Beginner question: Live recording/burning discs through computer

[cpotter]

Hello all,

I know what I want to do, but haven't figured out how to do it yet. I have recorded recitals in the past as a student job in college using all rack equipment and cutting CDs straight off the recorder. (Set up was Preamp->DAT->CD recorder until the DAT crapped out, then it was straight to CD). No mastering or editing - gave the CD to the performer at the end of the recital.

I've been asked to record a concert band festival but I want it to be similar as before (record and burn the cd, rinse repeat) but through my computer (Macbook Pro and USB interface). Is there a way to effectively do this? I've tested it out through Garageband, but it seems like if you record a performance, there's no way to split the master into separate tracks for a CD without having to cut/paste into three new projects. This wouldn't be a problem, but it takes more time than I probably have between ensembles for getting the discs out.

Is there a solution, or should I just invest in getting a separate cd burner, or multitrack recorder with a cd burner?


Thanks!

[Andrew_Malloy]

Check out Audacity. It will allow you to split recordings into new files then drop them into iTunes or Toast to burn.

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

[TimOBrien]

And you should check out Reaper.

Not only is is Mac & Win and a full-fledged multi-track sequencer (audacity is an extended stereo editor) but it also has CD burning facilities within.

....and it's only $60 for a full Mac/Win license.
The 'demo' is fully functional so you can try it out to see if it meets your needs.

[jpleong]

On the PC side, it's easy to do this with Audition 3.0 (not later versions, as Adobe didn't include disc-at-once in their new code). On the Mac side, there's Wave Editor from Audiofile Engineering: http://www.audiofile-engineering.com/waveeditor/ They have a 15-day trial so you can see if it does what you need. I believe Steinberg's Wavelab has the ability to do DAO, too.

On the theoretical side, I wouldn't do this in-the-box -at least not with the turnaround time you're talking about. If you're recording at 24/44.1 you still need to sample-convert (takes time), program track changes (takes time), burn (takes time), and verify the disc (takes time). Recording straight-to-disc at 16/44.1 via a hardware burner is probably going to be the quickest thing to do.

JP