dachay2tnr
One Hit Wonder
This question seems to get asked on this board quite a lot - what's the best blank CD to use? The following article is from an Adaptec newsletter (the Easy CD Creator people). It seems to mirror my own personal experience on the subject.
"Choosing Blank Media for Music CDs
By Rudy Trubitt
Burning audio CDs has never been easier. But listening to them on different disc players isn't always as simple: will they play, or won't they? Compatibility starts with choosing the right recordable disc...
On a recent stroll through a local mega-warehouse-store, I stumbled upon pallet-loads of blank CDs, stacked to the rafters-enough to convert my giant LP collection several times over. But so many types! Computer grade CD-Rs in 74 minute and 80 minute lengths, rewritable CD-RW discs, and what's this? CD-Rs "For Music!" They cost a bit more, but look: They're "for music!" If I were a true audiophile, I'd spend the extra buck for higher-fidelity sound, right? Wrong!
Let's get this straight: Don't buy "For Music" or "Music Only" blank media to use with Roxio software and your computer-based CD burner. These blank discs aren't specially-formulated for music, nor will they sound better than "data-grade" CD-Rs. But they cost more - up to twice
as much per disc.
"For Music" blanks are just for use with standalone recorders that hook up to your stereo, and the extra cost is a royalty to songwriters for the privilege of copying their CDs. These recorders check the blank CD's "Disc Application Code." If the blank is marked with the "for music" Application Code, recording is allowed. If not, recording is disabled. Computer-based recorders don't care about the "for music" code, so these more expensive blanks are unnecessary. In fact, in some cases they won't work at all.
Having eliminated the "For Music" blanks from our consideration, what's the best bet for making audio CDs that will play everywhere? A good question, because clever readers like you know that sometimes a particular disc, burned on a particular recorder, won't play properly on
a particular player.
These frustrating and seemingly random "incompatibilities" manifest in several ways: You may notice that it takes a long time to "find" the beginning of a song when skipping between tracks. Perhaps the beginning of a tune skips, or the song is joined "already in progress." Sometimes the disc won't even be recognized by the player.
To minimize these headaches, use computer/data grade write-once 74-minute blanks from a reputable manufacturer. Nearly all home, car stereo and portable CD players will play write-once CD-Rs, although you may occasionally find a disc brand and player that don't get along.
How about discs of other lengths? 60-minute blanks are as safe as 74's, although they are increasingly hard to find. Those long-playing 80-minute blanks are another story. The extra six minutes might come in handy when putting together the ultimate party mix for your high-school reunion, but be forewarned: 80-minute blanks are less compatible with older audio CD players.
In the summer of 2000, the standard for recordable CDs, known as the "Orange Book" was revised to include 80-minute blanks. Newer players will handle these discs without complaint, but older players might not be so tolerant. To be safe, stick with 74-minute blanks unless you really need those six extra minutes.
The color of the blank disc's dye layer (green vs. yellow) isn't an indicator of compatibility, nor is the difference between gold and silver reflectors significant. While silver discs are slightly more reflective than gold ones, the 2 percent improvement rarely makes a difference where compatibility with players is concerned. On the other hand, some claim that gold discs may have greater longevity, but if longevity is a big issue for you, look for special archival media brands, of which there are several. A couple years ago I would have urged you to find a brand that works for you and stick with it, but overall compatibility is pretty high these days, thanks to newer burners that optimize their writing to suit the characteristics of the inserted blank.
Next up: CD-RW. Unfortunately, CD-RW blank media is often incompatible with ordinary audio CD players. Only newer players, labeled as "CD-RW-compatible" or "Multi-Read" (see logo) will work with CD-RWs. I suppose I could get worked up over this, but given the low cost of write-once blanks, ditching the more-costly CD-RW media doesn't feel like much of a sacrifice.
Finally, what about listening to your audio CD-Rs in a DVD player? You'd think this would be a no-brainer, since DVD players support mass-produced audio CDs. However, a laser assembly tuned to read DVDs isn't able to make out the marked dye layer sandwiched at the core of a CD-R. Unless your DVD player is labeled "dual-laser," chances are it
won't play your write-once discs. Oddly, you might have a better chance with CD-RW media; the reflectivity character of these discs improves their performance with certain DVD players. If you're buying a DVD player, read the fine print. Most units currently on the market are compatible with CD-R and CD-RW, but sometimes the only way to be sure is to try it out."
