Recommendations - various software vs. various tasks

[NuGuy]

I've decided to buy the Toshiba DVD SD-M1502 and Acer CRW-1208A combination. Not the fastest, but I think the most capable for disk backups, the most demanding of all the tasks I'll be doing.

1. CloneCD 3: will get this for CD backups.

2. I want to use/save data onto a CD-RW disk as a big floppy; saving, re-saving/-writing, etc., all kinds of data, images, etc. Best software for this?

3. I want to compile my own music CDs, selecting various tracks from various CDs, maybe even an LP or 45.... What I want (need!) to do is ensure that all the songs on my single compliled CD are recorded at (and will play back at) approximately the same volume. Best software for this?

I keep reading great things about Burning Nero. Maybe this will do tasks #2 and #3 (above) equally well?

Thanks.

[Ian]

2. If you're not planning on using CD-R media, then use InCD.

3. You want some sort of software with normalization features. Nero can do this after some tweaking. Feurio is also a very good tool when burning audio.

[JANK]

#3 - I do this for a hobby/passion (some guys build wood hutches in their basement, I compile CDs heh). My process is to gather the music files (MP3s - internet downloads <gasp!> and/or WAVs - either ripped from my CDs via EAC (Exact Audio Copy - recommended BTW) or made from my LPs & Cassettes by using CoolEdit2000 to read them in. I then "JANKmaster" these files in CoolEdit by adding a 'touch' mo' bass and getting them to the same sound levels - details avail upon request.
I then burn them via Nero. Nero rules.

So the gist is that I use EAC, CoolEdit and Nero.

My questions to add here or things I have yet to explore are - 1) how Nero's wav editor compares against CoolEdit's (I suspect CoolEdit is more robust) 2) converting MP3s to WAV - convert first or after my "JANKmastering"? I read you should not tamper with the compressed MP3s but rather convert them first to WAV. I have done it either way by forgetting to convert or not knowing better earlier on. I have never heard a diff no matter what order.
thx

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: JANK on 2001-08-22 14:27 ]</font>

[Matt]

MP3 decoding is pretty much evened out, not many players have a more 'pure' sound. You're already pretty lossy in terms of quality just by using mp3 bitrate of 160kbps and below. I'd just use nero's built in decoder, but if you need to edit the audio spectrum, then I'm not sure about decoding the mp3 to a wav form and back to mp3 on the fly, don't think any progs do that actually. So .mp3 -> .wav would be the only way that I know of. Wouldn't recommend re-encoding at a similar bitrate however, only higher.

[NuGuy]

JANK - Thanks. I probably will get some details from you, but later -- Still (!) haven't bought my CD-RW yet.

(Stopped into Best Buy tonight and they had the Acer 1208A marked down for clearance at $100. The shelf was empty! They're unloading a truck full of stuff tonight and tomarrow, and I hope there's another unit available.)

[JANK]

Well unless you bought the Acer, check out the LiteOn 24x. I got mine shipped for $160. Real Nice.

BTW - after I edit I don't reconvert the tunes BACK to MP3s. I burn them the old-fashioned way, WAV to CD.

[NuGuy]

JANK -

Coincidently, I was just over at the CD-RW forum, "need help....cd-rw" topic started by pingzong.

arklab over there also recommends the Lite-On 24x. I asked where he got his, because I can't find much on the Net.

I did not buy the Acer; found 3 yesterday, but decided to go with the Plexor 24x as my sole CD reader/writer. But you and arklab (over at the other forum/topic; check it out) just about have me convinced to get the Lite-On 24x (I visited CDR-Info.com and read about it), especially if Nero and InCD are included. A terrific deal!

So, where did you get yours?
Thanks for your reply.

[arklab]

Damn .... now my "little secret" is out .....

I feel so dirty .....

[NuGuy]

JANK, arklab -

I ordered the 24x Lite-On, and I feel good about it. Thanks for your advice.

[JANK]

Prolly too late NuGuy but I got mine at 'newegg.com' - $160 shipped. Fun, yes.

[BernardP]

If you want a program that uncompresses, normalizes, cuts silence, and outputs to WAV or MP3, all this on a batch of files (queuing), I suggest MP3Workshop freeware:

http://myhome.iolfree.ie/~mp3workshop/

Simple and fast. It also does other things.

