[Dixielandjazz] Service life CD-R's

[James Kashishian]

Gerard wrote:
>Recently I discovered to my dismay that some of my very first burned
CD-R's
>(3 years ago) were no longer in good condition.

There was great concern over the life expectancy of CDR's when they
first appeared (actually, the same occurred when CD's first came on the
market!).  That was before the PC burned CDR's, and the format was
mainly being used in recording studios only.

I, for one, still prefer to have my masters recorded onto DAT tape as a
storage medium, and use the CD's for listening, etc.  A DAT tape can't
be erased once it is recorded....even in a bulk eraser!!

The first arguments were in favour of the gold colored disks over the
cheaper green colored ones.  There's a technical name for the components
that cause the different coloring, but I can't remember those details
now.

I continue to use the Gold CDR's for all my work, and in
particular.....only buy the ones marked "optimized for Professional
Audio Use", or "Premium for Music Use", or something like that.  These
CD's cost approx 10 times more than the normal PC disks, which are made
for data recording, basically.  

One particular brand (HHB in the U.K.) has done tests on their CDR's &
guarantee them for 100 yrs.

Another thing......., I use professional audio CD recorders, not a PC to
record on.  That may be another factor in the loss of quality over a
time that Gerard has mentioned.

I think it is poor practice to believe that a recorded CD is a good,
long term storage medium.

Jim