The best way to prepare a track for cd.

[Rassoodocks]

Hi...
i just want some confirmation and some direction here.

I currentley mixdown my projects into a single stereo file, adjust the volume in cakewalk, then mixdown to mp3 then burn to cd.

What i'd like is a wave editor that i can use to check an average volume of my track and also, turn it up or down if the track is to high or low.

I do also know it's better to burn wave's to cd... but nero doesn't/wont burn 24 bit data as audio. So.. does anyone know of a wave converter ?

If i'm doing anything wrong, please let me know. I'd really like to hear a more systematic way to getting it from tracking to cd.

Thanks in advance,
Rory.

 

[Omega]

Well, most any wave editor can convert bit rates, allow you to adjust levels, and view a waveform of a track. Which one is best for you depends what other capabilities you need and how much you want to spend.

The editor I usually recommend to people with problems as yours is Cool Edit Pro. It has a simple layout, costs relatively little ($300), yet is sophisticated enough that you will not outgrow it in the near future. You can also use it for audio tracking to supplement Cakewalk if you desire.

Also, on a slighly unrelated topic, I am not sure whether you are a beginner, so please do not be offended if you are not, but given by what you said, you may want to read some articles about CD mastering before making CDs. For instance, it is typical that you normalize (maximize) the volume of every song on a CD, and, thus, it is unusual that you would "turn it . . . down if the track is too high . . . . " Again, I may just be reading your post incorrectly, but if you are truly a beginner, I think you will find that if you read a little about mastering, you will save a lot of time experimenting and you will ultimately get better results. Try www.sospubs.co.uk and www.johnvestman.com for some invaluable advice.