A friend of mine made an audio CD compilation on a standalone CD copier using audio CD-R. I copied an image of the disk onto my PC, in order to make further copies. I am using Nero 6 but it won't work with the image it created, saying that a blank CD-R (data disk) is too small. Would an audio CD-R disk work okay? Do audio CD-R disks have more space on them that data CDs lack? Is that the main difference between the two formats?
Following on from what I wrote earlier, I bought some Philips CD-R Q Audio disks and Nero burnt the CD images onto them without difficulty.
Therefore, either the CD-Audio format is incompatible with CD-data, or, the CD-Audio format allows for more audio data storage than a data disk, perhaps because a data disk must allow for audio formats and data formats, with a File Allocation Table for data which takes up space whether used for data or not used in the case of audio disks.
An audio-only CD-R does not need a data FAT as such and thus allows slightly more room for audio data, and when using Nero to make a disk image, I did notice that the resultant image files are slightly larger than normal from a shop-bought audio CD.
Conclusion: Audio and data CD-Rs are not the same.
You have every right (http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/1008.html) to get together with friends and make tape copies or digital copies of music on digital audio recording equipment. What this means is, if you bring audio tapes you own to a friend's house and copy all of theirs and they copy all of yours, that is perfectly legal. In fact, you pay a 'tax' (to the RIAA, a non-government entity) on all audio tape and audio cd purchases for that right.
Copying cd to audio tape may or may not be legal, I'm not entirely sure. I believe it is. Copying cd to cd with your computer is illegal, but if you purchase an audio cd burner and use audio cds to copy the data onto, it is perfectly legal. Once again, the government made an agreement (The Home Audio Recording Act) that you pay a tax to the RIAA on all approved audio media and recording equipment to make it legal.
This is the only difference between audio cd blanks and regular cd blanks - in audio recording equipment, the audio cd blanks won't let you make a copy of them. On a computer, there's no difference except that you pay more.
A little more clarification... copying _someone else's_ audio cd to your cd is illegal if you use a computer to do it. However, it is perfectly legal for you to make a copy of your friend's audio cd if you record to audio tape or use an audio cd recorder and an audio cd.
It is always legal to copy your own CDs for backup, compilation, or remix purposes, as long as you don't distribute the copy.
Well here's one difference:
I have a great Technics CD changer (5 discs) that I use for audio playback. Great in every respect other than that it always has playback errors (digital artifacts, clicking and ticking noise etc..) when playing back any 80 min cd-r disc. Even if they only have 15 minutes of music recorded on them they are still noisy. As if that wasnt bad enough, longer discs that do limp along to the 60 minute mark will stutter and then suddenly stop. VERY annoying. Any 74 min discs, even cheapies, playback with no errors, even long (70+ minutes of music)ones. I have tried many different media brands and always have the same problems with the 80's and no problem with the 74's .
However, when I use 80 minute AUDIO cd-r media to record on i achieve music playback on the Technics with 100% success. This is good news for me, as my huge remaining stockpile of 74min cdrs is rapidly diminishing.
I confess, I was skeptical of "Audio cd-r" at first, and it may be "Voodoo physics" perhaps, but it works and I'm pleased as I dont have to replace my Technics player!
Audio cd-r's tend to use darker dye's which are easier for regular cd players like stereo, etc to read. Certain disks have problems being played in older stereo's or car cd players because of various factor's, one being the lighter dye used on most cd-r's dont pick up so well on older equipment.