"Choosing Blank Media for Music CDs
By Rudy Trubitt
Burning audio CDs has never been easier. But listening to them on different disc players isn't always as simple: will they play, or won't they? Compatibility starts with choosing the right recordable disc...
On a recent stroll through a local mega-warehouse-store, I stumbled upon pallet-loads of blank CDs, stacked to the rafters-enough to convert my giant LP collection several times over. But so many types! Computer grade CD-Rs in 74 minute and 80 minute lengths, rewritable CD-RW discs, and what's this? CD-Rs "For Music!" They cost a bit more, but look: They're "for music!" If I were a true audiophile, I'd spend the extra buck for higher-fidelity sound, right? Wrong!
Let's get this straight: Don't buy "For Music" or "Music Only" blank media to use with Roxio software and your computer-based CD burner. These blank discs aren't specially-formulated for music, nor will they sound better than "data-grade" CD-Rs. But they cost more - up to twice
as much per disc.
"For Music" blanks are just for use with standalone recorders that hook up to your stereo, and the extra cost is a royalty to songwriters for the privilege of copying their CDs. These recorders check the blank CD's "Disc Application Code." If the blank is marked with the "for music" Application Code, recording is allowed. If not, recording is disabled. Computer-based recorders don't care about the "for music" code, so these more expensive blanks are unnecessary. In fact, in some cases they won't work at all.
Having eliminated the "For Music" blanks from our consideration, what's the best bet for making audio CDs that will play everywhere? A good question, because clever readers like you know that sometimes a particular disc, burned on a particular recorder, won't play properly on
a particular player.
These frustrating and seemingly random "incompatibilities" manifest in several ways: You may notice that it takes a long time to "find" the beginning of a song when skipping between tracks. Perhaps the beginning of a tune skips, or the song is joined "already in progress." Sometimes the disc won't even be recognized by the player.
To minimize these headaches, use computer/data grade write-once 74-minute blanks from a reputable manufacturer. Nearly all home, car stereo and portable CD players will play write-once CD-Rs, although you may occasionally find a disc brand and player that don't get along.
How about discs of other lengths? 60-minute blanks are as safe as 74's, although they are increasingly hard to find. Those long-playing 80-minute blanks are another story. The extra six minutes might come in handy when putting together the ultimate party mix for your high-school reunion, but be forewarned: 80-minute blanks are less compatible with older audio CD players.
In the summer of 2000, the standard for recordable CDs, known as the "Orange Book" was revised to include 80-minute blanks. Newer players will handle these discs without complaint, but older players might not be so tolerant. To be safe, stick with 74-minute blanks unless you really need those six extra minutes.
The color of the blank disc's dye layer (green vs. yellow) isn't an indicator of compatibility, nor is the difference between gold and silver reflectors significant. While silver discs are slightly more reflective than gold ones, the 2 percent improvement rarely makes a difference where compatibility with players is concerned. On the other hand, some claim that gold discs may have greater longevity, but if longevity is a big issue for you, look for special archival media brands, of which there are several. A couple years ago I would have urged you to find a brand that works for you and stick with it, but overall compatibility is pretty high these days, thanks to newer burners that optimize their writing to suit the characteristics of the inserted blank.
Next up: CD-RW. Unfortunately, CD-RW blank media is often incompatible with ordinary audio CD players. Only newer players, labeled as "CD-RW-compatible" or "Multi-Read" (see logo) will work with CD-RWs. I suppose I could get worked up over this, but given the low cost of write-once blanks, ditching the more-costly CD-RW media doesn't feel like much of a sacrifice.
Finally, what about listening to your audio CD-Rs in a DVD player? You'd think this would be a no-brainer, since DVD players support mass-produced audio CDs. However, a laser assembly tuned to read DVDs isn't able to make out the marked dye layer sandwiched at the core of a CD-R. Unless your DVD player is labeled "dual-laser," chances are it
won't play your write-once discs. Oddly, you might have a better chance with CD-RW media; the reflectivity character of these discs improves their performance with certain DVD players. If you're buying a DVD player, read the fine print. Most units currently on the market are compatible with CD-R and CD-RW, but sometimes the only way to be sure is to try it out."