Burning software had many options, one or them was/is to burn at low speeds, down to 1x. The most crucial stuff was to be burned at such slow speeds
Cutting at such a low speed is not recommended for modern CDRs. I don't really know if there is excessive burning of that metallized layer, or some other problem. The optimum speed for each disk must be found. Some burning programs do not have an option for low speeds.
AFAIK optimization of the burning algorithm at the possible speeds normally is a matter for the (updated) firmware.
Now i understand what you meant.
Yes i can agree with you.
As i said, i also like analog better.
However, tapes have always had their problems.
If i understand correctly, the user's intention is to transfer music from tape to CD, so he already has the tapes.
If the Tascam is a combo, i assume it is MC+CD, or maybe we are talking about reels?
I have used AZOs too, decent discs.
But for a good result you also need a good program and low speeds.
With recent discs and programs it is more difficult to get low speeds.
@Gioba my idea was to send a message that all the hobbies are equally good as long as they provide joy. And that source of "joy" has to be reliable! In this case - it is not. Just not. You simply cannot make even with huge effort from your side some random CD player to play/record some random CD-R(W) disc, that period of recordable discs was out of necessity, USB sticks put that media to grave. It is not like with analog media, when you hear small scratches or hear some coloring in signal path when using different cartridge/phono/preamp or whatever. CD are are fully digital media, which just works or not, like on/off switch, without the 16.7million color selection on your behalf. Recordable discs had very big "does not work at all" share.
Honestly, i don't have much experience with CD burning, so i absolutely believe your words.
Analog is a different world, i prefer it in many ways.
Today, perhaps more complex.
But digital disc has also had a great diffusion, so there must be a reason.
I think that CD reproduction and burning is directly proportional to the quality of the media, devices and software, and that as always good things cost a lot.
Everything else is a game, some users do it first, others come later.
USB sticks are another step in the digital domain, in which i don't have much experience, but i'm not sure that it has put the CD in the grave.
SSDs are more reliable, but there is more than one preference factor..
Analog is a different world, i prefer it in many ways.
Today, perhaps more complex.
But digital disc has also had a great diffusion, so there must be a reason.
I think that CD reproduction and burning is directly proportional to the quality of the media, devices and software, and that as always good things cost a lot.
Everything else is a game, some users do it first, others come later.
USB sticks are another step in the digital domain, in which i don't have much experience, but i'm not sure that it has put the CD in the grave.
SSDs are more reliable, but there is more than one preference factor..
Been awhile.
I used some pretty cheap CD's in the day, Never had playback issues.
Im trying to recap the special tricks used since it was maximized using software with computer burners.
If your just doing stereo recordings. Think moving up to a soundcard and much much higher resolution with a computer
would be a huge improvement. Specially now since Full Duplex soundcards are rather affordable compared to 20 years ago.
I used some pretty cheap CD's in the day, Never had playback issues.
Im trying to recap the special tricks used since it was maximized using software with computer burners.
If your just doing stereo recordings. Think moving up to a soundcard and much much higher resolution with a computer
would be a huge improvement. Specially now since Full Duplex soundcards are rather affordable compared to 20 years ago.
If someone really wants to fire for some CDR, sacrifice a few pieces at various cutting speeds (4X, 8X 16X), adopt what gives a good result and that's it for that type of CDR. Avoid the lowest and highest speeds. Everything depends on the CDR, the cutter itself and the software.
My burner program allows dialing the speed down to 10X, no further. I use it to burn CDs from cassettes dumped to my computer via a MOTU audio interface. Sometimes the discs work perfectly, sometimes you get a track that hangs... I use Staples CDRs, as they have a white surface I can use to label the disc. I usually use metallic Sharpies for this purpose, as they have a solvent that doesn't interact with the recording layer.
These days you don't have to pay megabucks for a CD burner that can handle high speeds. I remember back in the day paying 300 bucks for an HP CD burner that could only handle 2X. Now days, I get by with an Asus USB-powered burner that cost me 25 dollars.
These days you don't have to pay megabucks for a CD burner that can handle high speeds. I remember back in the day paying 300 bucks for an HP CD burner that could only handle 2X. Now days, I get by with an Asus USB-powered burner that cost me 25 dollars.
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DVD burner is about same price.
Here Samsung and LG, and OEM pulls were sold (removed from new data center machines).