[NuGuy]

Thanks. But I feel like I'm a million miles away from trying any software. Can't even boot my computer with my new Ultra100 TX2 IDE card connected to my HDD....

[arklab]

NuGuy,

You said:
"Can't even boot my computer with my new Ultra100 TX2 IDE card connected to my HDD.... "

Did you change your PC's BIOS settings (usually found under "Advanced"), from something like "A, C, CDROM" or the like to "A, SCSI, CDROM" or even "SCSI, A, [whatever]"?

Even though the drives are IDE, the PC "thinks" of that Ultra controler card as a SCSI device.

If SCSI is not enabled as the boot device, the PC can't boot from any device attached to it.

This is true for both "Ultra-66 and Ultra-100 PCI cards and RAID controler PCI cards.

Also, it's not a good idea to attach any CD drives to these, just HD's. Use the mobo's IDE for the CD stuff.

Also, Also, If your motherboard already has both two regular IDE conectors AND a built in RAID chip (two more IDE conectors), any additional PCI IDE controlers MIGHT not work. Check the mobo manual.

AND FINALLY (really), make sure the card is FULLY seated in the PCI slot. Look very carefully for any small caps or such placed right under where the PCI card must sit. I had one SOYO motherboard that just drove me NUTS 'till I discovered the problem! (And I never recovered)

Hope this helps.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: arklab on 2001-09-02 11:01 ]</font>

[NuGuy]

Thanks for the advice, arklab. I'll go into set-up and try again, although the only letter designation I saw was for the 3-1/2 diskette drive. (Booting with the Ultra100 attached, the system just hangs during the BIOS settings display, with only the HDD not being recognized.... waiting... and waiting....) (I've e-mailed Promise tech support with a detailed description of the problem and the results of my attempts to correct it.) I'll be back. Thanks again.

[NuGuy]

I'm back. Hopefully a few of you reading this thread might be interested in my hardware problems... I really need to have more IDE channels before installing my Lite-On 24X burner, hence my purchase of the Promise Ultra100 TX2 with its two independantly functioning IDE channels.

I pulled my HDD from its cradle and found that the jumper were set for "cable" and not "master" as I had assumed. Changed that. My research on the Web revealed that some motherboards "like" to boot from PCI slot #1 (I installed the card originally in #3), so I installed the Promise Ultra100 TX2 in PCI #1. At first there seemed to be no difference/improvement when booting -- still hanging at the end of the BIOS post. So I did the only thing I had not yet done -- WAIT. And after nearly three (3) full minutes the Promise Ultra BIOS screen came up, and then Windows 98. The Add New Hardware Wizard showed up, and as soon as my new driver was being loaded, my modem/dial up connection program started, an error was reported, and Windows closed down. I re-set/re-booted the computer, waited those long 3 minutes at the BIOS post again, and tried to install the driver again. This time it was installed successfully. I cannot explain why....

Windows' Device Manager reports that the Ultra100 card and the HDD are functioning properly. The only problem remaining is the terribly long boot time, with that BIOS post taking those long 3 minutes before moving on to the Promise Ultra post. Any ideas on how to correct this? I think some settings need to be changed somewhere. I want to get my card/HDD working optimally before installing my Lite-On and start Burning. (I'll get back to discussing software when that happens... promise!) Thanks.

[NuGuy]

BIOS hang eliminated with installation of updated system BIOS. (Mine was very, very out-of-date.) I'm ready to finally install my burner.

Now, back to the main topic!

[Cash]

What about Sonic Foundry Sound Forge XP 5.0 Studio for $69.95 and maybe on sale? Will that software work well?

What I need is software that will:

1) Allow me to create CD-R's with songs from several different CD-R's.

2) Fade in and fade out between tracks.

3) Normalization so that all the tracks have about the same volume - no huge differences in sound level.

4) I would also prefer the ability to boost the bass a little, though that is not critical.

I am basicly stuck with purchasing at Best Buy due to a deal I have there. Here are the products they have. What do you recommend for the goals I have:

http://www.bestbuy.com/Software/genrePr ... &scat=1198