Burn My Own CD

With RealPlayer and some blank discs (CD-R or CD-RW), you can create custom audio CDs that you can then play on any standard CD player. You can also create custom data CDs with any of the files listed in My Library.

If you have RealPlayer Plus, you can also access such premium features as Crossfade and MP3 CD-burning.

Special system requirements

• A drive capable of writing to CD-R or CD-RW discs.
• Blank CD-R or CD-RW discs.
• Up to 700 MB of temporary free disk space for MP3 CDs.

How to Burn Your Own CD

1. To open the Burn/Transfer page, select the Burn/Transfer tab.
2. From the Current Burner/Device drop-down at the top of the page, select CD Burner. The CD Burner page will open. Follow the steps in the Tasks bar of the CD Burner page, or continue reading below.

3. If you have not already done so, insert a blank disc into your recordable CD drive.
4. Click Select CD Type to choose whether to make an Audio CD, an MP3 CD, or a Data CD. The "Select CD Type" dialog opens, and explains these types for you. (When deciding which type of media to use, keep in mind that CD-RW discs cannot always be played by all CD players. Check your player first if this is a concern.) For more about CD Types, see "Tell Me More About CD Types" below.
5. Click Add Tracks from My Library. A navigable My Library pane opens. Browse for clips.

In addition to the standard My Library categories (such as Music and Playlists), a CD History option is also available. You can choose to duplicate a previously made CD by selecting it from CD History.

6. Build your burn list. Select a clip or clips and click Add Selected to CD to queue clips for burning. The selected clips are displayed in the queue with a Ready to Burn status.

If desired, rearrange the selected tracks by dragging and dropping them within the burn list.

To delete a track, right-click it and select Delete, or select it and press [DELETE] on your keyboard.

The CD Status indicator (below the queue) shows the minutes required for download (Audio CD) or file space (MP3 or Data CD) still available on the disc, and the total minutes or file size you have queued so far. If excess clips are in the queue, they are labeled "Will Not Fit" and will not be burned to the disc.

7. To view or change the default options and CD Text, click Edit Options. The "CD Options" dialog presents preferences based on the CD Type you selected (Audio, MP3, or Data). Click OK when you are satisfied with the preferences and CD Text. (Click Advanced Options for further Drive Options preferences.) For more information, see "Tell Me More About Edit Options" below.
8. Click Burn Your CD. RealPlayer begins burning your disc.
9. Your disc will be ejected when the burning is complete.
10. Optional: Choose one of these CD Burner options from the sidebar:

Burn Another Copy — Place another blank disc in the drive and burn another CD with the same clips.

Start A New Burn — Place another blank disc in the drive and burn another CD with the same clips.

Print Jewel Case — Opens the "Print Jewel Case" dialog.

Good to Know

See CD Burning Tips for suggestions on making your best possible CDs.

Creating CDs with the option of multi-session burning is a RealPlayer Plus Premium Feature.

You can also open the CD Burner from these locations:

• From the Menu bar, select Tools > CD > CD Burner.
• In the My Library sidebar Tasks area, select Burn a CD.
• From the Current Burner/Device menu at the top of the Burn/Transfer page, select CD Burner.

More Information

Tell Me More About CD Types

Audio CD

Creates an audio CD that can be played on standard CD players. Files are added as audio tracks on the CD at the same quality level quality level as a standard audio CD.

The audio quality on your CD is only as good as the original material you are burning. Low bitrate source files have less audio data than CD quality source files. When creating an audio CD, RealPlayer will approximate any missing audio data.

CD-R audio discs can be played on any standard CD player, but not all CD players can play CD-RW audio discs. Check your equipment specifications for compatibility.

MP3 CD

Converts (as necessary) and transfers selected audio files as MP3 audio tracks, creating a CD that can be played on standard MP3 capable players. RealPlayer uses the closest equivalent bitrate during conversion and then temporarily saves the new files before they are transferred. This may require up to 700 MB (one full CD) of free disc space.

If you do not have the CD-Quality MP3 plug-in installed, a link is provided

Data CD

Saves media files of any format to a CD-R or CD-RW disc. This disc can later be read by standard computer CD-ROM drives. Media files are copied to this custom data CD in the same format and quality as they exist on your localRefers to computer resources (such as drives or files) that are part of a computer, or available on a local area network (LAN). drive. This mode is intended primarily for storage and backup of media files.

Only media types supported by RealPlayer can be added in this mode.  

Tell Me More About Edit Options

Options and preferences are specific to the CD Type you have selected.

Premium disc burning features are marked with .

AUDIO CD

Drive Options — Select the Write Speed or click Advanced Options to modify your CD Burner Preferences.

CD Text — Enter the CD text you would like for the current CD. CD text appears in the front display of many newer CD players.

Transitions — 2-second gap: Choose to keep or remove the customary two second gap between audio tracks. Crossfade : Overlaps the end of each track with the beginning of the next. Enter the number of seconds of overlap.

Audio Filters — Adjusts the volume of each track so they all have the same volume.

Use these as my default settings — Select this option to save the current choices as your default settings for Audio mode.

 

MP3 CD

Drive Options — Select the Write Speed or click Advanced Options to modify your CD Burner Preferences.

Disc Options — Add a name to your disc. Your computer or CD player will display this name. Create a multi-session disc: Allows you to add additional tracks at a later time by notfinalizingThe final process of creating a CD, where the list of tracks and other reference information used by CD players, is added to the CD. A CD must be finalized before it can be ‘read’ or played by a CD player. Un-finalized CDs, however, can often be read by computers and MP3 players. the disc.

MP3 CD Playlist Options — Creates playlists on the disc (M3UM3U is a file format for playlists of audio and video files (usually in MP3 format), used by media players to locate and play media files.format) based on the clip info for the files that are to be burned onto the CD; one playlist for each artist or artist and album.

MP3 CD Folder Options — Organize MP3 files on the disc in folders, based on clip info about the artist and album. Choose to create no folders, folders by artist, or folders and subfolders by artist/album. You can also have playlists (from the previous option) placed in their own folder.

Use these as my default settings — Select this option to save the current choices as your default settings for MP3 mode.

 

DATA CD

Drive Options — Select the Write Speed or click Advanced Options to modify your CD Burner Preferences.

Disc Options— CD name: Add a name to your disc. Create a multi-session disc : Allows you to add additional tracks at a later time by not finalizing the disc.

Data CD Folder Options — Do not organize files in folders (default): Puts all files in the root (top-level) of the CD. Organize files...: Organize media files on the disc in folders based on the clip info about the artist and album. Select folders by artist, or folders and subfolders by artist and album.

Use these as my default settings — Select this option to save the current choices as your default settings for Data mode.

Tell Me More About "Additional CD Options"

These commands are available in the drop-down menu at the bottom of the CD Burner Tasks pane:

Print Jewel Case — Opens the "Print Jewel Case" dialog.

Remove Duplicate Tracks — Removes duplicate tracks from the queue. When you queue up large numbers of clips, especially from playlists, it is possible to create multiple tracks from the same clip. If multiple copies are not your intention, click Remove Duplicates to identify and remove all but the first instance of a queued track. This will not affect a playlist on MP3 or Media discs, which can have multiple references to the same file.

Erase CD — Erases all data on the disc so that it can be reused. Available when using re-writable media, for example a CD-RW disc.

Eject CD — Opens door and extends CD tray of active drive.

See Also

Import a CD to My Library

Print a Jewel Case Insert

Burn a Multi-Session CD

Optical Storage Media Types: Audio, Data, and Video