Gapless Song Transitions for 3 Song Medley

[joec]

I've record a medley of three songs that run together, and I would like to produce a CD in such a way where I can choose the start locations of the songs without interrupting the flow or feel of the music.

I guess slice up into three pieces and string them together with quite a number of CD burning software, but I was looking for productions software that I could set the CD search points slicing it up. I'm concerned that it might through off the timing.

Can any of you fine gentlemen suggest an appropriate CD production tool.
Thank you in advance for your assistance.

[Matt Whritenour]

Steinberg Wave Lab.

I also set up start points in pro tools by bringing my final mixes into a seperate session with each song on a different stereo track, Align them in time how I want them to be on the cd and put in markers, then when I bounce those down, I will select the marker at the begining of the song then the next marker which would be the marker at the begining of the next song. then use Nero and choose no gap inbetween songs, and I've never gotten any interuptions, skipping ect..

[Never1]

most authoring programs will let you place markers anywhere at all. Wavelab does it. I use Wave Editor and you can place track markers midway through a file, if you want to.

I have no experience, personally with any of the big DAW mastering systems, but I assume they will do that, as well.

You would probably want to have the whole thing sequenced and glued together, before hand, so that it's one continuous wave file that segues into the next section properly, and then import that into your program and just drop the cd track markers in the right places.

IOW, make it sound the way it should as one whole track, then just split it up with the track markes.

[joec]

Thanks guys for the recommendations and the proper terminology.

I was able to do more investigation and I found a very interesting article at:
Does such a program exist?

There are several low cost tools out there that allow you place track markers:

1. Sony CD Architect (PC) $99
2. WaveLab Essential 6 (PC) $99
3. Audiofile Wave Editor (Mac-OSX) $79

But if you want to step up to a tool that does DDP (Disc Description Protocol) output, it seems as if you are going to have to fork out a minimum of around $500 for something running on a PC. DDP would be useful feature to have because it is the de facto standard for disc replication facilities.

Audiofile's Wave Edit has DDP output, but it's Mac only. Dam, times like these make me wish I'd gone down the Mac route!

So, follow on question:

Does anyone know of a reasonably priced, ala WaveEditor CD authoring tool that does track markers and has DDP output and runs on a PC?
Thanks,
Joe

[grandmasters]

Originally Posted by joec

...DDP would be useful feature to have because it is the de facto standard for disc replication facilities...

That is wrong information. Most plants take CD masters and some don't even know what DDP is. You shouldn't be making a DDP if you are not an experienced Mastering Engineer.

Just stick with a CD Master or hire an experienced Mastering Engineer to do the PMCD or DDP for you.

[joec]

So, using software like CD Architect would be the easiest way to create a red book compatible CD-R. Edward_Vinatea

Yes it does, thank you Edward. After spend too many hours researching this issue, I was leaning towards CD Architect. It's not that it cost that much. I just wanted to find a solution that would work for me right out of the gate, and that I would not have to revisit later.

I guess I read a few old posts that talked about DDP, and I thought that I needed it.

[mercurydime]

Originally Posted by Matt Whritenour

Steinberg Wave Lab.

I also set up start points in pro tools by bringing my final mixes into a seperate session with each song on a different stereo track, Align them in time how I want them to be on the cd and put in markers, then when I bounce those down, I will select the marker at the begining of the song then the next marker which would be the marker at the begining of the next song. then use Nero and choose no gap inbetween songs, and I've never gotten any interuptions, skipping ect..

i ditto the wavelab recommendation. in the full version you have a very versatile audio montage function that allows you to place tracks precisely and control the type of fade out/fade in to maximize track transition.

[24-96 Mastering]

Originally Posted by Edward_Vinatea

There is no such a thing as PMCD master anymore. PMCD was a proprietary format from Sony and Sonic Solutions That format is finitto now - that is to say - all those drives and software that created true PMCDs are no longer in existence {with the exception of a few systems}.

Completely correct, of course, but I think most people these days use the word PMCD interchangably with CDR master CDDAs. The term seems to live on as part of the "cool A&R lingo". Certainly when a label person asks me "when they can expect to receive the PMCD", I just tell them "tomorrow"; it's usually the answer they're looking for ;)