Home CD Tech

[filkertom]

An update on what's working, and not, for me with burning CD-Rs:

• I like the overall sound of Memorex media best, but they have a higher error rate for burning. Not the finished product -- I've only had to replace a half-dozen or so out of hundreds. I'm trying Imation, which is way better than it was a few years ago, and have only had one burn error so far... but it crashed my machine.
• Memorex CD labels are superb. Period. I ran out, and I had a package of Fellowes/Neato, and they look good, but even though the package says "matte" the paper is so slick that I have to manually load in each page... and the labels curl too readily, which makes applying them a little tricky.
• The CD Stomper is the best hand tool for applying labels. Period.
• Sure Thing software (current version 4.3.0196) is phenomenal. It's got a small learning curve, but once you suss it it's fast, flexible, and powerful. And, if you don't have a head for layouts, it gives you scads of 'em, some of which come in coordinated packages (so you can match, for instance, the CD label, the jewel case insert, and the tray insert).
• Lightscribe disks look great... but they take about a half-hour to burn with sufficient contrast. If I have lots of lead time, fine. If my computer's not doing anything else, fine. If it's a one-off, fine. But I'm not going to be able to use them for convention stock until they speed the process up a lot.

What are you all working with, especially you musicians creating merchandise?

Comments

[stormgren.livejournal.com]

I like the overall sound of Memorex media best

*blinks*

Seriously? Of a CD-R?

[ericcoleman]

I use an HP printer that prints right onto the disc. I much prefer that to the labels. The printer (which is at home so I don't have the number handy) was about a 100 bucks. The toner is about a 100 bucks to replace (six cartridges) and lasts about 200-250 full color discs.

I use the Memorex discs I think (but I would have to look). When I used the labels I loved the CD Stomper.

As for layouts, well, I work in a print shop so I do them all here and then email the graphics back home for printing.

I get my covers printed on the big 4 color press just outside my office door.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Seriously. Memorex has always seemed to capture the high end just a little more crisply. There's not a lot of difference I've found in most media besides that and error rate *cough Verbatim cough*.

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

For DVDs, I've found my Plextor 716A prefers Verbatim. I have few C1 or C2 problems, unlike TDK which I found to be borderline unplayable. My stack of TDK cdrs though seems to work fine as long as burning speed isn't set at 48x or above - at 32x, they work flawlessly.

Currently working on preproduction efforts doing a bluescreen puppet video presentation. My first change of course was picking blue for the background instead of green - you can thank my Cthulu puppet for making that a necessity.

Plextor Is Da Bomb

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

My main drive is a Plextor 708A -- sweet, fast, powerful.

Re: Plextor Is Da Bomb

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

An excellent drive. Good choice.

And on a related subject, did you ever get that DVD I mailed you to play?

[stormgren.livejournal.com]

Bits is bits. The media cannot change how the bits get laid down, otherwise it's a write error.

Re: Plextor Is Da Bomb

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

The one with the puppet show? Nope.

[aylinn.livejournal.com]

MSD sells PDFs on CD - and we'll second & third you on the CD Stomper.

We prefer the Stomper's labels. Although we have used Avery in a pinch. Fellowes labels really DO suck rocks.

Kory does most of the layout stuff & he likes the Stomper's software as well. (the sure thing you mentioned) Although he admits to manually creating stuff as well in Paint Shop pro.

We're currently using TDK discs. We tend to grab spindles of whatever's on sale @ Costco. but then our requirements aren't as nit-picky as yours.

oh - I'm being forced to admit that Kory's in the middle of a burn run right now. Balticon's this weekend. He's annoyed that I interrupted him to confirm details. <g,d&rvvvvvvvvvvvf>

[devospice.livejournal.com]

For home produced CDs I use a MicroBoards Print Factory which we have here at work. It prints right on the CD and looks awesome. I use whatever blank CD-Rs we have. I forget what brand we normally buy.

