Cd24

[Dan Kneece]

Just visted the Alesis website and looked over the Masterlink. Doesn't seem like it would be of much use to me since I have Microsound, but one thing intrigued me. They list a format called CD24 which I think is a format Alesis came up with. It's a way of writing 24bit AIFF files to CD that can be played on the Masterlink or computer, but not on a regular CD player of course. Seems like we already have the equipment in Microsound to do this. Is there any reason we can't?

[admin]

Try this:
1. Create a new Project with 24-bits.
2. Record some audio into it. Ideally, use AES and import a digital 24-bit file from some digital 24-bit source. If not, record analog (I believe it will record 24-bit in this project).
3. Edit as needed and do File menu Save As SF. Make sure you select SF, NOT Save As Wav as it saves 16-bits only.
4. Take whatever CDROM writing software you have and copy this SF file to a CDROM disc.
5. Delete the saved 24-bit SF file.
6. Create a new 24-bit project.
7. Click the Segment menu, Create Segment command.
8. Select the CDROM drive for your drive, and locate your 24-bit SF file.
9. Create a segment from it.
10. Play the project.

I think it will work.

[geezer]

----I'm not really sure the administrator has answered your question, so let me add a couple of details:

Yes, you can record 24 bit files in Microeditor, but your only A to D converter will be either the analog input on the Krystal card (not quite high enough S/N ratio for critical work, though better than most computers) or an outboard converter....You don't have to go through any big export/import trip to do this, just create a 24bit project.

Yes, microcd will automatically dither this project down to 16 bit for CD, and do it in a very pleasing manner, so you can use your 24bit files for CD.

The big question is whether or not you would want to take your 24bit files to a mastering house to be mastered. There are many people using Masterlink to do this, and many mastering houses accept Masterlink disks. They are also accepting the Tascam 24bit DAT (HR45, I think), which you could easily transfer to digitally from MicroEditor. You could also transfer digitally into Masterlink, I'm quite sure....The one thing I don't know is whether Microeditor will do a save as .aif on a 24bit file (like it does with 16bit files), and whether you could then present that file at a mastering house....Probably could, as most mastering houses now have ProTools, as well.

Another open question is what format the Masterlink discs are really in, and whether a Masterlink could read an .aif file from CD-R.

But the ultimate answer is that yes, you can work readily in 24bit format in MicroEditor, and that you can easily create a 16bit CD from the file in MicroCD and/or transfer the file to other media which is universally readable.

[geezer]

---And yes, you should be able to burn a microeditor 24bit .SF file to CDR and then access it, but, like with all CDRs, you won't be able to work with it unless you change it from "read only"....which, I think, means that you will have to transfer it back to hard disk and then change to "archive" in Properties.

24bit .wav files exist. Can we not do a "Save as WAV" to 24bit?

[admin]

The Save as AIF and Save as Wav will only write out in 16-bit format.

Only Save as SF will write a file to the hard drive in 24-bits.