M4A to CD audio - Nero on W10 ?? Anybody

ClippyBeer said:

I know you already marked this as solved but I'm curious as to what other formats are supported by MD Simple Burner software.

Quite frankly, if it supports WAV/FLAC you can eliminate NERO/Alcohol and save a few steps. Each Audio CD track is essentially a WAV file with 2 channels 16-bit 44.1KHz. I know this from years of experience converting analog audio cassettes to audio CDs. I would plug in my cassette player to my PC's AUX IN, set the appropriate recording levels, then record to 2 channels 16-bit 44.1KHz WAV using Soundforge. The CD burner I had at the time (with the blazing burn speed of 4x) came with some very basic software - it would burn audio CD's only from WAV files. Nowadays CD burning software will convert for you, not so much in 1998.

So instead of you converting to NRG, mounting in Alcohol, then using MD to transfer to your MD player, why not convert M4A to WAV and copy to your MD?

@ClippyBeer

Hi there

Good questions

The WAV conversion is fine but then you have to use that absolutely hideous piece of Software from Sony called Sonicstage which essentially does an ATRAC conversion on the fly to transfer music files to MD -- you need to create a music library etc -and also the whole thing gets riddled with DRM so after transferring to MD you can't then make another digital copy of the MD or even take optical output to copy to another device (even on Professional gear). You are then restricted to copying in Real time via analog --not a good use of time when you've got 7 hrs of music on a device.

MD simple burner will only copy Audio CD's (or "Virtual audio CD's") to MD - but it's fast !! - but that's why one needs to create an "Audio CD" whether real or virtual first.

I think the sheer horribleness of the Sony software was partly instrumental for Apple's introduction of the (then at that time) revolutionary ipods. The MD itself was (and is) capable of very good Music quality.

So the answer for you is that the simple MD burner gets round all these restrictions by copying Audio CD's to the MD directly -- and therefore one needs to create an Audio CD in the first place -- NERO will create an Audio CD image of almost any type of music format -- you then need the Alcohol 52% piece of software to get Windows to mount and see the "Nero Audio CD image" as an Audio CD which can then be copied to the MD.

in Net MD mode LP2 can copy between 2 and 3 "virtual "Audio or physical audio CD's to MD, in LP4 mode around 4 to 6 at slightly less fidelity --LP2 is perfectly good enough even for the most discerning ears -- LP4 I use often for large numbers of Audio books - great to listen to while driving as well. The Hi-MD format can copy around 8 to 12 CD's to MD -- if using MP3 Audio CD's you can get as many as 40 on to a Hi-MD disc.

So the answer is - if NERO (or any other software) can create an Audio CD that some virtual mounter can make Windows recognize it as an Audio CD then Simple Burner will copy to MD. So any music format that Nero or any other software can create an Audio CD from will work.

I hope this answers the question -- I know it's older technology but I still love the MD format - I'm really sorry it went away while CD's - much more problematical - especially in moving vehicles are still around.

(Note I still need in any case the Windows XP Virtual machine as writing to the MD using the MD recorder only works on XP - so if I get the whole workflow in the XP system then that's fine -- of course transferring the music files I have from my NAS into the XP system is just done with File explorer. NAS with SAMBA allows network sharing with the XP VM).

BTW the MD simple burner has a "get CD info" where it calls the Gracenote CDDB to get track info if your original compilation came from an actual CD (even a ripped one re-created). You can of course edit tracks and titles on both the MD and the "CD" side of the program.

Using the optical out from the MD deck you can copy tracks from the MD to any other music kit you have -- Consumer grade equipment though only allows "1 digital copy" and then you have to do it in analog,

Fortunately we live in more enlightened times where having music riddled with DRM does nobody any favours.

BTW a lot of old radio producers used to use pro TASCAM MD recorders -- still a good investment if you like the format, high quality digital copies (no DRM either) and dirt cheap !! these days.

I got my MD pro deck FREE from our local tip -- I think on your side of the pond you call them "Recycling centres" !! -- the guy who works there knows I like looking at "discarded electronics" -- I repay him at times with "beverages" etc in a local hostelry - so it works both ways !!.

Cheers
jimbo