[Slowhand] Re: Audio CD copying on Mac OS X

[Jamie Reid]

I've been writing this post over a few days whilst doing research about 
it, so that's why it's late.

I cannot stand using iTunes for duplicating an audio CD.

Using iTunes, one has to import all the tracks as AIFF/WAV (make sure 
they're not mp3*!!), and then you stick them into a playlist, and make 
sure they're in the right order. Now, this is fine by itself, but if 
you're like me, and have already imported all your boots as mp3s, and 
it's a pain in the kiester to sort through the two versions of the 
dozen tracks from this one CD now in your iTunes library, picking the 
proper ones (ie, the non-mp3 ones*) out for the playlist. Also, you 
have to make sure the EQ, sound-enhancer, cross-fader, and automatic 
volume adjuster are all off before you burn, as iTunes will make those 
adjustments to the tracks on the burned CD (while some boots can stand 
to be improved, please don't pass these on as the original*), and that 
it's set to disc at once (DAO) with no gaps*. Repeat for the 2nd disc. 
Blah. iTunes is great for mp3s though.

*if these measures don't make sense, go read the rant on 
http://www.geetarz.org

The easiest & best thing to do is to use Toast or Dragon Burn - you put 
the disc in and click 'copy', but I don't have a copy of either (and 
this is NOT a request for a copy). There are also Unix command line 
burning programs that can be installed, if you are comfortable poking 
about in the Terminal, but if you are, you know how to get & learn how 
to use those.

I was experimenting with burning exact copies using Disk Utility (Disk 
Copy on pre-10.3 systems), but it doesn't seem to like images over the 
size of the media (700MB), which in OS X, works out to be CDs over 
about 60 minutes (yes, I know, I know, an 80 minute CD-R is 700MB... it 
doesn't make sense to me either). So, for free tools, Windows, Linux, 
and the Unix half of OS X have the Aqua half of Mac beat. There might 
be options on OS 9 or earlier, but I don't know and don't care, 
particularly.

I really don't know if iTunes is good enough? I don't know- I haven't 
had that much time to do research. I know that DAO works just dandy. My 
biggest beef with it is the work of copying the CD with it.

Jamie Reid


Jamie Reid
--
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