CD-R Media Types...Audio vs. Data

[mark4man]

Crew,

Got my new Plextor Premium (wound up with an internal after all...the internet resellers I had lined up turned out to be BSr's...claiming to have the external available; & then being out of stock.)

The install went without a hitch; & thanks for everyone’s help.

So...I started to get my feet wet with the PlexTools software...burned a few discs on different media; & then checked those burns for C1, C2 & CU errors.

First, I burned two musical compositions to a blank Verbatim CD-R (which came with the drive.)

Then I broke out a TDK blank from a bulk tub I grabbed at CompUSA; & burned the same two tunes.

The C1 (BLER) error rate on the Verbatim disc was (for about 8 minutes worth of digital audio)...2980. But for the same material on the cheapo TDK disc...there were only 161 C1 errors !!!

Then I realized...the Verbatim media was the "DataLife plus"; & not their audio media ("Vibe Music".)

So, my question is: What exactly are the physical & technical differences between the two (CD-R Data & Audio); & does it make a difference (as it obviously seemed to)?

Thanks,

mark4man


BTW - PlexTools has the ability to check blank discs for various quality & error prone conditions...& I'll probably test the two media types myself for comparison. (But I'm still looking for some technical feedback.)

[Ian]

So, my question is: What exactly are the physical & technical differences between the two (CD-R Data & Audio); & does it make a difference (as it obviously seemed to)?

If you're using the discs in your computers CD writer, just buy the normal Data discs. The Audio ones are for stand alone CD burners that hook up to your home stereo. These discs have special encoding on them so that they will work with these stand alone units. They're also more expensive due to royalties, etc.

[mark4man]

Ian,

Thanks.

Forgot to mention...The disks are to be used as CD-A pre-masters...to be sent to the replication house for production.

If there's no physical difference, why so many errors on top-of-the-line media?

mark4man

[Ian]

If there's no physical difference, why so many errors on top-of-the-line media?

Well.. there is from one manufacturer to another. Some just make better discs than others. I'm just saying don't buy the Audio ones unless you need to. But hey, if you're getting good results with them and you're willing to pay a premium, there's nothing wrong with doing so.

If you're sending discs out to be mastered, you might want to try some from Taiyo Yuden. If you can find Made in Japan Fuji discs, these are usually TY as well. I've had pretty good luck with these.