For the printed inserts I've found that Staples sells a nice template paper for ink jet and laser printers and I just load it into our color copier here at work. It has that new fangled "clean edge" perforations that you just fold back and forth a couple times and it snaps apart. It fits perfectly in the jewel cases and looks great.

The end result looks almost like a professionally reproduced CD. I did this to make a short run of radio edits of Die Laughing to send to radio stations.

[jmthane.livejournal.com]

In creating *merchandise*, we go to a CD maker, such as Front Porch CD (http://frontporchcd.com/), who did our most recent release, "Why Am I Not Surprised?". Wendy preps the printing work - I think she uses MS Publisher, but I'm not sure. All I know is the output has to talk to their computer. (She does that while John and I tackle the editing and mixing with our engineer.)

For home use or demo use - my labels are the Neato labels, applied with the Neato applicator. (You're supposed to peel the backing away from the label while keeping the label on a flat surface. No curl problem with that. Really. But yeah, I can print one sheet at a time.) I also use the Neato templates on the inserts, but print them out on Kodak Photo Paper - the stuff I can print double-sided on. And I prep the artwork in Adobe Photoshop, save as a .tif with at least 300 dpi. Insert that into the Neato program, size-to-fit, and good to go. They also have templates so you can do it straight in PhotoShop, I'll be playing with that soon.

CDs - I like and use Imation. I've also been pretty happy with whatever I've gotten, like the OfficeMax "brand" and some of the other store brands. Frankly, as long as it's the silver disc and not a colored one, I'm good. I *rarely* have a burn error, no matter what I use. What's fun is that Dave (see below) used some fancy high-end CD-R for mastering the latest - every damn one of them had errors. He went back to the cheap stuff - no problem.

Interesting to note that about the Memorex labels - I'll have to try that. So far, I've been using the Neato labels, software, label applicator, etc. I do have a pack of Memorex, and I do plan to try them. (I spent the money - it's *not* going to go to waste...)

Again, for release recording, we go to an engineer. David Bragman is phenomenal, which considering he's been doing this sort of thing since the olden days of 1" tape, splicing tape, and razor blades is saying something. I've also done engineering in a broadcast studio, and know my way around tape, splicing tape, and razors. :-D (He also teaches recording engineering. As well he should.)

I haven't actually tried recording at home yet. So far, most of my home use stuff is transferring cassettes and LPs to CD, for which I use GoldWave to remove the tape hiss or the surface noise of LPs.

Re: Plextor Is Da Bomb

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

Replacement entering the mail tomorrow, then.

[jjfmi.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you remember me, but we met at ConClave a few years ago. (Spent the rest of the weekend with visions of Peter Lorre in my head, I'll have you know.) You've been on my friends list for a while - and considered required reading in our household! :-)

I stopped using labels about 2 years ago- I heard back from some of my buyers that the CDs with labels were prone to getting stuck in car players and some models of CD drives. Instead, I switched to an Epson Photo R300 printer, which (so far) does a great job of inkjet printing directly to the CD. Even with heavy graphics, it only takes about a minute and a half to print a CD. I've been very pleased with the results. The only caution I would mention is to make sure that the inkjet-printable CD media has a textured surface, since the smoother surfaces tend to spin in some of the drives. (I found this out the hard way.)

And (pausing to duck) I've been using the Verbatim silver surface media without problem here. (Every burner has its favorite media, though.)

[pickledcritter.livejournal.com]

I'm not a pro - I only make DVDs of vacation trips and such, a few animated PPT presentations, things like that, but I will have to agree with everyone else about the Stomper. I've been using mine since 1997 and it is nowhere CLOSE to wearing out, although I do have to reattach the nonskid bottom with hot glue every couple of years :). I use the CD Stomper labels, but I use CorelDraw to do my layouts. I don't know if it came with the CD Stomper software, but somewhere in the mists of time I came across some Stomper templates in native .cdr format, and I believe there were Illustrator, Photoshop, Publisher and Word versions as well. Can't beat the classics (it's computer related - if it's used for more than four years it's a classic - get over it :))!

