Burned CD music skipping--multiple culprits possible

[pintree3]

I used ImgBurn to burn some MP3s to a CD. Once burned most skip, with blank bits of silence (they sound perfect on the PC players). Even though the burner was tested to check everything and was used at half its speed. I then, just for testing purposes took those same MP3s and put them through Audacity, did a checksum thing, deleted the first few and last few 'empty' seconds from the MP3 files, added 2 seconds of silence and then converted them to wav--all this to test and see if the skipping would still happened and it did. So is problem the actual CDs, is it my CD/DVD Burner ( a brand new one) Or is it the files themselves? and if the files how can one test such files (and fix them) in order to avoid wasting CDs? thank you
OS: windows 7 Home Prem. 64 bit
Burner: ASUS DRW-24B1ST i

 

[ignatzatsonic]

How much trial and error experimentation can you do---do you have another burning app? Another burner? Another brand of blank CDs to try?

Have you ever successfully burned CDs with Imgburn using this same batch of discs? If so, I'd suspect the new burner, particularly if it seems to happen on a wide variety of songs from various sources.

I've never had a problem with Imgburn and I assume you've successfully used it previously?

You might try CDBurnerXP as it has a good rep too:

CDBurnerXP: Free CD and DVD burning software

I use Taiyo Yuden blanks, which are high quality. Some burners are known to be finicky about what brands of CDs they like.

I tend to burn at 12x or 16x. I've only occasionally had skips and it seemed to be an issue with my playback unit rather than the burn--usually the playback was perfect.

There are mp3 testing apps such as mp3val, but I've never found them to be highly accurate. Sometimes a supposedly bad mp3 will play fine with no apparent defects and sometimes an audibly defective mp3 will pass all tests.

 

[pintree3]

Update to the above: a total of 5 CDs were burned making me think that the burned media may not be the fault. Also, besides using ImgBurn I also decided to try with MediaMonkey. The results being while ImgBurn did manage to burn all music files with most skipping MM produced a multitude of errors however resulting in 6 of the 17 tracks not burnable at all (6 seconds each of dead silence). Those tracks that did make it through, however, were good overall. This would make me believe that -a- the burning software plays a part -b- that maybe the files themselves are OK leaving out my burning hardware. Anyhow, any advice would be appreciated.

 

[pintree3]

ignatzatsonic: I will go out and buy new CDs and see, as well as try the other software you suggested. I also do have a 2nd burner so yeah perhaps I can try that too (just hate the fact of wasting so many CDS from a cost perspective, environmental perspective and time wasted perspective). Too bad "mp3 testing apps such as mp3val" aren't trustworthy.
Thanks BTW

 

[fireberd]

I have a recording studio and an audio CD production facility with a bank of 5 CD/DVD burners and a Primera Bravo SE CD Printer. I use the Taiyo Yuden CD-R's for my production.

For AUDIO CD's (not MP3) my burn speed is "8X". 8X burned discs will play in most all audio CD players without skipping. Above 12X it can be iffy with older audio CD players. Most SATA CD/DVD burners have their lowest burn speed at 16X and this can be a problem with some audio CD players - they will either skip or not play them at all.

For MP3's, which are burned as "Data CD's" (not Audio) the burn speed is not an issue. However, like Audio CD's, use CD-R blanks, not CD-RW.

I use Nero for my burning software. It is not free, but I think there is a 15 day trial version that you can download and use. I use the Nero "BurningROM" application for my Audio and Data CD burning. www.nero.com

 

[pintree3]

Bingo fireberd. We have lift off. The burner being a 52X and the CD media as well I had thought burning at 32X would be good enough. I was wrong (Who me, wrong? It can't be Lesson learned buddy. All tracks play wonderfully. I am grateful to you fireberd and thank you sincerely. Thanks to everyone else for their input as well.

Addendum : May have spoken a little too soon above. Had heard only the first 9 tracks before, and they were all good. In having heard the whole CD the last 3 tracks skip. I will try a yet slower speed (slower than 8X) and see what happens. Thanks again to all.

 

[fireberd]

Usually 8X works for most. However, the bass player in our band has a very old Boombox with a CD player and it will not play 8X reliably. He is the only one I know that has problems with 8X. I've sold my own CD's at concerts and made at least 1000 CD's for others and no one has had a problem, that I know of.

If you have only tried it in one Audio CD Player, try it in a different one. Some of your problems could be the CD Player.

 

[pintree3]

Thanks again fireberd. I don't have a CD player. Say what? Yup, I did it for my 2 sisters and the only place I ended up testing them on is the same 'player' that burned them on my PC. They will let me know if it skips on their CD system or not. Oh! Shoot! I just remembered I have 1 in my car-seeing that I usually play MP3's there I had forgotten about it.

 

[carwiz]

If you have Audacity, load the file and look at the graph and see if there's any skips or clips in that.

 

[pintree3]

Thanks carwiz--if u had looked up u would have noticed I mentioned having used Audacity