burning a disc in waveburner

[grg1540]

it seems i can only burn a disc as .aiff files. i have read that burning a disc as .aiff or .wav files is the same quality as far as the product is concerned but only different terminology according to certain systems according to some sources.

 

then at the same time, we are told by disc burning companies to hand in discs with .wav files for best results.

 

it seems i cannot burn a disc as .wav files in disc burner but only as .aiff files.

 

so i ask, can i burn a disc as .wav files?

 

if not why?

 

if not, then is it ok to hand in an album project for duplication using .aiff without losing any quality in the tracks?

 

thanks

g

nyc

[Holger Lagerfeldt]

WaveBurner doesn't burn audio as AIFF or WAV. It burns it as a Red Book CD. The audio is in the PCM format, just like WAV or AIFF, though always 16 bit.

 

When you rip audio from a CD on a Mac, the OS will rip it into the AIFF format. But as mentioned, the audio on the disc isn't AIFF or WAV.

 

WaveBurner is an old and defective piece of software. I don't recommend you use it for anything as it will change your sound and likely cause errors/rejection at the plant. Lack of data integrity, bugged CD-Text, illegal PQ codes, end-of-file or end-of-disc clicks, the list goes on. Scandalous software.

 

For duplication you can't simply hand in raw files. You need to hand in a DDP image or a Red Book CD (probably the latter if it's a small shop). Or you can hand in the files to a mastering engineer who can take care of the process for you.

 

If you want to do it yourself, finalize the audio in Logic Pro and export to 16 bit dithered WAV or AIFF. Import into Sonoris DDP Creator or similar and make a DDP image or Red Book CD.

[Eriksimon]

WaveBurner is an old and defective piece of software. I don't recommend you use it for anything as it will change your sound and likely cause errors/rejection at the plant. Lack of data integrity, bugged CD-Text, illegal PQ codes, end-of-file or end-of-disc clicks, the list goes on. Scandalous software.

 

The topic is called "burning a dis" but instead you are "dissing a burner"!

[Holger Lagerfeldt]

True that.

[Shawn S]

+1 for Waveburner diss. I tried using it in Jan...with much frustration. Ditched it in the end. Wish I read your comments earlier, Lagerfeldt. Thanks for confirming it wasn't all me!

 

If you're pressing CDs in the U.S., you can use Discmakers, and mail them a CD in AIFF, or WAV format (recommended). Or, you can even upload individual songs in these formats to their server, which I did for my last project, and it worked well. Depending on your internet connection, it takes time to upload the WAV files, (then re-download and audition, to be sure there were no transfer glitches), but it's slick, quality, and you can enter all your track info in an online form. They do a great job, have quick turn-arounds, and ultimately, this can save you some $ on the DDP/RedBook software.

 

You can check the Discmaker FAQs for details - file format questions are towards the top. If burning and mailing a disc, they also explain how to be sure to keep them in .WAV format when importing into iTunes.

 

Whether mailing or uploading, just be sure your .WAV files are in 16-bit/44.1K, 2 channel (stereo) file format.