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Resource Center > Media Resource Guide > Media Functionality and Usage  |
Media Functionality and Usage
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1. What types of recorders read CD-Rs? Once written, CD-R discs closely mimic the optical characteristics of prerecorded (pressed) CDs. As a result, they can be read on almost any computer CD-ROM drive, CD-R or CD-R/RW recorder or MultiRead-compliant DVD-ROM drive or recorder. Additionally, CD-R discs are compatible with most consumer electronics devices including portable, car and set-top CD audio players and MultiPlay-compliant DVD-Video players and recorders. All DVD devices that read CD-R discs do not necessarily display the MultiRead or MultiPlay logos. If in doubt, consult with the hardware manufacturer. 2. What types of recorders write CD-Rs and CD-RWs? All CD-R and CD-R/RW recorders write CD-R discs but only CD-R/RW recorders write both CD-R and CD-RW discs. Many DVD recorders also come combined with CD-R and CD-RW writing functions but beware that there are exceptions as well. If in doubt, consult with the hardware manufacturer. 3. How to best store your media? DVD's should be treated basically the same way a CD is treated. Keep your discs and the inside of your player free from dust and debris. Be careful not to scratch the top or bottom surfaces of the disc, and keep them away from extreme temperatures and humidity. Write only with a soft, water based, felt tip marker. Among the manufacturers that have done testing, there is consensus that, under recommended storage conditions, CD-R, DVD-R, and DVD+R discs should have a life expectancy up to 100 years or more; CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM discs should have a life expectancy of 25 years or more. Little information is available for CD-ROM and DVD-ROM discs (including audio and video), resulting in an increased level of uncertainty for their life expectancy. Expectations vary from 20 to 100 years for these discs. In general, keep your media away from undue moisture, extreme temperatures, scratches, fingerprints, smudges, dirt, dust and try not to flex your media when removing it from its storage case. A disc should always be handled by grasping its outer edges, center hole or center hub clamping area. Handle only when being used and do not eat, drink or smoke close by. Discs should be stored in DVD jewel cases or video boxes rather than sleeves because cases will not contact the discs’ surfaces and generally provide better protection against scratches, dust, light and rapid humidity changes. CD jewel cases can stress DVDs by gripping them too tightly resulting in discs being difficult to remove from CD cases without excessive flexing. As a result, use only containers specifically designed for DVDs and discs should always be removed carefully. If you move your media frequently, CD/DVD wallets will be a great way to store for protection and convenience. Thetechgeek.com has a wide selection of CD/DVD wallet and jewel cases. Once placed in their cases, keeping them in a closed box, drawer or cabinet can further protect discs. For long-term storage and archival situations it is advisable to follow manufacturer instructions… duh. 4. Musicians: How to publish your own CD album? Review is a big help. The CD artwork, like the press kit, must be well thought out. You should customize your press kits so that they look in sync with your CD. This way, when a writer opens up a package, the press kit and the CD look like they go together. Don’t bother with sending out advance burns of your CD unless the writer requests them. Full artwork is always preferred. Reviewers and fans alike enjoy getting full artwork CDs – advances and burned CDs are not as intriguing. Presentation is very important. A big pet peeve is—many people do not like CDs that don’t have jewel cases (or at least spines). If a CD is in a baggie or a thin sleeve, it makes the CD impossible to find. It also comes across as penny ante, nickel-and-dime—just unprofessional. Geek tip: Put your phone number and contact info in the CD so that if it gets separated from the press kit, the reviewer/critic knows how to contact you. Also, "Recommended Tracks" stickers are great for the press (don’t suggest more than two or three selections, usually one). Don't waste precious CD's! Unless you are sure a writer actually writes CD reviews (few newspaper writers are given the space to run them), don't waste your hard-earned dollars sending out CDs. Most folks like well-organized packages as well that are stapled together, so they can take as long as they like to get through it and flip through cohesive info—and put as much contact information on the CD on the bio and on the photo. Unsolicited glossies with no band name on them and usually find their way into the round file. If and there is no name or # or URL on the photos, they will never get used, except maybe for some other creative person’s artwork project. Take it from the Geek—a 20+ year veteran of the music scene and a professional musician—there are lots of utilities on the web to help the just-starting out musician create their own CDs—but watch out for companies with the agenda of trying to sell you something. Often, anymore, you can go through a full-on replication house and spend even less than if you DIY… and you’ll get a better looking, sounding and longer-lasting product. 5. How to assess the quality of already-written CD-Rs and CD-RWs? There were several methods can be used to assess the quality of a disc. These involve measuring its optical signals, examining the integrity of its physical and logical formats, performing interchange testing and conducting data verification, however, each method might be limited to test a piece of the whole quality. When assessing a disc quality bear in mind a great number of variables involved. These include such things as discs with different types, brands, recording software and hardware installed, diverse recording conditions encountered, different test equipments utilized, users of different experience and others. As a consequence, evaluation should be made on relative rather than absolute basis. 