Your fav way to burn audio CDs?

For the past decade or so, I have been using my XP machine to burn audio CDs. I want to file that machine under G, and burn my CDs is W7 (64-bit). I think you can use WMP; was never a fan. Would like not to use that, but something else that is reliable. I dont care about speed. I have a Samsung Super Writemaster: CD/DVD basic drive, that seemingly works just fine, despite it being a number of years old. Not sure if it came with sw; if it did I don't have it. I guess I can check Samsung's site, but in the meantime, was wondering what everyone else likes to use. Do you use a 3rd party app, or do you burn audio CDs using W7, using some method other than WMP?

Thanks in advance.

I've used ImgBurn successfully for years.

Unlike some burning apps, you have to make a "playlist" and then burn what's on the playlist. That's an extra step, but no big deal. Use quality blanks (Taiyo Yuden if you can get 'em, usually mail order only) and a modest burn speed--maybe 12x or 16x.

But I've given up on burning disks in the last few months. The only reason I burned them was for car playback. I just bought a new car stereo that can play back mp3s from a USB drive port on the front of the unit. I now have over 14,000 songs on a 64 GB USB drive, so no reason to burn more CDs. The drive cost $39, but it's a one-time expense and saves me the time required to burn.

Hey - thanks guys!

Got my hands on BurnAware Free, and that seems to be ok. Have some testing to do, but initially it seems fine.

If that turns out to not be good, I have some other worthy suggestions up there ^.

Thanks again for the time.

Hi there

"Wot's an Audio CD !!!!".

However not being facetious - a simple way is to use the NERO application to create a an "AUDIO CD Image" from say FLAC / mp3 files and burn to an ISO on HDD rather than a physical one.

Windows 8 plays "Virtual" CD's and DVD's natively - even if your machine doesn't have a physical DVD in it. Windows 7 / XP have several applications that can handle "Virtual CD/DVD's".

I'm not sure now how many people still actually USE a physical CD / DVD player -- there are so many methods now to stream music direct from music folders to remote physical music players now the physical CD IMO isn't long for this world.

I confess to using Torrents to download some CD's --although I buy the CD first if I can -- --the torrent files have already been converted to FLAC or mp3 saving me the trouble of ripping the CD myself. (You can re-create FLAC / MP3 files to audio CD again if you have to).

I only have one portable DVD writer now which I use simply for ripping CD's / DVD's. -- NONE of my computers is physically fitted with a DVD.

Note typical smart phones have decent music players in them too -- and with up to 64GB on an external micro sd card - that's equivalent to approx. 64 * 1000 * 1000 / (640 * 1000) = 640 CD's (or approx. 600 assuming about 500 - 700 mb per disc.

In the car I just use the phone into the AUX in - or even wireless via Bluetooth. Most cars have USB playing capability too now.

I'd try and get away from PHYSICAL CD's -- for archive store as ISO images on HDD if you must.

For LIVE GIGS I still record using a MINIDISC recorder -- works excellently STILL !! and transfer the music via an XP Virtual Machine from which I can then transfer to phone or whatever.

I actually have some old VINYL burning software so I can still make VINYL from the minidisc recordings -- sounds great -- VINYL IMO will STILL be around long after CD's have totally disappeared --but that's another topic BTW. The VINYL burning hard and software runs fine also on an XP Virtual Machine too.

Cheers
jimbo