MAC and music CD's

[Guest]

Anyone know how to burn music CD's on a Mac mini?

It does data CD's OK on my external burner (usb) but I can find no way it will do music CD's that can be played on a normal Hi-Fi CD player.

Apple is just about the same rubbish as Microsoft!

[Bryn]

Anyone know how to burn music CD's on a Mac mini?

It does data CD's OK on my external burner (usb) but I can find no way it will do music CD's that can be played on a normal Hi-Fi CD player.

Apple is just about the same rubbish as Microsoft!

Are you using Toast? That should do the job, surely?

[Dave2002]

Anyone know how to burn music CD's on a Mac mini?

It does data CD's OK on my external burner (usb) but I can find no way it will do music CD's that can be played on a normal Hi-Fi CD player.

Doesn't iTunes work? I have done CDs on Mac OS X that way, though not using a DVD ROMless system. I know that not everyone likes iTunes, but it does do a reasonable job of burning playable CDs - I did several around Christmas as a present I wanted to give was only available as a download.

Do you have another Apple machine with a drive? If so it is possible for one unit to share the drive unit over a network, though unless it's a very fast wireless network it's probably better to use a wired ethernet network.

If you have an external drive connected to your Mac mini it should work fast enough using iTunes.

You can also try Nightingale - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightingale_(software) which is an offshoot version of Songbird.

Apple is just about the same rubbish as Microsoft!

I'd say it is different - though at times it is rubbish. One total pain is the way the compose window in Apple Mail disappears behind other windows - and there doesn't seem any easy way of getting it back to the front - as though nobody ever bothered to check what "real" people might want to do. Despite the problems though, I don't regret having managed largely to avoid the abominations of MS systems for the last year, and probably saved weeks of my life as a result.

[Dave2002]

Are you using Toast? That should do the job, surely?

I've heard that Toast works quite well, though might be somewhat pricey. There is an App - Toast Burn which is cheaper - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/toas...92619118?mt=12 - though take care. Users are now reporting problems with Audio CDs - so maybe skip that one.

Even cheaper is Burn - http://burn-osx.sourceforge.net/Pages/English/home.html [FREE]- though I note that some users have found problems with some versions of OS X - probably the latest Mavericks version.

This page also suggests other possibilities - https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/21992/burn

Nevertheless, iTunes should be able to do most jobs, though there can be problems if the source files aren't in a format which iTunes knows about natively, such as FLAC. There are converters which work if that's an issue, though other burning software could be helpful for those problem cases, and would avoid wasting time and effort on intermediate (possibly) needless conversions.

Ariosto - where are you getting the tracks/albums from? Downloads? Copy from other CDs? The file format will probably influence which burning software you use. iTunes does do WAV if that helps.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Are you using Toast? That should do the job, surely?

"Sirs, you're Toast!" (Carmen)

[MrGongGong]

Toast = perfect

Well worth buying
Burn is OKish
but Toast is the one to go for IMV

iTunes is the work of Satan and should be avoided at all costs

[Dave2002]

Toast = perfect

Well worth buying
Burn is OKish
but Toast is the one to go for IMV

iTunes is the work of Satan and should be avoided at all costs

Isn't Toast rather expensive these days? I consider £60+ to be expensive, and if it's not needed then why pay? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roxio-247010...1+titanium+mac £60 could buy a decent CD box set, or a couple of dinners [though not at some restaurants], or maybe 30 (more?) drinks - depends where they're bought, of course.

What is your objection to iTunes? For many people it'll do the job. I know that some have commented on the sound quality - and claimed it's not so good as ... [fill in your preferred playback software here] ... but apart from some versions which were diabolically awful due to bugs, I can't say I find it terrible.
The lack of built in compatiblity for FLAC is a pain though.

If you criticise iTunes for being a total mess software wise I'd agree with you, but it does work quite well at some activities. In any case, what would you replace it with? Would you need a different software tool for each different activity? iTunes tries to be a sort of Swiss Army knife, and not everything gets done well, but I've not had major problems that I know of re ripping CDs and burning CDs from ripped files. Using it as a hub for iOS file transfers is pretty much a disaster though.

[Ariosto]

I've heard that Toast works quite well, though might be somewhat pricey. There is an App - Toast Burn which is cheaper - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/toas...92619118?mt=12 - though take care. Users are now reporting problems with Audio CDs - so maybe skip that one.

