Windows shows files as CDA's, not CDG's
 

I'm stumped. The MicroStudio software has no problem playing the karaoke files on my hard drive, but when I burn them to an MTU certified CD-R, using a certified external drive, they show up as CDA's on my disc, not CDG's.

Thus, you can only play audio and not video. Any ideas?

When you click on Write Disc when the next window pops up make sure that the Karaoke button is green. If the Audio button is green you won't get the lyrics.

That's the only thing I can think of at the moment.

I've done that, and it makes no difference.

This is what's really puzzling to me. If I just drag and drop the BIN files to the CD-R, and just burn it using Windows, the BIN files stay intact, and I can play them off the CD-R with full audio and video. Unfortunately that doesn't work well if your local karaoke bar has a more stereo-like machine, instead of the computerized type. The machine at my favorite bar needs to see track numbers.

But when I burn it using MicroStudio, inexplicably the files are converted to CDA form (CD Audio). Mind you, this isn't the only burning software where I've gotten such results (Power CD + G Burner yields the same result).

Any other ideas?

Try doing a disc copy with a cdg disc, and see if the results are the same. If it is, then it would indicate it's posibly a burner problem.

When you say a "certified burner" did the burner come from MTU?

I don't have any CDG discs, so that's not possible. Yes, I just got the burner from MTU yesterday.

Has Microsoft changed?
 

Microsoft Windows, at least the versions I have owned, doesn't show cdg disc tracks as cdg. It always shows them as cda. I'm not sure I understand the issue. I guess I'm ready to learn if someone else has had different experience.


They play with graphics after you burn the disc, right? You might run into compatibility issues with different clubs' equipment, but I don't think it will have anything to do with whether Windows calls the contents of a cd "cda" Windows won't call the tracks on a Karaoke disc "cdg"
.:?

Actually I'm finding it will play on my laptop (when the certified burner is hooked up to it), but not my desktop. I'm wondering if I have drivers missing on my desktop. I fully updated my Windows yesterday.

Although even when I successfully play the disk on my laptop, when I click the play button, I get the error message "waveInOpen: Invalid device identifier." Then when I click "OK" on the error message, it starts playing anyway. Then when I click the stop button, I get the error message "waveInReset: Invalid handle."

The errors don't hurt anything ultimately on my end, but I hope they don't when I test my local karaoke bar's equipment tonight. Crossing my fingers. :)

If you used EXPRESS install on the updates, you only got the ones Microsoft deems important. If you used EXPRESS, go back in, use CUSTOM, and take everything, especially .NET FRAMEWORK, which is a must for Microstudio.

I indeed have everything I can possibly install on my Microsoft Vista, including the just-released Service Pack 1.

According to Wikipedia, the .NET FRAMEWORK is standard with Vista, so that shouldn't be an issue.

Another thing that's puzzling me..........I keep reading that because of some "code problem" with Windows, it reads CDGs as CDAs, even though they're actually CDGs.

That's partially untrue. The CDG files I have on my hard drive, Windows indeed lists as CDG, and plays them with any karaoke-playing software, with full audio and video. It's only when reading files off my CD-R, does Windows list them as CDA.

And again, while the files are listed as CDA, they will play on my laptop, but not my desktop. I was hoping my desktop was missing some files that the Service Pack would replenish, but it made no difference.

Where Windows reads CDG files as CDA is only on the CDs themself. The file extension used when save/burned to CDs is CDA. The extension used when saved to the Hard Drive is CDG or BIN (which is the actual format that is used). Since the double file MP3+G, WMA+G, and WAV+G have started being used MTU change their save file extension to BIN.
If you laptop will play them with the grafics then the CD disc is fine. Since you desktop won't read/play them then I would suspect that the drive you are using is not compatible with CDG format.

Actually I'm using the same external drive with both (shuttling it between machines for testing).

Are you using Microstudio on both computers to play them? And if so what version?
Did you go to the Microsoft Windows Update web site to check the Custom Update or are you depending on the Auto Update function of Windows to update your Vista?

I don't know what I did, but I finally got my desktop (using MicroStudio) to read my karaoke disc. With no errors.

Now here's hoping my local karaoke bar will too tonight. :)