been this nervous about anything since I had a drive crash on me one time long ago

If I wasn't so short on discs, it wouldn't matter so much.

Thanks... will get back to ya...

This is an exerpt from the Audacity manual:


Common Pitfalls

• Wrong sample rate. Most CD-burning software expects all files to be at 44100 Hz.
• 2-second gap added to the end of each track. Your CD-burning software may provide an option to remove this gap (if you need to produce "gapless" CDs).
• Unsupported formats. Some CD-burning software does not support compressed formats such as MP3, Ogg, or M4A/AAC.

2-second gap: ImgBurn allows for adding a gap. Should I be setting that? Or leave it at default setting of zero?

That depends on if you have any tails in your audio files, some folks leave a bit of silence at the end of each file.

Looking at the pic you posted I would say YES, add the 2 second gap.

Ap

p.s. ALL standard audio CDs, are 16-bit at 44.1kHz, it's called the "Red Book" standard.