cracking when burning mp3s onto CD-Rs

reever · 05-28-2002, 09:17 AM

I just installed a Liteon 32x12x40x cdrw recorder in an overclocked Celeron 1.2 gigahertz machine on an old BX board. (I know, it's ancient!) The drive came with Nero 5.5. I am running Windows XP home edition. I've used some noname cheapo disks rated for 32x. My kids want to burn mp3s they've downloaded from Kaaza onto CD-Rs that they can use in their car stereos and home systems. I am having no buffer problems so I have successfully burned the discs, however I am getting cracking or popping noises in many of the songs. What's the problem? Cheap media? Burning too fast? Windows Media Player? Please help! No more coasters, but lousy recording. THANKS!

crazyray · 05-28-2002, 09:55 AM

The first things I would try...different media and a slower recording speed. But you knew that.

Undeadlord · 05-28-2002, 10:29 AM

Yep .. I have a 16x burner, but I record all my CD's at 8x or less. Takes abit longer, but I have never had the craclking and popping at those speeds.

Undeadlord

ND · 05-29-2002, 08:13 PM

Try burning with "Burn-Proof" option (or similar, comes to protect you from "buffer underrun" errors) turned off. During recording, when recording buffer gets empty, burner stops for a very short period of time to get the buffer refilled. During that time 'Burn-Proof" technology keeps the CD from being destroyed (was happening with pre-'Burn-Proof" burners). Those annoying sounds are just a gaps on recording surface.

JohnE. · 05-29-2002, 08:48 PM

If the files were originally mp3's there could be extra data (ID3 tags, etc) that can cause errors in the decoded .wav files. You could try StripWav to clean the .wav files before burning.

If you're burning mp3's straight to disk without decoding to .wav first the ID3 tag could still be the culprit. I don't have a link for one but there are utilities that will remove the tags from mp3's or whole directories with mp3's.

JohnE.

crazyray · 05-29-2002, 09:32 PM

I use ID3KILL to remove ID3 version 2 tags. Just my preference.

http://www.headstrong.de/software-id3kill.shtml

reever · 05-30-2002, 07:14 AM

I tried both apps to remove the tags off both the wav. and mp3 files. Still a crackle, pop sound. Here's a new twist. I have been using Nero 5.5.8.2. When I play any mp3s either on Windows Media Player or Real Player, no problem. (They are usually downloaded from Kaaza.) However, when I drag and drop those same songs into Nero to create my list before burning, and I test them by playing them in Nero, then I get the sporatic pops and crackles. And they are not always in the same places. As far as I can tell, they are still mp3 songs at that point before the burn. If I burn the songs I've tested out of Nero, the imperfections will also be recorded on the burn. Could it be Nero? Why do the other players play the songs perfectly but not within Nero? Damn I'm frustrated. Glad cd-rs are so cheap.

JohnE. · 05-30-2002, 07:40 AM

Hmm... could be Nero itself. Are you using Nero to "create an m3 disk" or making a data disk that just happens to have mp3's on it?

I don't trust and never use Easy CD Creators built-in "make an mp3 disk" function... I always make a data cd and fill it with mp3's and have had no problems playing back such a disk through WinAmp (other than the occasional pop or click that was present in the original source material to begin with).

JohnE.

reever · 05-30-2002, 08:43 AM

I am using Nero to copy mp3s onto cd\r on the fly. They are automatically converted into wav. files.

JayMan · 05-30-2002, 09:10 AM

u might wanna try converting the mp3's u wanna burn to a wav file first. I use winamp's diskwriter plugin for this. then burn the wav files as an audio cd. I've never had any problems. Also i suggest keeping burning speed around 8x or below for audio, thats just the way i like to do it.

JayMan