Blank DVD is easier to get than blank CD, almost same price, and CD are usually bad to average quality.
Best go for USB stick or HDD as storage.
Playback, many options, including DAC, as the CD players are also obsolete now, so are DVD.
I used a software called Nero, came free with the DVD burners, and may be free download.
It allows partial burning, so you can write to the disk at different times, some other programs do not allow it.
The extreme heat in India can cause disks to warp, for me stick is way bettter option, 64 GB means >12,000 MP3 tracks at 5MB average...can use on many devices as well.
Here Samsung and LG, and OEM pulls were sold (removed from new data center machines).
Blank DVD is easier to get than blank CD, almost same price, and CD are usually bad to average quality.
Best go for USB stick or HDD as storage.
Playback, many options, including DAC, as the CD players are also obsolete now, so are DVD.
I used a software called Nero, came free with the DVD burners, and may be free download.
It allows partial burning, so you can write to the disk at different times, some other programs do not allow it.
The extreme heat in India can cause disks to warp, for me stick is way bettter option, 64 GB means >12,000 MP3 tracks at 5MB average...can use on many devices as well.
From what I've read, many CDRs today are designed to cut at higher speeds, 24X and above. The question is whether it will perform well at lower speeds, especially at 4X or lower. During burning, the laser makes small bumps on the metallized layer. If this is not done correctly, there will be a lot of problems with reproduction. In addition, the quality of various discs is uneven, so it has to be tried as I said, and avoid very slow speeds with modern discs.
As I recall when I used it, CDBurnerXP allowed all cutting speeds, and it is free software.
I have a lot of CDs from those old days, and I like to listen to them from time to time. My DVD player reads all those problematic CDs much better than a CD player. That's why it serves me instead of a CD player as a transport for the DAC. SPDIF digital output to DAC, and quality music is there. The only downside is that the DVD player is slower to load discs until it figures out what's inserted. After that, everything goes quickly.
As I recall when I used it, CDBurnerXP allowed all cutting speeds, and it is free software.
I have a lot of CDs from those old days, and I like to listen to them from time to time. My DVD player reads all those problematic CDs much better than a CD player. That's why it serves me instead of a CD player as a transport for the DAC. SPDIF digital output to DAC, and quality music is there. The only downside is that the DVD player is slower to load discs until it figures out what's inserted. After that, everything goes quickly.
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That's exactly what i meant when i said that the CD is not dead.
I use this system me too, because it gives a leap in quality.
The separate D/A converter (for me vintage only) is the alternative to high-end and expensive playback devices.
You can also do it with USB sticks so the support is more reliable, but i imagine that more logic is needed to manage many more files and larger displays.
I don't know, i think this but i haven't experience with files on USB, i tried this convenience a few times on a car source but the display was too small and searching for songs was complicated.
With medium-low range home players reading sticks is almost impossible, i gave up.
Maybe this support is more reliable than the CD but it's also more recent, this means that the majority of USB players are made in China, therefore less reliable in my opinion, especially if they are in the low range.
There are several factors to consider.
I have built several DACs with USB, SPDIF and Toslink inputs. I mostly listen to FLAC files from HDD using PC and USB connection. It gives me the best results, and I love watching historical videos of concerts and other music videos on YouTube. Compared to everything else, it is the most comfortable for me to use.
I agree with everything, a good system.
And building a DAC yourself is definitely a quality goal.
I purchased a Plextor (second hand, cheap) especially for writing audio CDs. I write with the burning function of Exact Audio Copy.
If you ever decide, this is simple and sounds very good. Much better than any factory DAC for the same money. My recommendation is AD1862 + AK4118 SPDIF receiver + Amanero USB/I2S board. AD1862 is a true Vintage multibit DAC (20bit). It can also be only AD1862 + Amanero as USB only DAC, or AD1862 + AK4118 as SPDIF/TOSLINK DAC only (for those who like to burn CDRs.).
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I have good memories of Plextor.
With Pioneer i think it was among the best in the budget range.
Unfortunately it is material from the old days.
EAC is a good program for burning but especially for ripping, if my memories do not deceive me.
Nero among the best, very versatile, as wrenchone says.
The best was said to be CloneCD (icon with the sheep), but the settings were not very versatile.
And the program was not free.