6. Musicians: should music CD be on a CD-R or pressed CD? The fact is that the quality of the finished CD, whether pressed or burned, is determined by the quality of the media it is pressed or burned to. There is absolutely no difference in audio quality between a pressed CD and a CDR if they were made from the same master. The only real benefit to having your album pressed is that you can be validated by the ignorant, pompous and/or misinformed people who think this detail makes a difference. That would be the end of this article except that there are a few things left to be said regarding the actual creation methods used. CD-Rs are every bit as good as pressed CDs if the media used is as good and the actual burning is conducted properly. CD-Rs have a bad reputation because the vast majority of CD-Rs out there were burned on inferior media by inferior burners using inferior programs. Make sure you get a good, reliable recorder. Check the brand, the compatibility with the media you intend to use, and go from there. A little research will save you a lot of heartache down the line. As far as software goes, there are many burning suites to choose from, and you should find one that works for you. Again, try before you buy. Some people swear by Nero. Others say that Roxio has the best ware. Get on to the forums and read the posts by other musicians and self-producing folks and see what they have to say. Last, but not least, ask around with people you know. What are they using? What have they had problems with; what has worked for them? You don’t have to be a geek to know what works best—but it doesn’t hurt! You can find most of the reliable recording drives, CD/DVD burning software and blank media on thetechgeek.com. 7. Disseminate data, software, music, video and etc. CDR manufacturing
is ideal for companies, individuals, musicians, or creative agencies that
want to get their product to market promptly. CDR manufacturing allows
anyone who has content to sell, share or distribute a low cost and effective
method of reaching his or her market. 8. How do CDs work? Like vinyl records, the information on optical discs is recorded on a spiral track. With a CD, however, the laser starts reading the disc from the inside ring (table of contents) and ends up on the outside. When playback starts, a laser beam shines on the ridges and lands on the data membrane layer. During playback, the number of revolutions of the disc decreases from 500 to 200 rpm to maintain a constant scanning speed. The disc data is converted into electrical pulses by reflections of the laser beam from a photoelectric cell. When the laser beam strikes "land", the beam is reflected onto the photoelectric cell. When it strikes a "ridge", the photocell will receive only a weak reflection. Thus, the photoelectrical cell receives series of light pulses corresponding to the ridges and lands in the disc. These light pulses are the foundation of binary 'digital' data. A simple substitution for the weak signal "0" and the in-focus signal "1" results in a pure digital playback without alteration, every time, without failure or degradation. Thanks to this optical scanning system, there is no friction between the laser beam and the disc. As a result, the discs do not wear, no matter how often they are played. However, they must be treated carefully, as scratches, grease stains and dust might intercept or diffract the light, causing whole series of pulses to be skipped or distorted. Without an error correction system optical disc players would not have existed, as even the slightest vibration of the floor would cause sound and image distortions. When the laser beam hits land, all of its light is reflected and the cell gives off current. When the laser beam shines on a ridge, half of the light hits the upper surface and the other half hits the lower down service. The difference in height between the two places is exactly a quarter of a wavelength of the laser beam light, so the original beam is totally eliminated by the interference between the beam reflected from the surface of the disc and the beam reflected from the ridge. It is quite normal for the (compact) disc to move back and forth 1mm during playback. A flexible regulator keeps the lens at a distance of +/- 2 micrometer from the rotating disc. For the same reason, a perfect tracking system is required. The complex task of following the track is controlled by an electronic servo system. The servo system ensures the track is followed accurately by measuring the signal output. If the output decreases, the system recognizes this as being "off track" and returns the tracking system to its optimum state. As long as you copy from a good master CD on to a CD-R with the right burning procedure (and software), the same high audio quality will be found on the duplicated CD-R. Select good quality CD-R from a wide selection at thetechgeek.com. 9. Can any CD-R disc be recorded at any speed? In order to accommodate progressively higher recording speeds CD-R disc design and manufacturing has continued to evolve. As a consequence, reliable operation is best achieved by following disc manufacturers’ guidance with respect to the range of writing speeds formally supported by their respective discs, while acknowledging that this can change as recording specifications change. Additionally, new media companies and products continually enter the market and some recorder companies may test particular brands of discs more extensively than others. Thus it may be advisable to inquire of the recorder manufacturer for specific media recommendations. 10. Are DVD-R discs compatible with my reader? DVD-R is the
most widely compatible of the various DVD-recording formats. Most standard
DVD-ROM drives (over 90%, along with all combo -/+R burners) should be
able to read it but there are too many different models out there for
me to verify. Really, it shouldn't be that much of a worry but, if you're
concerned, I suggest you enter the brand and model of your drive into
the Google search box, along with terms such as "DVD-R format compatible".
Or you could visit the website of your drive's manufacturer as they usually
have a format compatibility chart available. |
| Media Definition | How Are Media Made? | Media Functionality & Usage | Media Selection Guide & Comparison | Media Protection & Maintenance | History of Media | Media Labeling & Printing | New Technology: HD DVD vs. Blue-Ray DVD | |
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