[Drakemoor]

When i write CD's there is a certain amount of distortion during dynamic songs. I've used different types of CD's and the problem has been either really bad or hardly noticable, on the latest ones i bought i thought it had been fixed but after listening carefully i can still hear it.

The distortion isn't in the original recordings on my computer and it also varies depending on the player (can't really hear it on the computer but in the car CD player it's awful). The writer is a hl-dt-st gce-8400b, i've looked for driver updates but can't find any and i have searched the web and found nothing about this problem. It also depends on the music, very dynamic songs are the most likely to distort but nearly every song does it to some degree, i'm writing to verbatim 40x disks, any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[breez]

Try writing at the lowest possible speed.

 

[Drakemoor]

Sorry, i forgot to mention, i write them at 8x which is the lowest it will go

 

[Helter Skelter]

Have you tried a different burning program? Here's a couple free ones you can try:

http://www.deepburner.com/
http://www.burnatonce.com/

 

[pedxing]

In my experience, older car decks have a hard time reading CDRs.

I think your burner might be at fault. I noticed that many of the recent low end burners in the market churn out audio cds that sound like crap when played back on pcdp's and car cd decks. I go as far as having certain friends with certain burners only make audio cds for me on certain media.

I think you should try burning the same cds on a different burner and see if you get better results.

 

[Drakemoor]

Unfortunatly i don't have another burner to test it out but i thought that if your working with digital media it should be bit perfect? What goes in should come out exactly the same or am i wrong?

It was only today that i realised the problem was still there, the CD's i used before sounded unlistenable in the car. I had a small suspicion today that i could hear some distortion but i wasn't sure if it was meant to be in the recording so i got my brother to have a listen and he told me it was definatly distortion right away and after i lisetned to it a couple times it turned out he was right.

Does the software you use affect the output? i'm using nero 5 atm but i would be willing to upgrade if there is any known fault with it.

 

[Helter Skelter]

While it should be bit-perfect, sometimes things can screw up. Such is the nature of using a computer. It may be that a related driver has gone and corrupted itself somehow. This can happen as a result of a virus infection or perhaps a particularly nasty piece of spyware.

If nothing else you try fixes it and you're running Windows XP, you can roll back to a point where you know it DID work (assuming you have system restore turned on). If you don't have system restore turned on, or don't have a suitable restore point, you can do a repair installation of XP, and that should return things to normal without destroying any data or adversely affecting installed programs.

And if THAT doesn't fix it, perhaps your burner has gone belly up on you. Luckily for you there, good CD burners are quite cheap. Nero 5 is a fine burning program, though of course it wouldn't hurt anything more than your wallet to update it (seems they want $50 to upgrade from your version).

 

[jpr703]

I'd recommend burning with Nero at 16X on a Plextor, NEC, or Pioneer drive using either Mitsui or Taiyo Yuden media.

 

[Tim D]

Can you explain in detail your entire process of burning including the ripping procedure?

 

[Drakemoor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helter Skelter While it should be bit-perfect, sometimes things can screw up. Such is the nature of using a computer. It may be that a related driver has gone and corrupted itself somehow. This can happen as a result of a virus infection or perhaps a particularly nasty piece of spyware. If nothing else you try fixes it and you're running Windows XP, you can roll back to a point where you know it DID work (assuming you have system restore turned on). If you don't have system restore turned on, or don't have a suitable restore point, you can do a repair installation of XP, and that should return things to normal without destroying any data or adversely affecting installed programs. And if THAT doesn't fix it, perhaps your burner has gone belly up on you. Luckily for you there, good CD burners are quite cheap. Nero 5 is a fine burning program, though of course it wouldn't hurt anything more than your wallet to update it (seems they want $50 to upgrade from your version).

I don't think the problem is in the software, i have all my virus definitions updated and i format and reinstall windows every couple of months to ensure it's a relitively clean install. It's most likely that it's the burner as i've had the problem ever since i got it, i just assumed that it was something other than the drive itself. I'm using the default windows drivers but it does make me wonder why they make firmware updates, there must be a reason for them.

Anyways i think i'm in need of an upgrade so i'll get a new combo drive as soon as i can. Thanks for the help

 

[evil-zen]

If it plays fine in 1 player but not the other, I would say it is the CDr that is the culprit. The logic is that since it plays perfectly well in the computer, then there is nothing wrong with the burning process or else there will be distortions when played anywhere.

Your car player most probably doesn't read the CDr very well. Try changing to another type of dye which might be read better by the player.

 

[jpr703]

The type of dye used in the CD-R can make a major difference in readability. I have also noticed a difference in sound quality between good discs and bad ones.

Some cheap CD-Rs will become unreadable in most players after just 2 years. I've personaly seen this with Imation media. Now, if a disc can become unreadable in just two years, it also stands to reason that some of the 1s and 0s might not show up too well even just after its been burned.

That's just a personal theory as to why the sound seems different on different CD-Rs. I'm not 100% sure that it's correct, but I am sure that the sound difference does exist.

Personally, I have had very good luck with Mitsui (MAM-A) discs, espcially the gold ones and Taiyo Yudens. These are real hard to find in stores, but can easily be ordered off the net. If you absolutely must buy CD-Rs at Best Buy or some other chain store, Verbatims with the AzO dye are the way to go.

 

[jpr703]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim D Can you explain in detail your entire process of burning including the ripping procedure?

Tim, if you need help with this just let me know what you're trying to do. Are you trying to take MP3s you already have and burn them on a disc, trying to make a "back-up" copy of a disc you already have, or trying to take songs off of your CDs and convert them into MP3s for use on an iPod or similiar device?

 

[Tim D]

Actually I have my processes down. I was merely asking the obvious question since everything seems to be fleshed out as far as media and drive and software, but no details were given on the exact process. The best way to trouble-shoot is to sometimes ask the necessary questions before giving the necessary answers.

 

[wali]

Download EAC and it should allow you to burn your CD at very low speed -- 4x.