Burning audio CD-Rs with a DVD-burner

[RDK]

I'm in the process of setting up my new computer, which instead of the standard CD-burner that I had before comes with a DVD-burner (that also handles CDRs of course). I've been burning at a max speed of 4X for over two years now with no problems so i was looking forward to the higher 16X burning speed. And man is it nice to burn an 80-minute disc in about 5 minutes!

However... I'm discovering that the CDRs I'm burning at 16X with the DVD burner don't always read in my primary Cambridge CD player (which had no problem reading CDrs previously). The 16X discs read okay in at least two other cheaper players (one a boombox), but not in the Cambridge. I tried reburning at 8X with somewhat better results. The Cambridge at least "found" the disc and played a couple of the tracks, but had trouble playing other cuts. Again, no problem in the boombox player. I haven't yet tried using the DVD-burner to record at slower speeds, but I was really hoping to take advantage of the higher speeds available.

So my question is, is the problem that I'm experiencing likely caused by a) burning at too high a speed, b) burning CDRs with a DVD-burner, or c) a specific problem with the laser in the Cambridge CDP? Would this have something to do with the "strength" of the burning laser - maybe the DVD-burner doesn't burn as "deep," making the discs more difficult to read in some players? Or is it not recommended in general to use a DVD burner to burn audio discs?

Now that I have a faster computer that can better handle it, I'd really like to burn discs faster than 4X, so the problems I'm having with the DVD burner are discouraging. Any suggestions, or shoukd i simply buy another, faster CD-only burner?

Ray

[Claviusb]

What burner do you have, Ray?

[-=Rudy=-]

I just wrestled with this over the past weekend at the computer show--I really want to get a DVD burner, but I have two issues with DVD burners right now: 1) the possibility that it won't burn good CDs; 2) I'm waiting for the DVD formats to settle down and standardize somewhat.

I may go with SCSI--I DO NOT trust the IDE interface. Serial ATA has promise, but I think I can only hook up two S-ATA drives to my motherboard at one time. And one of those is going to be a hard drive.

I have no problem owning both CD and DVD burners. But if the DVD burner works well, then I really wouldn't need to mess around with a separate CD burner.

[RDK]

Robert, I'll have to check the specific brand when I get home - it's whatever comes standard with a Dell.

[Grant]

I don't like to burn music CD-Rs over 4x, though I will use 8x. But that's as high as i'll go.

[JonUrban]

Grant,

What happens at higher speeds (or can happen). I always let mt Plextor rip at max speed!

:-jon

[-=Rudy=-]

In the computing press, they claim that operating a drive UNDER its higher rated spec leads to more errors. I wish someone had the equipment here to run a series of CD-Rs burned at different speeds to see how the error count changes.

[JonUrban]

What does a music CD-R sound like if there was a problem created by burning the thing too fast?

[RDK]

Well, I downloaded a minor version update that may have solved the problem. But it also coincided with my opening a new box of CDR blanks, so i guess i'll never know for sure.

In any case, the last few discs I burned at 16X have played (and sounded) just fine.

And man, is it great to burn a disc at that speed! It's done in five minutes or less! :D

Ray

[Grant]

Originally posted by Rudy@A&MCorner
In the computing press, they claim that operating a drive UNDER its higher rated spec leads to more errors. I wish someone had the equipment here to run a series of CD-Rs burned at different speeds to see how the error count changes.

But the mastering guys and audiophiles say the exact opposite. There are those in the audio industry, and us, who have done tests with regard to jitter and BLER rates and burning speeds. Keep in mind that even though it is transferring data, data can be changed and corrupted. Non-audio computer guys have no interest in things like distortion, errors, jitter, and such. It's all in the listening. We don't listen to programs, but we do listen to music.

Part of the problem is because OLDER blanks were optimised for slower speeds. The newer blanks are optimised for faster speeds, but most people's computers cannot handle such high transfer rates, at least without some artificial help, like the burn-proof technology.

There has been tons of stuff already discussed about this in earlier threads. Do a search.

[Claviusb]

Ray, you didn't say if you have XP or not, if you do, make sure you use Force Aspi to build your Aspi layer (do a Google search for Force Aspi and follow the directions). If your computer is newer, it should have Service Pack 1 installed. These are requirements for solid burns!

[RDK]

Robert, I've been using XP for a while now and I know that's not the problem. While the update didn't state so difinitively, I suspect the patch addressed a compatability issue with my specific DVD burner.

Ray