Buring audio CD's - what speed? What color?

[cnjvh]

Hey guys,

I've just started purchasing music online at MSN music (you get 256kb .wma files which is decent quality - not Redbook quality I know but that's not really the point of the question).

I'm wondering what the best burn speed is? I've heard it's best not to burn audio above 4x? What do you guys use? Also, I notice blank cd's are varying in color (some are quite dark while others very light). Does it matter? Are dark CD's better? More reflective?

Thanks!!

[cmy330go]

I have always been told the slower the better. I used to burn all my cds at 1x or 2x, however many new drives won't even run that slow. I have one drive now that will only go as low an 12x.

In regards using different cdrs. I'll have to plead ignorance. I have never experimented with that.

My $.02 worth.

Later

[nadams]

I burn as fast as I can on the cheapest media I can find. Usually ritek media. You're doing more harm by using 256kbit than you are by burning too fast.

[cfrizz]

I do it at WMP suggested speed & it doesn't matter what color the disks are.

[cnjvh]

I burn as fast as I can on the cheapest media I can find. Usually ritek media. You're doing more harm by using 256kbit than you are by burning too fast.

So you're saying that the fact that the audio files are 256kbit is enough of a detriment that the burn speed no longer matters? Hmm, I thought that was a good rate so perhaps this is a matter for discussion. What is a good bit rate? What gets closest to lossless?

[mldennison]

So you're saying that the fact that the audio files are 256kbit is enough of a detriment that the burn speed no longer matters? Hmm, I thought that was a good rate so perhaps this is a matter for discussion. What is a good bit rate? What gets closest to lossless?

burning a cd at a faster speed is gonig to cause a small number of bit errors. however, the redbook standard has a number of error detection features which should more than be able to deal with these errors. if you only have one wrong bit in a million, it is not going to screw things up too much.

as for bit rate, not really sure there is a good answer to that, it depends on the type of encoding, the music being encoded and of course the listener. if it sounds good to you...great. you might want to try listening to the same track at 256K and lossless and see if you hear any difference...

[dohcmark8]

Burn speed doesnt really matter these days with most burners being capable of 52x... that is unless you have a crappy burner...

I burn anything and everything at 52x and have never had a problem. Then again I have a decent burner (Lite-On).

But yes, the slower the burn, the better (theoretically) the burn quality will be. Most of it has to do with less jitter at slower speeds.

[Demiurge]

The black (purple) ones are more prone to playablity issues with scratching and such.

.02

[Shizelbs]

If you use quality discs in a quality burner burn at the fastest the discs are rated for. The 1 or 2 bits you miss is inconsequential and nothing compared to all the audio your losing by using the compressed file.

Another note, those speed ratings on discs are there for a reason. You are best to adhere to them, unless you like making coasters. I've tried, and sure enough, the discs don't work, but when I dropped the speed down, voila! It worked.

[billbillw]

Each CD burner has an optimum speed that varies from medium to medium. That optimum will give the lowest jitter and errors. Surprisingly, sometimes the burn quality is better at higher speeds with the newer burners. My experience has found the best burn quality is obtained by using the speed at which your burner does a CAV burn (Constant Angular Velocity), or CLV burn (constant linear velocity). Avoid Z-CLV speeds (zone-constant linear velocity) because the burn stops and starts several times. Cdrinfo.com has detailed tests for many of the most common burners available.

[cnjvh]

Sounds like another case of "try it all and see what sounds best". :-) It seems the concensus is that it doesn't make any difference when compressed files are used since the compression has compromised it already. I tried burning one at 4x and it sounded fine. I'll try it again at 52x and see if I hear any difference. I doubt I will.

I guess there's no site out there that sells uncompressed music? I'm guessing the file size would be crippling to an online service.

Thanks everyone :-)

[Sami]

I wouldn't worry about sound quality as much as burning discs that are unplayable by your CDP. That's why I use the slowest possible speed. Time is not an issue for me.

[billbillw]

Sounds like another case of "try it all and see what sounds best". :-) It seems the concensus is that it doesn't make any difference when compressed files are used since the compression has compromised it already. I tried burning one at 4x and it sounded fine. I'll try it again at 52x and see if I hear any difference. I doubt I will.

I guess there's no site out there that sells uncompressed music? I'm guessing the file size would be crippling to an online service.

Thanks everyone :-)

Chances are, your best burn will be somewhere in between those extremes. 16x and 40x are good on many because they usually correspond to the fastest CLV and CAV speeds respectively.

[cnjvh]

I don't really understand the terms "Constant Angular Velocity" and "constant linear velocity". Is this something that is native to the burner hardware or is this set by the burning s/w? How do I determine it for my system (I use Nero).

Thanks!!

[heiney9]

The key to error free, exact copies is using a great ripping program. I use Exact Audio Copy (EAC) which is free. Most errors are introduced during the ripping stage. I also recommend not having programs running in the background while burning. Trying to browse, play music and such can sometimes cause glitches while burning. However, EAC really is moot point if your burning MP3's. But again use a good ripping program and follow the same guidelines. I assume your question is based on "digi noise" not sound quality. MP3's at any rate are much lower quality than a standard CDA file. So if you're burning MP3's the sound quality is pretty far off Redbook standards.

As far as MP3's and compression schemes, some like variable bit rate algorithim or the Freuhauffer compression algorithim are among of the best. Most "free" MP3 software is very mediocre. The MP3's I make for a portable are @ 320kbps which, IMO are passable for portable use. As an example std. CDA or WAV files (redbook cd's) are 1411 kbps. Quite a difference in bit rate! That means 1091 kbps of information are gone when converting to MP3, and you never get that information back.

H9

[billbillw]

I don't really understand the terms "Constant Angular Velocity" and "constant linear velocity". Is this something that is native to the burner hardware or is this set by the burning s/w? How do I determine it for my system (I use Nero).

Thanks!!

The burn strategy (CAV, CLV, Z-CLV) is actually built into the burner itself. The burning software just selects whatever speed/strategy you tell it to. Try to look up the specs for your burner and it should list all the burning speeds and strategies.

[heiney9]

The burn strategy (CAV, CLV, Z-CLV) is actually built into the burner itself. The burning software just selects whatever speed/strategy you tell it to. Try to look up the specs for your burner and it should list all the burning speeds and strategies.

That's one of the nice things about EAC. When you set it up it optimizes the settings for your particular burner. Maybe there are other ripping programs out there that do this, but I'm only aware of Exact Audio Copy (EAC).

H9

[Danny Tse]

I am from the old school....I burn at the lowest speed on my burner, which is 4X. As for color, I used regular silver-colored CD-Rs. However, I use only Japan-made CD-Rs....like Fuji and Maxell's Audio Pro. I also had good luck with Sony CD-Rs made in Austria.

[beardog03]

I also burn at 4x, and am currently using Memorex Music CD-R

works for me...