[arcticsid]

I "inherited" a computer that has about 1500 MP3 files on it. I would like to beable to burn some of them to a CD to play on my standard home CD player. Will MP3 files play or do they need to be converted to a different format? Which format? Does anyone recommend any particualr program to make this conversion?

Thanks as always

Arctic Sid

[mphenterprises]

arcticsid said:

I "inherited" a computer that has about 1500 MP3 files on it. I would like to beable to burn some of them to a CD to play on my standard home CD player. Will MP3 files play or do they need to be converted to a different format? Which format? Does anyone recommend any particualr program to make this conversion?

Hi ArcticSid. Okay, there are several variables that we need to know before we can begin to assist you with this situation. The most important thing is whether or not the home CD player (probably a home entertainment system) recognizes .mp3 tracks. If it does, that makes the process very easy. If it does not, the .mp3 tracks will have to be converted into files that are recognized by the home CD player. The same thing applies to the car CD player. So can you please provide the manufacturer and model number of both the home and car CD player?

Let's take it from both aspects. If .mp3 tracks are recognized, all you would have to do is burn the tracks to a CD using any burning application. I personally do not make any software recommendations; however, I recently made a step-by-step guide for a specific application for another member. I will create that into a Document and provide the link within this Discussion.

If .mp3 tracks are not recognized, the tracks will have to be converted into essentially a CD format. This can be done within the burning process by making an audio CD instead of a data CD. Again, I will make a Document for that as well.

Please note that the basic burning process is the same no matter what application you use. The specific process will differ from one application to another.

[mphenterprises]

Okay, I cannot convert the post into a Document without losing the screenshots that go with it. Instead, please take a look at this Discussion - http://forums.pcworl.../message/200557 - Post #4 outlines the steps I used to create a .mp3 DVD using Ashampoo.

If your CD players do not recognize .mp3 files, replace Step #2 with this:

- Select Burn or Rip Music -> Create an Audio CD

Here is a screenshot: (Click on the image to enlarge it)



All the remaining steps should be self-explanatory. If your CD players do recognize .mp3 tracks, all the steps should be applicable to your needs.

Again, I am not recommending this application. It just happened to be the application another member was using. If you would like to use another application, the process will be the same. If you have problems with another application, please let us know.

[arcticsid]

Hi MP, sure do apprciate you getting back to me. I don't have a CD player hooked up through my stereo. The one I had been using took a dive so I fixed it. (double barrel Rossi) repair kit, kind of fix. HeeHee.I have been playing my music CD's through the computer as the audio output goes from the computer through the stereo anyway. I have a "bom" box outside that I play CD's in and was kind of thinking about playing them on it. I don't know off hand what the model is etc. If I recall right, my DVD player, a cheapie, GPX, I think will play audio CD's, but have never considerd playing MP3's on it. I quess I could burn a quick disk and try to se if it'll play on either, or on both the DVD player and also the boom box.

I guess my main question would be whether or not I could burn these tracks(whether in MP3 or not) onto a disc and play them on any music CD player, without having to be "brand" specific. I will take your advice and recomendations and see how she goes.

As Always, your help and advice, not just for me but to all is appreciated and doesn't go unrecognized.

Thank You

ArcticSid

[Flashorn]

Hey MPH !!



I just tried to burn a CD with CDBurner XP . It is as simple as possible and

will play in my Video Player which is NOT supposed to play MP3s but does. I just clicked on

Burn a Audio CD . It's a free audio burner and also supports Dual Layer and Blue Ray DVDs.

The one I use and recommend is the Roxio RecordNow 10 Music Lab. This is obviously not

free but is the easiest to use . You do not get the Full Creator from Roxio so, not heavy on HDD

space and resources



FLAHORN. !http://forums.pcworld.com/legacyimages/
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[mphenterprises]

Flashorn said:

I just clicked on Burn a Audio CD .

>
>




Hi Flashorn. Yes, that is correct, for the most part, any burning application, whether free or not, will create a CD-like burn of any audio file by using the Burn an Audio CD option. :D

I do not know if the built in burning utility within Windows XP (CD only) and Windows Vista (CD and DVD) provide this option.

