Archived CD+G files?

[jobiesmi]

Hi Gary & George,
To Garry:
Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I to am a karaoke clown (I like to use the term “Karaoke Artist”) who is very serious about my singing, but only as a hobby. I am also a not too humble professional artist (graphic design, video and optical disc authoring and mastering), forced into being a computer technophile in order to pursue my craft in this digital age we live in. The never ending learning curve. I am constantly amazed at the power that it affords me and the frustrations that go with it. Forgive me if I seemed condescending but it seems so hard and time consuming to get my point across. We all seem to be using different phraseology and never quite on the same page, you know.

As to your response: “I often think there is a limit to what they know about some of the things that other people are trying to do and avoid being pulled into the threads before someone else has come up with a solution.” Boy, you’re sure right about that, and I guess I knew that all along. I just needed some confirmation. I also know that tech support is the biggest headache for hardware and software sellers everywhere, and that the trend is away from free support. Now-a-days you have to pay big bucks for reliable and qualified support. I remember when I first bought into MTU about 4 years ago I actually got to talk to a techie on the phone for a while, and he was very helpful at the time. Those days are long gone.

Thanks for the kind wishes and believe me, I’m not holding my breath, Ha.

To George:
Clam down Bro. No need to get your panties in a bind. I can’t find where I criticize anyone here. As I stated to Garry: We all seem to be using different phraseology and never quite on the same page. That’s the trouble with forums. Everyone’s methods and terminology is a bit different and it takes so long to reach understanding. I think my use of the word “data” is confusing the issue. I use that term in a very general way, meaning that all files on our PCs is some form of data. I do not mean that I am somehow changing the “characteristics” of the file, or data as I call it. I do not mean that I change a .cdg file to a data file. A .cdg file is a data file already, you know. The only time I have ever changed the file extension on a .cdg file (and back again) is from within Karaoke Builder, to good use. **** those Brits (sorry Garry) and their .bin files, Ha. As you suggest, if I am changing the charactistics of any files, it is unintentional.

You mention Roxio CDCreator 5. I’m not familiar with that app., but if it is similar to the HP CDCreator app. that I was using (I say “was” because I have just recently abandoned that HP burner, and replaced it with a Plextor DVD drive that came bundled with Roxio CD-DVD Creator 6, which I haven’t yet tried to open) to archive with, it gives you the options of either making an audio CD or a Data CD. If you choose audio, you get a disc meant to be played in a CD player, to listen to music. If you choose Data CD, it puts the files you select (any and all files are data files, after all) on the CD for accessing from a CDRom. This is like the difference between a CD+G disc you burn with Microstudio for playing in a Karaoke player, and burning, or writing the raw .cdg files to a CDR disc for accessing on a CDRom. This is archiving, or at least, how I’ve been doing it. The files characteristics are not changed, or should not be. There are other methods of moving files to CD or DVD such as drag-and-drop, Copy To Folder, etc., depending on your OS and your other apps. The whole point is moot with me now anyways as I have decided that the easiest way to save a Compilation (as stated in my second reply above) is to simply make an extra one on the initial burn and call it a “master” that can be kept safe and duped as often as necessary. Why bother with data files that have to be moved around and put in order and may get corrupted in the process, etc. To bad MTU doesn’t include a function within Microstudio that will safely archive their files for us.

I am done with this discussion for my purposes, but I really appreciate both of your inputs. I am really not a discussion group type of guy but it was fun, albeit a bit frustrating to have this chat with you blokes. Do you guys ever talk about music and singing in karaoke clubs, bla, bla, bla, Ha?