More Redbook Questions

[vestast]

Hi all.

I've seen this subject come up a few times on different threads in here so I hope this isn't asking the same question over again.

What exactly is Redbook standards ? I've heard it said that you do not want to send out a CD to be mastered that has not been burnt with Redbook standards because not all CD players will play non Redbook cd's.

Is it just a set of protocols for burning to 16/44.1 standard ?

Is the sound quality better than using something like Nero ?

If I buy a Redbook burning program such as Sony CD Architect or Wavelab, will it allow me to burn my tracks with the Track names ? What I mean is when I pop a commercial CD into my CD player on my PC, I get a list of the track names if I play it with Media player or something. Now if I pop in a CD that I burned with Nero, all I see is Track1, Track2 etc....

Thanks for your time and help guys.

 

[masteringhouse]

Hi all.

I've seen this subject come up a few times on different threads in here so I hope this isn't asking the same question over again.

What exactly is Redbook standards ? I've heard it said that you do not want to send out a CD to be mastered that has not been burnt with Redbook standards because not all CD players will play non Redbook cd's.

Is it just a set of protocols for burning to 16/44.1 standard ?

Is the sound quality better than using something like Nero ?

If I buy a Redbook burning program such as Sony CD Architect or Wavelab, will it allow me to burn my tracks with the Track names ? What I mean is when I pop a commercial CD into my CD player on my PC, I get a list of the track names if I play it with Media player or something. Now if I pop in a CD that I burned with Nero, all I see is Track1, Track2 etc....

Thanks for your time and help guys.

Red book standards (introduced by Sony Phillps) describe the layout, codes, and other information that various manufacturers of CD players/burners should adhere to. Without a standard like this there would be beta/VHS type wars between manufacturers on how a CD should be read and created.

There are blue book, orange book, white book, yellow book standards that have to do with things like CD-Enhanced, CD-ROM, and other formats.

The red book standard has nothing to do with sound per se, it's the format of the CD. There are many common instances of breaking the red book standard on commercial releases. Some examples include things like hidden tracks, copy protection mechanisms the recording industry are using, and even going beyond 74 minutes of music. Most current CD players do not have issues with breaking these rules however. CD-Enhanced is yet another example of a non-redbook CD that is fine (it's a blue book).

In regards to track names you are confusing CD text with the CDDB database that Media Player, Itunes, etc. uses. This is an Internet-based database that checks certain characteristics of your CD tracks against those in the database and then gives it's best guess on the names. It's not always correct however.

 

[vestast]

Excellent, thanks for your reply masteringhouse. Makes more sense now.

 

[vestast]

OK one more question.

Which would you recommend for burning redbook ?

Wavelab or Sony CD Architect ?

Any advantages from using one over the other ?

 

[masteringhouse]

OK one more question.

Which would you recommend for burning redbook ?

Wavelab or Sony CD Architect ?

Any advantages from using one over the other ?

I never used Wavelab, but I've seen it used by other MEs so I assume it's good software.

Again, I used the old version of CD Architect and was very happy with the results. I emailed Sonic Foundry when they decided to take it off the market expressing my dissapointment. When they packaged it with Vegas it made no sense to me. I don't think that you can go wrong w/ CD Arch.

Anybody have good/bad experinces w/ Wavelab?

 

[Massive Master]

I'm a long time SFCDA and WL user. Can't say enough good stuff about WaveLab... Way more in-depth than CDA4.

That being said - I haven't had much experience with the new CDA. They keep bugging me to upgrade for $99 or something... I probably should.

John Scrip - www.massivemastering.com

 

[vestast]

This place is awesome. I might have to start an "I love U" thread..

I'm going to see If I can get a demo of either programs to see what they can do.

Thanks again guys.

 

[starch]

From what I am reading, it seems that pretty much all cd software (Nero, EasyCD, NTI, etc) burns 'red-book' standard cd's. Is this correct? If so, what is the advantage of using a cd architect or wavelab over Nero or EasyCD if all you are doing is burning and don't necessarily need the wave editing tools?

 

[Massive Master]

Actually very few software titles burn documented RedBook audio. WaveLab & CD Architect are two that do.

The rest, while "possibly" RedBook compatible... Let's put it this way - I wouldn't trust any of them for my clients. If it's not 100%, it's nothing. If I can't do documented frame-accurate adjustments, I wouldn't count on it.