Solved Your fav way to burn audio CDs?

[riffwraith]

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.

 

[computergeekguy]

Usually when it comes to burning stuff i use "burn aware free". As the name implies it is free. I haven't found something it couldn't do yet. It burns cd dvd bluray ISO and pretty much anything else you could possibly want it to do. It has a drag and drop style system that is nice as well.

Here is a download.
http://fileforum.betanews.com/download/BurnAware_Free/1212419334/2

And also a picture of what it will look like.

 

[Mellon Head]

I use CDBurnerXP for audio/MP3 disks and ImgBurn for ISOs. Both are free, but ImgBurn has some nasty sneakware in the new installer. Both of them work great, though.

CDBurnerXP:
CDBurnerXP: Downloads

ImgBurn:
The Official ImgBurn Website

 

[bigmck]

I have been burning CD's and DVD's for a long time and thought I had no knowledge gaps. My girlfriend is a singer and she wanted me to burn a song for her. I reached for a CD and found I was out of them. So I got a DVD, I was shocked to learn that you can't burn music to a DVD. I still am at a loss as to why. They both have sound on them.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

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.

 

[Phone Man]

I use CDBurnerXP for audio/MP3 disks and ImgBurn for ISOs. Both are free, but ImgBurn has some nasty sneakware in the new installer. Both of them work great, though.

CDBurnerXP:
CDBurnerXP: Downloads

ImgBurn:
The Official ImgBurn Website

If you want CDBurnerXP on the download page click on "More download options" to get versions without Open Candy.




Jim

 

[Mellon Head]

Good point. I had forgotten about Open Candy.

 

[riffwraith]

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.

 

[computergeekguy]

Your Welcome

The program is good --almost everyone on the forum has used it -- it is just the sneaky toolbars and other programs that want to come with the installer that are not so good. I forgot to mention the sneakware but others mentioned it for me. So thank you to all who reminded us.

Sadly almost all free programs come with sneakware now days. Even worse i used to download everything from Cnet and now cnet has started using there pre download downloader that puts sneakware on everything you get from cnet.
That sucks.

So I have mostly tried to get stuff from the manufactures website. Sometimes they just redirect me to a place like sourceforge. Sometimes they still have sneakware but at least there is much less.

 

[jimbo45]

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

 

[strollin]

I have been burning CD's and DVD's for a long time and thought I had no knowledge gaps. My girlfriend is a singer and she wanted me to burn a song for her. I reached for a CD and found I was out of them. So I got a DVD, I was shocked to learn that you can't burn music to a DVD. I still am at a loss as to why. They both have sound on them.

My guess is because audio CDs are meant to be played in CD players found in cars and boomboxes, etc... I've never seen a DVD music player. You could always burn the music file to the DVD as an .mp3 or other music data file.

PS - I'm with jimbo, who burns audio CDs anymore? LOL. I can't remember the last time I burned an audio CD.

 

[computergeekguy]

Well I suppose the cd's and such are just for the old school people like me who just like em....until they get scratched.

I still Play cd's as all my cars are old, about 95. One plays cd one plays tape. WOOOOHOOOO tapes lol!! Wheres my BonJovi

Seriously though, all tapes that i own are backed up as wav via audacity lol. Not that the tapes are no good but im on my last tape recorder and when that goes.....lets just say they better be backed up.


Another question. Someone said that you cant make a music dvd. Why not? I realise no cd player would recognise it but i though that a program like nero could make a juke box cd. I have never tried to make one and perhaps i don't know what im talking about. However it will be a fun research project.

P.s In my humble opinion I like audio formats FLAC and WAV as they are lossless. I dont like mp3 and the such because the compression methods that they use damage the sound quality. I can really hear the difference in the bass in some songs.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there.

You CAN burn Music to DVD (aka soundtracks for films) but you need the PROFESSIONAL AUTHORING DVD software to do it. - For Music though there's no point - FLAC and WAV play from any device - and you can edit the tracks (or tags) with things like MP3tag.

You can RIP say the CD with WINAMP or any software you like to FLAC / WAV (or any other codec you like)- I prefer WINAMP since it uses GRACENOTE to get track info --other software uses different DB's for the track info. For Classical music particularly Gracenote is the best one out there.

Save the tracks to any old folder

Now build up your music library.

Store as files on HDD or even a physical DVD but you'll need standard music applications to play the tracks -- a DVD player won't do it.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[OvenMaster]

I burn audio CDs all the time to play on my big stereo (Yamaha amp and tuner, Marantz CD player, Dual TT, KEF speakers).

My favorite way to burn CDs was with Nero Ultra Suite 6 on XP. Nero cost me $50 at the time but it was worth every cent. I really wish I could get it to work with Win 7.

With Win7 I've tried CDex, Ashampoo, CDBurnerXP, and ImgBurn but I can't find a way to verify a CD audio burn with any of those freebies like I could with Nero 6.