[arcticsid]

Hi Flash, thanks for jumping in. I have the XP CD Burner and I like it pretty well. Was just hoping you all could give me adirection before I started trying to record all these tracks. I recently downloaded the YouTube downloader, I believe it was mentioned through PCW downloads. We can save that for another discussion. It works pretty well. I have finally found a decent way to record flash videos. I hope this works well with these MP3 files, someone obviously spend a great deal of time to download all this music, it would be a shame to waste it. I will keep you posted. P2P to me means a back to back P, like when you are drinking tons of coffee. All I want to do is record what is already on this comp.



Thanks Again.

ArcticSid

[mphenterprises]

arcticsid said:

I have been playing my music CD's through the computer as the audio output goes from the computer through the stereo anyway. I have a "bom" box outside that I play CD's in and was kind of thinking about playing them on it. I don't know off hand what the model is etc. If I recall right, my DVD player, a cheapie, GPX, I think will play audio CD's, but have never considerd playing MP3's on it. I quess I could burn a quick disk and try to se if it'll play on either, or on both the DVD player and also the boom box.

For the most part, most modern CD/DVD players, whether cheap or expensive, recognize .mp3 tracks. In addition, there should be a marking on the player that looks like this: (Click on the image to enlarge it.)

!http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YR1CE78GL.SL500AA280_.jpg|thumbnail=true!

As long as the player has "MP3" somewhere on it, the player should have no problem recognizing .mp3 tracks or a CD/DVD that has been burned with .mp3 tracks.

This also includes your computer. The optical drive of a computer will, by default, recognize most if not all types of discs and data burned onto that disc. More specifically, the optical drive's owner's manual or the computer's specification will indicate what types of discs the drive recognizes.

arcticsid said:

>

Quote

I guess my main question would be whether or not I could burn these tracks(whether in MP3 or not) onto a disc and play them on any music CD player, without having to be "brand" specific. I will take your advice and recomendations and see how she goes.

The simple answer to this question is a resounding "YES." Any CD burned as an audio CD can be played on any device with a CD player. A CD burned as a data CD with .mp3 tracks on it can only be played on devices that recognize .mp3 tracks. The manufacturer of the CD or player does not matter.

[Flashorn]

Hey MPH !!



I have tried to burn CDs with the WMP in Both XP and Vista and it will burn but, there are

restrictions on which CD player those CDs will play on . It's kind of trying to play DRM MP3s.

They just won't play on every player. DRMs won't play in my Wife's SUV (Bose) and won't play

in the Mustang (Alpine) . So , your best bet is with CDBurnerXP. I just tried that CD I burned

in my home stereo (NAD) and it plays just as well. The only place I can't get a CD burned with

CDBurnerXP to play is in my youngest's car stock GM CD player .



FLASHORN. !http://forums.pcworld.com/legacyimages/
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[mphenterprises]

Flashorn said:

I have tried to burn CDs with the WMP in Both XP and Vista and it will burn but, there are restrictions on which CD player those CDs will play on . It's kind of trying to play DRM MP3s. They just won't play on every player.

That is exactly right. I forgot about DRM. That is an excellent point to add. Good job.

[Flashorn]

Hey ArcticSid !!



You know, with the CDBurnerXP software , you can burn a Dual Layer DVD if you

want to back up all of those songs. This way you can be sure that if something happens

to the HDD well, you'll at least have the MP3 files safely stored away to burn another

day. If the CD / DVD player in your present PC supports burning Dual Layer DVDs

then , I would recommend you back those files up. You can burn those files as Data

on the DVD, this way you should have enough of 8.3 Gigs to burn all of those MP3s.



FLASHORN. !http://forums.pcworld.com/legacyimages/
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[mjd420nova]

Arctic: Whole lot of info there but the most important thing you need to know is that standard CD's that you buy in the store are in the .WAV format. PCM stereo and 16 bit. Ripping the MP3's to this format will allow you to play them anywhere a regular CD will play. There is one thing you also need to know and that is that you will notice that any cuts of music that has been stored as an MP3 file and then ripped back to a .WAV format will not sound the same as the original cuts. Whether the original source was cassette, CD, LP or any other analog device is COMPRESSED to the MP3 format, the compression scheme discards some of the original content that is deemed to be unneccesary. The compressed files, when uncompressed cannot replace this missing information. This may result in flat, bland equivilent tracks of the real thing. When burning to a CD, I use the CD-R type. They normally hold 600MB of space or 74 minutes of music. You can buy music CD's that will hold 700MB or 80 minutes of music. Most all of the CD burners hardware will come with a bunch of software that will allow you to select the files and arranged them into the order you wish before actually burning the disc. Good luck.