Tutor Tips from ... the Computer Tutor

26 July 2005

Burning Music CDs with Nero Burning ROM

In a previous Tutor Tip (Burning Data CDs with Nero Burning ROM), you saw how to create data CDs using Nero. Now, we will move on to making music CDs.

Nero can be run in standard mode or in express mode. The information and instructions below pertain to Nero running in standard mode. Whenever you are going to burn a cd, be sure to close all other programs. Do not use another program while you are burning a cd. If you choose to ignore this caveat, you can end up with skips and hiccups on the disc.

How to Create a "Basic" Audio CD Using Nero

If you create a number of Audio CDs, using the tracks from CDs regularly, Nero gives you the option to create a CD title database on your computer. This will save you time, so you need not connect to the Internet each time you wish to have access to Artist and Title information for these CDs. You have to create a folder for storing your music database first. Open the My Documents folder and create one by clicking File, New, and then Folder. Name the folder something memorable. Close My Documents.

  1. Place the first music CD from which you wish to copy tracks into the CD-recorder drive. If Windows tries to do something with the disc, cancel the operation.
  2. Launch Nero from the Start Menu (Go to Start, All Programs, Nero, Nero Burning ROM) or from the icon on your Desktop. If the Nero Wizard opens, close the wizard using the Close Wizard button. This will bring up the Nero main window with a "New Compilation" dialog box. (If yours does not, click on File and then on New.)
  3. In the New Compilation window, you will see a list of CD types in the left pane of the window. Highlight the Audio-CD icon. Now click on the "Audio-CD" tab and untick the "Write CD Text on CD" box. Click the New button in the upper right corner.

    A browser should appear with three columns. If you only have one column, click on View and tick "File Browser." The left panel ("Audio 1") will be the compilation you are going to burn and the two right panels will be the file browser, similar to Windows Explorer.

  4. Click the Audio CD icon in the middle panel to open the list of tracks in the right panel. All you will see on the right is "Track 1," "Track 2," "Track 3," etc. This is one of the drawbacks using Nero to burn audio CDs. Nevertheless, you can look at the CD's song list in the jewel case to find the songs you wish to copy.
  5. Choose your first song and use Drag-n-Drop to add it to the compilation on the left. (Simply click on the desired track in the File Browser and drag it into the compilation window.)

    If you are online, the "Nero's Title and CD Database" window opens, giving you access to an Internet database. Using the Internet database will cut down on typing, and give you detailed information about the Audio CD and its song tracks.

  6. Click the Access Internet Database button to start the Internet search. The search may result in more than one CD being found. Sometimes, it will be several versions of the same CD listing. You can click each one and compare the track listing with the disc's song listing to see which version to use.
  7. Click the "Selected CD" button to add the first chosen track to your compilation.

    If you have not previously created a user database, you will get a message indicating that you need to create one. Click the Yes button to create a database.

    Nero will ask you to create a folder to contain the database. Since you have already done this, click the Ok button. The destination browser window opens. Select the database folder you created and click the OK button. Nero will prompt you to overwrite the existing database. Here, you must make a choice.

    1. Click the No button. (Recommended if you have large free space)
    2. Click the Yes button. (Recommended if you do not have much free space)

    When the new database is created successfully, click the Yes button to set the new database as your default "User Database."

  8. Continue selecting tracks from this CD until you have added all of the desired songs to the compilation. If you wish to continue with another CD, eject the first disc and insert the next. Repeat steps 5 through 8 until you have finished or have run out of space on the compilation. A blue-line gauge at the bottom of the File Browser screen will tell you how much time you will have used on the compiled CD and how much remains available.
  9. Click the Burn Compilation button (Ninth icon from the left) or select the Burn Compilation command from the Recorder menu to open the write dialog box. (In earlier versions of Nero, it may be the Write-CD button or Write CD from the File menu.)
  10. On the Burn tab, tick both the "Write" and the "Finalize CD" boxes. On the line that says, "Write Method," you must select a method to use when creating this audio CD. Select "Track-At-Once" if you wish to continue writing to this disc in the future. Select "Disc-At-Once" or "Disc-At-Once/96" if you do not wish to add any more songs to this CD in the future, and especially if you are creating a "Master CD" for mass duplication. For this write operation, use the "Disc-At-Once" write method. (Important Note: Multiple burns to an Audio CD will not work properly in car and home sound systems; because car and home sound systems will only read the first session on the CD. Only on your PC Computer, using CDROM or DVDROM drives, can you see all the Audio Tracks of an Audio CD written more than once using "Track-At-Once" write method.)
  11. Click the Burn button to start the burn process. Wait patiently for the disc to be written. When finished, Nero will inform you that the process is complete. Click OK.
  12. Click the Done button in the lower right-hand corner of the Nero Window.

Nero will eject the newly-created cd and patiently await your next task. You can either exit or start a new project. In either case, Nero will ask if you want to "Save changes to Audio1?" Click "No."

Go somewhere and quietly enjoy your newly-compiled disc. If you find that your CD "skips" or otherwise acts askew, remake the CD. When you get to the Burn tab, click the drop-down list next to "Write Speed" and try a slower speed.