The trouble started with the software that came free with my external CD-R drive (a Hewlett-Packard 8200, one of the most popular). It refused to recognize most of the tunes on my hard drive, which meant I had to hunt for another program that would convert those songs into a more amenable file format. Even then, the ungrateful software served up a CD with pops and clicks after every track.
Maybe I was expecting a bit too much from a freebie. I ramped up to Roxio's Easy CD Creator 5 ($99), the best-selling burning software for PCs. It had one truly tantalizing feature. You could blend tracks into one another like a true DJ. I dreamed of making nonstop party discs without a nanosecond of silence or fade-out. Alas, this is no good if you can't preview what the transitions are going to sound like--which, 9 times out of 10, Roxio's software failed to do.
It's also no good if you can't burn a complete CD. My Roxio-made discs inevitably gave up and ejected themselves around track 12 or so, claiming lack of memory. After I spent several hours on the phone with them, Roxio's tech support sent me some updated software. Even that did not halt the alarming proliferation of coasters.
I was starting to think I'd never make a complete CD. Then I tried MusicMatch (free at musicmatch.com, plus $30 to upgrade to the fast-burning version). Success at last! But there were still problems. The program doesn't tell you if playlists are too long for the CD until you hit RECORD, and some of my MusicMatch-made CDs skipped like a heavyweight boxer. Real Jukebox (at Real.com, also free for basic and $30 for fast-burning) had a better track record, but only because the Real people sent me a software patch that isn't publicly available yet. Before that, it wouldn't even admit my CD-R drive existed.
My final test was the beautifully simple iTunes, freely (and, sadly, only) available for Macs. Build a playlist, click on a button and let it burn, baby. My first iTunes CD was so easy to make and so glitch free, I had tears in my eyes. Tears, because all my music is on the other computer.
So what do I do with all these failed CDs? A colleague here told me her father hangs his in the garden to scare away birds and deer. Any other ideas? The reader with the most inventive use for a useless CD wins a box of coasters.
Questions--or tips--for Chris? E-mail him at cdt@well.com