Order CDs vs. burn my own CD-Rs - a problem of CD player compatibility

[bouldersoundguy]

Sure but if you're troubleshooting going to the lowest speed isn't going to make anything worse.

It might. Optimal is somewhere between maximum and minimum speeds, I suspect not too far below maximum.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Internet forums are littered with countless instances of people asking for CD-R burning help only to come back later and say
"I burned at a lower speed and that worked".

If you chaps have some data about an optimal speed I'll certainly take it but, for now,
our OP is struggling to successfully burn an audio CD so I'll stick 'if you're having issues try burning slower', along with the other suggestions.

Coincidentally I had to burn CDs for someone yesterday. Probably the first time in about 15 years. Maybe more.

I was offered 10x,24x and 48x so I chose 10.

 

[Farview]

Again, there is not one perfect speed. It will depend on the burner, the media, and it still probably won't play on a CD player that was designed before cd-r's came out. I don't think he is having a problem burning the cd, he is more likely having a problem playing a burned cd on an ancient player that won't play cd-r's.

 

[shmaller]

Thanks everyone for the advice and I'm very glad to see how this discussion has grown!

Based on this thread and my own research, I'm now quite skeptical of duplicated CDs of any source, and am only going to fully trust replicated CDs.

I'm really open to any physical media that makes sense, so I make a broader post to weigh the different options available based on popularity and cost:

S

Thread 'Self-releasing physical media: CDs, USB, tapes, vinyl'

Mar 10, 2025

I'm done mixing my album, and in anticipation of my upcoming release, I'm weighing various physical media. Here is a brain-dump on my findings, evaluations, and musings.

Why physical media?​

I want physical media because I think it's important. I'm not content for my album to exist only digitally. Is this in line with how people typically listen to music today? No. Do I care? No.

Here is my list of release options, from most to least popular mode of music consumption, based purely on my own perception:

Digital / streaming release​

I'm planning to release initially on Bandcamp...

• shmaller
• Replies: 9
• Forum: Marketing Your Music / Publicity