2 tips for saving and archiving music on CD

If CD is your preferred format for saving music files or archiving your digital music, follow these tips now, and have less hassle in the long run.

•  There are a number of digital audio formats in use these days, although MP3, WAV and MID (MIDI) are probably the best known of the bunch.
• Audio CDs, meanwhile, have their own formatting (although they use WAV files) that allow them to work with all CD players — including models that predate the arrival of CD burners.
• When storing music files onto a CD-R or recordable DVD for archival purposes, experts recommend recording them as WAV files rather than as CD Audio files.
• You won't be able to play the discs on most home or portable CD players, but you'll be getting some added insurance on the integrity of your music in return.
• When a scratch or other flaw causes a loss of data on an audio CD, it's typically heard as a loud click or pop as the CD is played.
• All computer data files (including WAV files), however, have an extra level of error correction that provides additional protection against data loss with fewer audible artifacts.
• Besides, you can always burn an audio CD using your archived WAV files at some later time.

• If you decide to use the CD audio format when making archival copies of your digital music, it's a good idea to record the discs at a slow speed, preferably 4x.
• Decreasing the recording speed ensures a more exact burn with better laser response.
• Higher speeds are fine for recording data, where significant error correction is inserted during the burn and implemented during the readback.
• But when the lack of error correction in the CD audio format is combined with irregularities in the quality of the blank media and inaccuracies of the laser during recording, the end result can be inferior-sounding discs.
• A slow speed makes sure you're getting the best-possible recording.