[TriLUG] Sound recording/editing/archiving - where to start?

[Jeremy Portzer]

On 30 Jul 2002, Lisa C. Boyd wrote:

> Jeremy: I think they buy pre-formatted cds especially for burning music
> due to the equipment they are using (which is not a computer). They told
> me that these special music cds are more expensive (as much as $.50 more
> each). So they'd like to be able to store everything on a hard drive -
> and pull off what's requested and burn to a regular cd.

Hi Lisa,

There's no such thing as "preformatting" a CD.  All blank CD-Rs are
created equal (well, except for dye types and such).  The CDs marketed as
specifically for audio use are more expensive because they include a
licensing fee of sorts for the RIAA.  If you're not copying RIAA music
(which you can only do for home use anyway), there's no reason to buy
those.

CD-RWs can be "formatted" for use with data files and a computer, but that 
really has nothing to due with CD-Audio or CD-Rs.  (For example, the 
Adaptec DirectCD product is popular for this.)

Now, maybe you're talking about professional CD mastering and pressing 
equipment, which is a whole 'nother ballpark.  This would be the equipment 
used to make CDs that are sold in stores; very expensive start-up costs 
but overall the CDs are cheaper to create than any CDR.  Normally 
recording studios et al. outsource this to manufacturing companies that 
can do this and put the CDs in jewel cases, etc, automatically.

--Jeremy, who does know something about CDs, I promise