Since I'm not picky either (I ain't making a living on this :) ), I just get whatever is on sale and just drop the burning speed if lack of errors is important.

CD Stomper templates

[pickledcritter.livejournal.com]

I couldn't find them on the CD Stomper site itself, but I did find a place to download the templates that came with the early stomper software:

http://www.americal.com/templates.html

Scroll all the way to the bottom right corner

[emiofbrie.livejournal.com]

I use Memorex CD-Rs with memorex labels and the "CD Stomper" to apply labels, assuming it is what I think it is. :)

[tfabris.livejournal.com]

I dunno, if a volume knob can make your music sound better, why not a specific CD brand? ;-)

And I'm sorry, Tom. Love ya, dude, but... May I remind you of a few weeks ago when you discovered that some high frequency noise had ended up in some of your vocal tracks? A sound that you couldn't hear and didn't notice during mixdown, but others could? I'm no golden-ear myself, but I'd say, take care when making blanket statements about high frequency response.

Confirmation bias is a common phenomenon when trying to look for subtle differences in frequency response. It's why we get asinine products like that silly wooden knob, or hideously expensive speaker cables. The fact is, all CD-R media, provided that it's not getting genuine errors, is going to sound identical when played back. If you seriously think memorex captures the high end better, arrange for a double-blind test.

[tfabris.livejournal.com]

Some backup information about CD-R recording and playback errors.

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

When I did my 2-song "CD-single" back in the winter, I bought the Verbatim "virtual vinyl" CD blanks because I thought their topside imagery of a 45-rpm single was Just Too Kewl and I was going to be hand-writing the labels (instant autographs, folks!) anyway. There WAS a frustrating failure rate, though; somewhere between 5 and 10 for a 50-pack.

Next batch I'll see if I can slow down the burn speed, and I'll be using the Nero software that came with the new Gateway, instead of RealAudio.

I haven't built up enough capital yet to spring for label printing software, but I'm taking notes on the items mentioned in other people's quotes. And I'll DEFINITELY go price that microperforated template stock, once I get closer to the bottom of the ream of "white Astrobrite" that I already had in the desk.

[flyrod.livejournal.com]

Right now, I'm using Verbatim. I haven't had any burn errors...yet. Before that I was using Memorex. I have a CD Stomper, too. Works great. I've been thinking about Lightscribe.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

See, what I do is burn the raw .WAV files that I used to make the downloadable .MP3 albums onto CD-R. Sell 'em for $10; you're paying for [a] convenience, i.e., having a physical CD, and [b] audio quality, as they are the final .WAVs, with much better resolution than 128 Kbps. Since they're CD-Rs, though, I charge less than a pressed CD. But I'm always trying to up the quality on all levels. Eventually I'm likely to get some kind of bulk CD machine.

Got Me Thinkin', Ya Damn Hippie

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

You're probably right, and I should be a little more careful on that. I will note that the noise had nothing whatsoever to do with the CDs -- it was on MP3s and in the original .WAV files (once I dropped the pitch enough to make it audible to me).

What I should actually do is something I have not done: Listen to the CDs on the multiple otherwise unused CD players I've got around here -- my Aiwa boombox, the tiny one I take into the car, the old PlayStation pre-One -- with the really good headphones, the Sony MDR-7506, and compare all those to the computer drives and speakers. Data, you're right -- it all sounds the same. Which makes me wonder what I heard that made me think Memorex sounded better.

Re: Plextor Is Da Bomb

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Make sure it plays in a standard DVD player. Sometimes the dumber the hardware, the better. Said my girlfriend. ;)

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

How convenient. I just found a download (and comparison) page (http://www.surething.com/st/Category.asp?CatCode=SONIC_COMPCHART) for the free SE edition of Sure Thing, with a super el cheapon deal on the full version good until Friday. Don't know if you actually have to be a customer of Sonic (the people who, I guess bought Roxio), but, even so, the full program is only twenty-five bucks.

