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Posts Tagged ‘Media Conversion’

Covered here is a collection of concepts and how-tos that for the lack of a better method, are collected loosely under this heading:

Duplicating CDs & DVDs

If you have the money, pickup Roxio Toast for all of your optical media needs.  Copying and authoring CDs and DVDs is made incredibly easy using their simple and intuitive interface.  Unfortunately, UM Saint Louis doesn’t provide this app on its standard Macintosh lab workstation.  In truth, however, it isn’t required. Most of your needs will be answered using OS X’s built-in application, Disk Utility.  While certainly not as intuitive as Toast, Disk Utility makes disk duplication a relatively painless process once you know what you’re doing … which just so happens to be the purpose of this section.

NOTE: Disk Utility is useless for copy-protected DVDs that use Content Scramble System (CSS) encryption or a similar method of Digital Rights Management (DRM).  Don’t even try and certainly do not expect support from University lab consultants.

Create CD/DVD Master Image

We need to begin by creating a disk image that we can use later to make as many copies as we’ll need:

1. Insert your master CD or DVD
2. Wait for the operating system to recognize the disk and perform its default action.  Quit DVD Player if it is launched for DVD playback.

Far more than simply an exercise in reclaiming my rather large tape collection (circa 1985), using Audacity to cut and clean your favorite yet no longer relevant 80s tunes (the majority of my collection) is an excellent exercise in learning the core features of what an enormously versatile and powerful tool Audacity can be for both personal and professional interests.

While hugely popular with the social media community for both its continually expanding professional features and its open source philosophy of development, this cross-platform digital audio editor allows for some fairly complex work using its multi-track editing capabilities and over 100+ pluginable filters and effects.  It is, suffice it to say, more than ample for our needs.