Even cheaper is Burn - http://burn-osx.sourceforge.net/Pages/English/home.html [FREE]- though I note that some users have found problems with some versions of OS X - probably the latest Mavericks version.

This page also suggests other possibilities - https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/21992/burn

Nevertheless, iTunes should be able to do most jobs, though there can be problems if the source files aren't in a format which iTunes knows about natively, such as FLAC. There are converters which work if that's an issue, though other burning software could be helpful for those problem cases, and would avoid wasting time and effort on intermediate (possibly) needless conversions.

Ariosto - where are you getting the tracks/albums from? Downloads? Copy from other CDs? The file format will probably influence which burning software you use. iTunes does do WAV if that helps.

Hi Dave200, Bryn and MrGongGong

Thanks for all the help. I'm new to MAC (since June 2013) and today I bought an USB external CD/DVD writer/player. First problem was that although I have a ProTools CD for Mac (about 2006/07 version) it won't work on my MAC Mini. (Not for PowerPC or something like that).

I then wanted to try and make some of my own recorded .wav files from Reaper into a CD (already done on my Windoze PC) - and it did it. However, it won't play (not recognised) on my Hi-Fi CD player. I then found it was a data disc and it plays on a computer (Mac and Windoze) - but not on anything else. (These are voice recordings and not music I hasten to add, never again violin and piano sonatas - I've been cured of that sort of indulgence!)

I've tried iTunes but can't find a way to use it to make a music CD. I've tried "Disk Utility" on the Mac and this makes an image - but it's data and not music, with tracks, as I normally would expect.

[Word]

One total pain is the way the compose window in Apple Mail disappears behind other windows - and there doesn't seem any easy way of getting it back to the front

Yes, I guess it's a function of the compose window's size and positioning but it does have a habit of getting lost behind other windows.
Just as you can tab between running applications using Cmd-Tab, you can switch between the windows of an app using Cmd-~
(n.b. though the shortcut is officially Cmd-~, there's no need to use the shit key).

Of course, there's also 'Mission Control' (Ctrl-Up Arrow or the dedicated function on the F3 key), which does a pretty good job of showing all windows for all apps, or 'App Exposé' (Ctrl-Down Arrow or Ctrl-F3), which is just the windows for the current app.
I have Mission Control set up as a 'Hot Corner' so a quick flick of the mouse/trackpad shows everything.
(... and they're accessible via a four-fingered swipe up or down, respectively, on the trackpad but that's too much like hard work.)

As for burning audio CDs; it has been ages since I last burnt one but I've always used iTunes and had no problems with them.

Ariosto - If I remember correctly, you just create a playlist with the songs you want on the CD, right click (in the unlikely event that you have a single-button mouse you'd ctrl-click) on the playlist and select 'Burn Playlist to Disc'

[Dave2002]

Hi Dave200, Bryn and MrGongGong

Thanks for all the help. I'm new to MAC (since June 2013) and today I bought an USB external CD/DVD writer/player. First problem was that although I have a ProTools CD for Mac (about 2006/07 version) it won't work on my MAC Mini. (Not for PowerPC or something like that).

I then wanted to try and make some of my own recorded .wav files from Reaper into a CD (already done on my Windoze PC) - and it did it. However, it won't play (not recognised) on my Hi-Fi CD player. I then found it was a data disc and it plays on a computer (Mac and Windoze) - but not on anything else. (These are voice recordings and not music I hasten to add, never again violin and piano sonatas - I've been cured of that sort of indulgence!)

I've tried iTunes but can't find a way to use it to make a music CD. I've tried "Disk Utility" on the Mac and this makes an image - but it's data and not music, with tracks, as I normally expect.

Don't go anywhere near Disk Utility unless you're really sure of what you're doing. You could erase your hard drive accidentally.

You are pushing me into trying out the SuperDrive I bought a year ago which I've not ever connected up. It should simply be a matter of creating a Playlist, inserting a blank disc into the drive, then asking iTunes to Burn. Maybe there are settings in Preferences which need to be set. I'll be back in a few minutes.

.... a few minutes later ...

