can you make a .cda file in ProTools 10?

[jpmorgan]

Is there any way in ProTools 10 to make a .cda file from your session? Or can you convert a .wav file you've made to .cda file with ProTools?
I've learned that .cda stands for CD Audio. It's my undestanding that .cda files can be read by almost any CD player. Unlike .mp3, .cda files convert to and from .wav files without any loss of information. With an advantage like that, wouldn't you rather make a .cda file than an .mp3 when you bounce a recording to disc?

[Chief Technician]

Originally Posted by jpmorgan

I've learned that .cda stands for CD Audio.

Could you please cite your source?

Originally Posted by jpmorgan

It's my undestanding that .cda files can be read by almost any CD player. Unlike .mp3, .cda files convert to and from .wav files without any loss of information. With an advantage like that, wouldn't you rather make a .cda file than an .mp3 when you bounce a recording to disc?

If you make either an .aif or .wav (16-bit, 44.1kHz) file when you bounce to disk, then you have made a file that is just as good as .cda.

[albee1952]

Indeed. Pro Tools is a great platform for creating the files that go on an audio CD, but its not a program for actual CD creation. Wavelab, Sony CD Architect and Sonic Foundry are some great CD-authoring programs(the "eddential" version of Wavelab is under $100). You might also search youtube for tutorials on how to create and burn audio CD's. While you're at it, you also need to bone up on mastering. While you CAN do it yourself, I suggest you consider having at least part of a project(like maybe your strongest song) mastered by someone with solid experience(then, you can attempt to match what the "pro" does).

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by Chief Technician

Could you please cite your source?



If you make either an .aif or .wav (16-bit, 44.1kHz) file when you bounce to disk, then you have made a file that is just as good as .cda.

Here's a link to what .cda really is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.cda_file
It is NOT audio but a pointer to audio on the cd. No file you create in PT or any other daw is as good as a .cda - by definition it can't be. A 16 bit/44.1 KHz wav file is what you need to burn to a cd. Now there are some cd players that will play mp3 files but for other than space reasons why would you use the horrible quality of an mp3?

[jpmorgan]

An old friend told me .cda stands for CD Audio file. Maybe's he's wrong about that. I don't know.

Thanks for the link explaining what .cda really is.

I'm aware that an .aif or .wav (16-bit, 44.1kHz) file is as good as .cda, but ordinary cd players can't play .wav files, - only .mp3, .wma, or .cda files. Most of the commercial cds I have contain .mp3 or .wma files. Considering the superior sound quality of .cda, why wouldn't every cd producer want to use it instead of the .mp3 format? Of course, .mp3 files are much smaller, but by using a 16-bit depth, the resulting .wav file will only be about half as big as with a 24-bit depth, and an hour of music will still fit on a standard cd.
You probably can't make product endorsements, but could you tell me where I might find and download a reasonably-priced (or preferably free!) .wav-to-.cda converter program?
@albee 1952: Thanks very much for your advice. I'll look for some youtube tutorials on how to burn audio cd's. I'm only a beginner, and anything professional is years away, if ever. I just make cd's of my recordings to pass around among friends, and by now I've learned that cd players can't read .wav files. But they are capable of playing .cda files, which are equivalent in quality to the original .wav file.

[jpmorgan]

I've downloaded a free trial for a $20 .wav-to-.cda converter program, but I can't get it work, and my free trial time is running out. When I try to contact support, I just get server error messages. Is this one for real? Has anyone out there seen this one before? It's the only .wav-to-.cda converter I've found on the net so far:

http://www.wavtools.com/wav-to-cda.html

[Top Jimmy]

A .cda is not a real file. It looks like a file because Windows shows it as though it were a file, but it isn't really a file. What you need is a burning program. If you don't already have one on your computer (most prebuilt pcs come with a burning program already installed), then check out this website suggesting a few free ones. http://www.techsupportalert.com/best...g-software.htm

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by jpmorgan

An old friend told me .cda stands for CD Audio file. Maybe's he's wrong about that. I don't know.

Thanks for the link explaining what .cda really is.

I'm aware that an .aif or .wav (16-bit, 44.1kHz) file is as good as .cda, but ordinary cd players can't play .wav files, - only .mp3, .wma, or .cda files. Most of the commercial cds I have contain .mp3 or .wma files. Considering the superior sound quality of .cda, why wouldn't every cd producer want to use it instead of the .mp3 format? Of course, .mp3 files are much smaller, but by using a 16-bit depth, the resulting .wav file will only be about half as big as with a 24-bit depth, and an hour of music will still fit on a standard cd.
You probably can't make product endorsements, but could you tell me where I might find and download a reasonably-priced (or preferably free!) .wav-to-.cda converter program?
@albee 1952: Thanks very much for your advice. I'll look for some youtube tutorials on how to burn audio cd's. I'm only a beginner, and anything professional is years away, if ever. I just make cd's of my recordings to pass around among friends, and by now I've learned that cd players can't read .wav files. But they are capable of playing .cda files, which are equivalent in quality to the original .wav file.

Originally Posted by jpmorgan

I've downloaded a free trial for a $20 .wav-to-.cda converter program, but I can't get it work, and my free trial time is running out. When I try to contact support, I just get server error messages. Is this one for real? Has anyone out there seen this one before? It's the only .wav-to-.cda converter I've found on the net so far:

http://www.wavtools.com/wav-to-cda.html

Apparently you read the info I linked to but you still don't understand - nothing can possibly be as good as a .cda because a .cda file is NOT and never has been an audio file. I have yet to buy a commercial cd that has mp3 or wma files. And you are confusing .wav and mp3; one is not the same as the other. They are completely different file formats. You can convert from one to the other. mp3 files are smaller because they use a lossy compression format.

Not all cd players can play mp3 files. But all can play .wav files when properly burnt to a cd. If they're not then the file is seen as a data file, nothing more. That's why you can't just save a bunch of .wav files on a cd and play them in a cd player but they will play on a computer through something like iTunes.

[JFreak]

Red Book (a.k.a. CD format) does not know of anything except 16bit stereo 44.1kHz PCM audio

[jpmorgan]

Well, I've increased my understanding a lot from this post, and I thank everyone for responding.
I'm not confused about .wav and .mp3 files; I've always known that mp3's are compressed files, and therefore much smaller than .wav. The drawback is less sound quality.
I was wrong about the tracks on my commercial cds having anything other than .cda extensions. I was confusing them with tracks I've paid to download. The downloads are either mp3s or .wma files.
Summing up what I've learned:
The burning program is what makes the .cda extension, not ProTools. The .cda file doesn't contain any sound information. It only points to where each track begins and ends for the cd player. I had been using Image Burn, but as far as I can determine, it will only write your files to a disc, nothing more. That's explains why the cds I've been making with Image Burn will always play in a computer, but won't play in an ordinary cd player (unless I've made only mp3s from each track, which many newer cd players can read).
A friend recommended the free download "Express Burn" program. I downloaded it, and it will do the .cda extension. Problem solved!