Re: Got Me Thinkin', Ya Damn Hippie

[tfabris.livejournal.com]

> I will note that the noise had nothing whatsoever to do with the CDs

Right. What I meant was that if your ears were truly sensitive enough to pick out subtle differences in high frequency response between CD brands, then you ought to have been able to catch that problem with the vocal tracks in the studio, too.

> Listen to the CDs on the multiple otherwise unused CD players I've got around here

Now THAT is a worthwhile endeavor. It will help you to determine if your favorite recording media tends to be compatible with lots of different players. The link I gave above is part of a larger FAQ on CD recording technology, with tons of great information on this topic. Give its table of contents a browse.

> Which makes me wonder what I heard that made me think Memorex sounded better.

One of a few possible things:

- Confirmation bias.

- Bit level errors on the brands other than memorex, causing the CD playback to smooth over the errors, making it sound bad.

- Bit level errors on the MEMOREX brand, with the smoothed playback actually sounding BETTER to you, for some reason.

Keep in mind that those last two conditions should not happen, at all, unless there is a malfunction in your player, your burner, or there is crud or scratches on the surface of the disc. The kind of errors that can't be corrected aren't supposed to happen unless something's gone wrong.

Re: Got Me Thinkin', Ya Damn Hippie

[tfabris.livejournal.com]

> Listen to the CDs on the multiple otherwise unused CD players I've got around here

Oh, and one more thing: Obviously different players are going to have different output electronics and will have different EQ response curves, even if you're using the same pair of headphones. What you're really listening for is stuff that sounds like genuine errors: Skips, for example. That might indicate a media that's incompatible with that player or your burner.

[trdsf.livejournal.com]

I have nothing but good luck with the Staples DVD+/-Rs and CDRs, actually. Memorex disks are the ones I've always had trouble with. I have a couple DL DVD+Rs that are coasters now--bloody expensive coasters, at that.

And since there's nothing professional going on here, my preferred labeling system is a Sharpie. ;)

[ladysoapmaker.livejournal.com]

I work for my schools ODS office of technology. Among other things, we convert textbooks to alternative media (ie audio files, Braille, text).

We use whatever cds Sam’s Club sells, which currently is Verbatium. We go through several hundred in a quarter. We use TextAloud to convert text to .WAV file and use Roxio to burn on to the cd. If we have a textbook that multiple students are using we have 3 duplicators to burn extra copies. Since it is a computerized voice things don’t have to be high quality however there is very little to no errors when burning, other then the one computer’s cd burner died and the one prof who seems to think we have enough time to convert all the textbooks at the bookstore into alternative media even though the students are not taking those courses. You’d think a law professor would remember about copyright.

Supposedly there is a machine out there that will erase a burned cd and make it usable again. This would be nice for us as we have to destroy all old cds when the publisher changes additions if no student is using them. Though according to the tech guy the only cds they can’t do this with is Verbatium.

We hand label all cd with a sharpie. Since each cd is unique, each label is unique. I wish we could afford a printer that will print on cds and print out inserts for the case. After 20 or so cds my hand starts cramping.

Though I want to get a set for my self at home since I’ll be graduating within a year and I have all these books that I want to convert for myself.

Here at home when I do convert things I use either Realplayer or the burner software that came with the computer. As I said before computerized voice not much need to very high quality.

[hms42]

Brand - TDK (Because they were on sale at Costco for 200 for $30 with tax). Labeling...

I used Nero 6.x cover designer and Memorex lalbels. (I buy the inserts by the 50 pack, the jewel cases by the 50 pack and the labels by the 300 pack.)

I used these mostly for Roberta Rogow's first CD last year. I also use the same stuff for my personal backup copies too. (I do a cover for a CD for myself whenever I convert a tape over.)

As for a disc preference, nothing specific, but I tend towards the name brands for better discs.

Harold