1. Unwrapped SuperDrive from wrapper, and extracted from box. Connected to MacBook Pro.

2. Then I unwrapped a cake box of new blank CD Rs - and put one into the drive.

3. A dialogue box pops up asking which application I want to connect to the drive. I selected iTunes.

4. I went into iTunes, and created a new Playlist - boring name "Playlist"

5. I copied two tracks into the Playlist.

6. From File select Burn Playlist to Disc

7. Check settings, and press OK.

8. When finished - a few minutes since only 7 minutes worth on 2 tracks - eject disc.

9. Insert into CD player - Works - Track 1 Handel, Track 2 Wagner. No probs!

Voila!

[MrGongGong]

Isn't Toast rather expensive these days? I consider £60+ to be expensive, and if it's not needed then why pay? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roxio-247010...1+titanium+mac £60 could buy a decent CD box set, or a couple of dinners [though not at some restaurants], or maybe 30 (more?) drinks - depends where they're bought, of course.

What is your objection to iTunes? For many people it'll do the job. I know that some have commented on the sound quality - and claimed it's not so good as ... [fill in your preferred playback software here] ... but apart from some versions which were diabolically awful due to bugs, I can't say I find it terrible.
The lack of built in compatiblity for FLAC is a pain though.

If you criticise iTunes for being a total mess software wise I'd agree with you, but it does work quite well at some activities. In any case, what would you replace it with? Would you need a different software tool for each different activity? iTunes tries to be a sort of Swiss Army knife, and not everything gets done well, but I've not had major problems that I know of re ripping CDs and burning CDs from ripped files. Using it as a hub for iOS file transfers is pretty much a disaster though.

Toast works
you can make CD's with ids in the middle of tracks without gaps
and so on
Hardly expensive if you value your time IMV

iTunes is probably fine for people who like to listen to music on their computers
but if YOU make the music and want to be able to save it in other ways, drag and drop to memory sticks or email or FTP etc it's hopeless
sound quality is pants

I use it for synching my phone and podcasts that's it.

[Dave2002]

sound quality is pants

Agree about user needs - if you're doing a lot of work as I guess you do, then £60 could be worth it to save time.

Re SQ do you mean for playback via a Mac - e.g MBP? The quality via the optical output fed to a DAC or even via USB depending DAC is really not bad. Through the mini-jack it can be bad, and other applications can interfere.

Re CDs generated via iTunes - the one I just made sounded fine on my CDP, and for Ariosto's recordings (not music, we're told) it should be fine.

[MrGongGong]

Agree about user needs - if you're doing a lot of work as I guess you do, then £60 could be worth it to save time.

Not really a question of time
more that it does what I need
and other things don't

SQ wise, I don't really listen to music on my computer in that way
I listen to things i'm making (with an external firewire soundcard)
but not really other peoples stuff and I don't store ripped music or downloads on my laptop

[Ariosto]

Not really a question of time
more that it does what I need
and other things don't

SQ wise, I don't really listen to music on my computer in that way
I listen to things i'm making (with an external firewire soundcard)
but not really other peoples stuff and I don't store ripped music or downloads on my laptop

Many thanks for all the advice from everyone. I won't buy Toast as I have other means (Nero) of making good quality CD's on my Windoze computer upstairs which has reasonably large speakers attached, and on which I can use ProTools and Reaper. (This computer has never been connected to the Internet and has about five external hard drives attached). It was just the convenience of using the MAC when it's on and making CD's of my Voice Project which is my version of the Tony Benn diaries (Ariosto diaries - very boring - but my offspring like them) and which I've been recording for the last 7+ years.

I rarely record music these days unless its my wife playing the piano either solo or with her chamber group, and I avoid recording anything where I have to travel to a venue, like the plague!

[MrGongGong]

Many thanks for all the advice from everyone. I won't buy Toast as I have other means (Nero) of making good quality CD's on my Windoze computer upstairs which has reasonably large speakers attached, and on which I can use ProTools and Reaper. (This computer has never been connected to the Internet and has about five external hard drives attached). It was just the convenience of using the MAC when it's on and making CD's of my Voice Project which is my version of the Tony Benn diaries (Ariosto diaries - very boring - but my offspring like them) and which I've been recording for the last 7+ years.

I rarely record music these days unless its my wife playing the piano either solo or with her chamber group, and I avoid recording anything where I have to travel to a venue, like the plague!

Nero used to be my favourite before I switched platforms

Works fine
Like many other folks I love the mac hardware but hardly use mac software at all