How to record WAV files to CD?

[Gustavus]

I hope some anand-techer can help me with a problem.

My wife is a teacher whose schedule is pretty fixed. There is a daily NPR (National Public Radio) program she wishes to listen to that occurs at a time she can't listen. NPR provides a 7/24 streaming audio of their broadcast so I bought Blaze Audio Power Record that has a very user friendly interface to allow scheduled recording of streaming audio. So far so good -- each day it will record the hour of programming and then turn itself off. I have tested this and it works perfectly. The file is recorded in WAV format to the harddisk. I can play the WAV file back on any computer, but not on any of the three CD players we have -- nor on the car head unit.

After searching on net for what seemed hours, I found that Blaze makes another piece of software -- Blaze Media Pro which is supposed to be able to convert WAV files to a CD format playable on regular CD players or even car head units which would let her listen to the program while driving. I downloaded a trial version (good for 15 days) of Blaze Media Pro which sure enough could write to a CD in a format that our car and various CD players could play.

That might appear to be a solution to the original problem, but so far as I can tell the Blaze software cannot create a multisession CD so each days program will require a new CD, while if I could do multisession, it would be possible to record at least two weeks of the daily programs to a single CD. No problem I thought, use a CD-RW. Blaze writes just fine to a CD-RW which plays back perfectly (in audio mode) on all of our computers, but unfortunately not on the car head unit nor on any of the several CD players we have in the house.

Here is (are) my problem(s).

Since I can record audio tracks to a multi session CD -- adding tracks as needed -- does anyone know of a way to convert the WAV file created by Blaze Audio Power Record. although the fact that the WAV file was created by Blaze Audio Power Record is irrelevant once it is created, to a format readable by a normal CD player? If so I could just convert the WAV file for each days program to a file to be added to a multisession CD until the CD is filled up.

I use Nero 6.6.1.4 to create multisession CDs. If Blaze Media Pro could be caused to write multisession CDs directly, it would save a lot of time and effort to do that directly and not have to first convert the WAV file and then open Nero to add it to a multisession CD.

Hopefully I have described my problem in enough detail someone will either be able to propose an alternate way of doing the whole thing or to suggest a way of making what I am trying to do to work.

Thanks for your help. Sorry for the long winded description, but thought it necessary.

 

[Fardringle]

I use Nero (I think I have 6.3 but I'm not at home to verify the exact version) to create audio CDs and it automatically records the WAV files to disc so that standard CD players can read them. Specifically, you need to select Audio CD (not Data CD) when creating the CD layout. I don't know if you can do multi-session audio CDs, but it's worth a try.

 

[Gustavus]

Fardringle,
Thanks for the reply. I have made three coasters trying to get Nero to make a multisession of WAV files. I created three WAV files by recording different segments from the NPR streaming audio. I then chose start multisession, checked audio and recorded a WAV file. The resulting track 1 can be played on the CD players OK. But when I then chose continue multisession, the response is always; "The disk is not writable". Apparently Nero closes out the CD when writing an audio file instead of making it a multisession so writing could be resumed later. It does not do this with a data CD.

If anyone knows how to get around this, please let me know.

At least it appears Blaze Media Pro is not needed. That will save me some money -- to spend for expendable CDs I am afraid the way things are going.

 

[oynaz]

No, you do not need Blaze Media Pro.

Multisession is not a part of the CD audio standard, so that is not an option.

Can your audio CD players play rewriteable CDs? Using one of those would solve your problem.

 

[Gustavus]

Thanks oynaz
I had finally realized that what I was trying to do was impossible -- a combination of more searching on net and experimentation with what I have here. We have two component HiFi systems -- one using a Technics SL-PG100 and one using a Technics SL-P555 CD player -- so when they couldn't play the CD's, I was pretty sure something was wrong. We are replacing the portable CD player my wife uses with one that can read CD-RW disks so that is one solution. Also, I purchased a Lexar MP-3 player for her on e_bay last night so she can take a recording with her if she wishes.

Thanks to everyone for the help.

 

[Old Hippie]

This may not be an option, but can't ya wait 'till ya get a whole disc full and burn 'um all at once?

 

[Gustavus]

Old Hippie
Thanks for the suggestion, which I ran into at several places on net where people were asking about adding songs to audio CDs, If the CD was for me, I probably would do that -- or even just listen at the computer when I could -- but my wife thinks of this as a way of simply delaying the broadcast each day to a time she can listen. Technology didn't permit me to do what seemed most reasonable, but as I said in my previous post, the problem is now solved so far as what my wife wanted. So my problem is solved too! If she is satisfied, I am satisfied.

 

[corkyg]

It is always best to build your CD on an HDD. You can then arrange the tunes as you choose. Roxio EMC also auto burns WAV files to .cda. So does Windows Media Player.