Our TTOTD from 10/6/97 involved playing multi-session CDs in standard audio CD players.
| “We’ll assume that you are working with a “stand-alone” audio CD recorder (like the ones from Marantz, HHB, and others) and not a computer-based CD burner. Given that assumption, there generally is a command or front panel switch to make the recorder “fix up” the disc, or write a table of contents to it. This turns the multi-session CD into a Red Book CD, which should read fine in most regular audio CD players. You will not be able to write any more data to the multi-session disc after doing this, so be sure you have what you want on it! In most cases, it is not possible to play a multi-session CD in an audio CD player without performing this step.” |
Reader Wim V. in Belgium offers the following clarification of the term “multi-session”:
| “Fixing up a disc does not turn a multi-session CD into a Red Book CD. The standalone burners are able to write one track at a time and add tracks in a later recording “session”. But writing one track is not creating a session in the technical sense of the word. The CD-R keeps a table of contents in a special area on the disc, that is not readable for regular CD players. Fixing up copies this special table of contents into a regular table of contents, readable by regular CD players. Fixing up also closes the CD by writing a lead-in (which contains the TOC) and a lead-out area on the disc. The whole contents of the disc, lead-in, tracks and lead-out make up a session in the technical sense. These discs are single-session. Computer burners are able to write several sessions, each consisting of a lead-in, tracks, lead-out, hence multi-session discs. A CD-player can read the first session on such discs, not the other sessions.” |
Thanks for clarifying Wim, you are correct. Where we got into trouble was referring to the discs created in stand-alone CD recorders as “multi-session”, which technically they are not…