616 Chapter 21
Multisession : Refers to a CD-ROM that can be recorded more than once, adding new
material on the subsequent recording, until the disc is full. All computer CD-ROM drives
and most hi-fi CD decks should be capable of playing CDs recorded in this way.
PCA : Program calibration area, the portion of a CD-R disc used for making a trial
recording to calibrate the laser intensity needed for the disc that is being used. This allows
for differences in disc materials, particularly between CD-R and CD-RW discs.
PMA : Program memory area, the portion of a CD-R or CD-RW disc that contains a table
of track numbers along with start and stop data positions for each track.
Session : A recording made on CD-R or CD-RW that can consist of between 1 and 99
tracks. A session is preceded by a lead-in and ended by a lead-out, and a multisession
disc is one that can be recorded at different times, writing a complete session on each
occasion, with all data readable.
Table of contents : A table of track locations and extents prepared by the CD-R/RW
software so that the player can locate each track and data it contains.
Track at once : A system for writing a CD-R or CD-RW disc that writes the session as a
set of complete tracks. Comparedisc at once.
21.3.1 Uses
The hi-fi version of the CD recorder is used much as you would use a cassette recorder
to record music from any other sections of the equipment, such as tuner, cassette deck,
vinyl-disc deck, and DAT deck. You may also, subject to the restrictions of equipment and
copyright, be able to record from an existing CD player, and this type of transfer is much
better if the CD player allows a direct digital output that can be connected to the recorder.
The computer type of CD-R/RW drive must be used along with a sound card that allows
line and microphone analogue audio inputs. The quality of recording that you can obtain
depends very much on the quality of the analogue-digital conversion in the sound card,
and few provide anything like what we accept as CD sound quality. If you are using the
system to copy sound tracks from a cassette recorder to a CD, however, the quality level
of most cards is acceptable. The line input level of most sound cards is lower than we are
accustomed to in hi-fi equipment, and you may need to use the microphone input. This,
however, may be too sensitive, causing distortion at high sound levels, and an attenuator