Return to EQ index

All information in these pages is copyright (c) 1989-2003 by Roger Nichols. All rights reserved. Permission for personal reference only, and may not be reproduced by any method without written permission.

CD-R Care And Feeding

by Roger Nichols

The future is here, and you are in it. The age of two cars in every garage, a chicken in every pot, and a CD-R in every computer has arrived. Three computer manufacturers that I have spoken with said that by the end of this Summer, they will be supplying CD-R drives, instead of CD-ROM drives, in their Multi-media PCs. Now that CD-R units are cheaper than CD-ROM drives were just a few short years ago, it seems like the smart thing to do.

There are Internet music delivery companies that are counting on everyone owning their own CD recorder. You will be able to pay for and download your favorite music and burn your own CDs. This is happening now.

If you want your CD-R drive, and the data you write onto it, to live long and prosper, then you must adapt a fresh outlook on equipment maintenance. The old adage "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" may be subject to interpretation, but "Cleanliness is next to CD-R recording" can not be debated. I have had CD-Rs bounced by CD plants because on a single speck of dust that was present on the blank CD-R before it was recorded. When the laser is in the process of writing data to the disc, the dust speck causes a shadow that prevents the pits from being formed correctly. This results in an un-correctable error on playback.

Here are some important points to keep in mind when producing CD-Rs:

• Handle blank CD-Rs by the edges. Never touch the recording surface.
• Never set the blank CD-R down anywhere except in its original jewel case or the tray of the CD-R recorder.
• Use Dust-Off or some other compressed gas to remove dust from the CD-R an its carrier (if required) before each recording session.
• Use only the brand or type of blank CD-R media recommended by the manufacturer of your drive. Anything else will have higher error rate.
• Choose a recorder that will produce the CDs appropriate for your requirements. Older CD-R units have small buffers and only record track-at-once, or leave a mandatory muted space between cuts.
• For lowest error rate record at 2x. Both 4x and 1x have more errors on most media. I use 4x for refs and 2x for masters.
• If your recorder takes longer to recognize the inserted blank CD-R, then the laser lens is collecting dust. Clean it with air or take it to a repair center to have it cleaned. Do not use cleaning CDs, they can knock the laser out of alignment.
• Make an image file before cutting the CD-R. This will ensure the best chance of avoiding buffer underrun errors that will trash the disc.
• If at all possible, record the entire disk at once, rather than multi-session or track at once. This will ensure that the greatest number of drives can read your disc.
• Some older CD players may not be able to play CD-R audio discs.
• Audio CD-Rs recorded on Philips based stand-alone recorders such as the Marantz 610 and 620 will not play until they are "finalized" or "fixed up". This process writes the final Table Of Contents to the CD-R turning it into a non-recordable CD.
• Do not write on any other area of the CD-R except the printed label area. Use water based Sharpies for the best performance.
• Sticky labels are OK for refs, but do not to use them for masters or archival copies.
• Do not allow prolonged exposure to sunlight. The error rates will increase.
• DVD players and DVD-ROM drives cannot read CD-Rs. Who gets fired because of this SNAFU?

With the proper care and a little forethought, recording your own CDs and CD-ROMs can increase your productivity and enjoyment. Almost three years ago I made six compilation CDs of my favorite music, placed them in a cartridge and put them in the CD changer in my car. The songs came from more than 100 different CDs and take up a lot less space.

Two years ago I wrote an EQ article that contained quite a few scanned images. The files were too big to modem in. EQ did not have the same removable hard disks that I used. I made a CD-ROM of all of the files and sent that in. It worked perfectly.

I do a lot of work in Sound Designer and Pro Tools. When my hard disk starts getting full, I store the files on CD-ROM so that if I ever need them again, I have the region and editing information as part of the file. The CD-ROM costs less than 1/10th that of the optical disk or Jazz cartridge that I had been using to store old audio files.

For computer backup I make exact CD-ROM images of my hard disks so that I can easily recover programs and files without having to re-install software packages from scratch.

1996 was the "Year of the Rat." 1998 will be the "Year of the Tiger." It looks like 1997 will known as "The Year Of The CD_R".