Using CD Text

CD Text is an extension of the existing audio CD standard ("Red Book") that adds the ability to store text information like album titles, artist names, and song titles on a music CD. This information is stored in such a way that it doesn't interfere with the normal operation of any CD players or CD-ROM drives.

Reading CD Text discs

CD Text becomes an increasingly popular extension to audio CDs. For example, most of the CDs published by Sony after 1997 are CD Text encoded.

DART CD-Recorder Basic allows you to add CD Text information to your playlist at the time you are saving the original CD Text audio tracks. To read a CD Text info you need a CD-ROM drive or CD recorder which supports CD Text and which is supported for this feature by DART CD-Recorder Basic. You will know whether this is the case after opening the Read track dialog – when the CD Text format is enabled the Display CD Text information checkbox, placed in the lower part of the dialog, is active.

To copy audio tracks along with the associated CD Text information, activate the CD Text display (check the Display CD Text information checkbox) and make sure the lifted tracks will be automatically added to the playlist (check the Add tracks to the playlist checkbox). Then select tracks for reading and press OK.

NOTICE

If the Display CD Text information option is not enabled, all CD Text details will be ignored and replaced with the CDDB information – provided it is available and enabled.

Managing CD Text information

DART CD-Recorder Basic allows you to add CD Text information to a created playlist and, if your CD recorder supports this feature, to record a CD Text audio disc.

To provide, modify or view CD Text information corresponding to a particular playlist item evoke the File info dialog by double-clicking the item (or by choosing the Info command from the shortcut menu, which appears after clicking the item with the right mouse button).

The basic CD Text details (3 lines of text) are displayed (when available) inside the CD-R group. To provide, modify or view the entire CD Text information, evoke the Edit CD Text information dialog by clicking the Edit button in the CD-R group.

To provide or check information about the entire collection, i.e. about all playlist items, evoke the Disc information dialog by clicking the Edit button situated in the Disc info group, at the top of the Edit CD Text information dialog. If some of the disc details are common for all playlist items (performer, songwriter, composer etc.), fill in the corresponding sections of the disc info and press the Fill empty tracks button to copy this information to all track records. In many cases this should save you a lot of typing. Then fill in the remaining disc details.

NOTICE

Since a typical playlist is a compilation list, you have to fill in the ‘Disc information’ part of CD Text by yourself – this part is not copied from a CD Text disc, even if all playlist items originate from the same CD.

Creating CD Text discs

Creating a CD Text disc requires a CD recorder which supports the CD Text feature and which is supported for this feature by DART CD-Recorder Basic. You will know whether this is the case after opening the Write to audio CD dialog – when the CD Text format is enabled the Write CD Text information checkbox, placed in the middle part of the dialog, is active.

To create a CD Text audio disc:

1. Arrange audio files into a playlist.

2. Provide CD Text information for each playlist item and for the entire collection.

3. Evoke the Write to audio CD dialog by clicking the WRITE TO AUDIO CD button on the toolbar or selecting the Write to audio CD command from the List menu.

4. Check the Write CD Text information checkbox in the Write to audio CD dialog.

5. Start recording by pressing the Write button.