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Re: File format cd:s?

Subject: Re: File format cd:s?
From: Dan Dugan <>
Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 10:32:27 -0800
=F6rjan rudstedt wrote:

>The question still remains! Modern cd players all manage to play"home"
>burnt cd:s in i.e. wav.

That's where you're confused. You may put .wav
files into your CD burning software, but what
that software puts onto the disc is -not- a
series of .wav files! On the disc is a single
long file that's "red book" format, not .wav.

>*Some* 10 years old or more cd players manage to
>play commercial cd:s but sometimes not  the other ones.

That's right. With very old players, small
differences between the pressed and CDR formats
make them choke on CDRs. But more often, players
refuse to play CDRs because the modulation depth
(the optical contrast between pits and lands) is
too weak for them to read.

>I usually burn
>my records( birdsong) at x 32. Is it possible to try burning the at a
>lower speed i.e. x16 or x 8 and get a better option for playing them
>anywhere?

You are on the right track. I produce CDRs for
dance performance (ballet, modern, ethnic, ice
skating). It's very important that my CDRs play
everywhere, but the industry has been working
against that!

In recent years the speed race in CDR burning has
required the blank manufacturers to make their
dye thinner and thinner to record at higher
speeds. But this means that the modulation is
weaker, and the playability is much less
reliable, no matter what speed you burn at.
Burning slower might help, but the blanks are the
problem.

Unfortunately, they don't make them like they
used to! I have a hoard of "new old stock" CDR
blanks that I can burn at 2x or 4x and get the
commercial modulation level. But you can't buy
them anywhere.

There's one company, Sonic Studios, that's
manufacturing CDR blanks for mastering audio that
look promising. They're expensive but I assume my
clients are willing to pay for a reliable CD.
I've just obtained a small quantity for testing
and I'll report the results.

You can mail me samples of your burned CDRs. I
have a test rig that can read what the modulation
level is. Please mark each with the blank brand
and model no., the name of the burning deck, and
the burning speed. I only need one track.

-Dan Dugan



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