1. From the File menu, choose New to create a new project.

2. From the File menu, choose Import to add the files that you want to use to the Project Media list.

3. Use the Project Media window to sort your media:

1. Click the Views button and choose Detailed from the menu.

2. Enter track numbers in the Comment field to assign a track order.

3. Click the Comment column header to sort the comments in ascending order.

4. In the Project Media window, select your tracks, right-click the selection, and choose Add as CD Track from the shortcut menu.

CD track numbering is based on the First track number on disc setting on the Audio CD tab in the Project Properties dialog.

1. Arrange your audio files on the timeline.

2. Position the cursor and choose Time from the Insert menu to insert two seconds before each track.

If you want to create a live CD with no silence between tracks, insert silence only before the first track.

3. On the timeline, select the length of the track and choose Audio CD Track Region from the Insert menu (or press N) to add track regions. A Red Book CD can contain up to 99 tracks.

CD track numbering is based on the First track number on disc setting on the Audio CD tab in the Project Properties dialog.

Double-click a region tag to select the duration of the track.

4. If you want to add index markers, position the cursor and choose Audio CD Track Index from the Insert menu (or press Shift+N).

   You can use indices to subdivide a track. For example, a track could contain a orchestral composition, and index markers could allow navigation to each of the movements. Each track on a Red Book CD can contain up to 99 index markers.

From the Tools menu, choose Lay Out Audio CD from Events to automatically create a CD layout for a disc-at-once audio CD. The CD layout bar is displayed and track regions are added.

If multiple events are touching, they will be treated as a single track.

Adding a hidden track at the beginning of a CD

If your CD recorder supports it, you can add a hidden track by adding a track in the space before Track 1. When the CD is inserted in an audio CD player, it will automatically start at Track 1, but the user can find the hidden track by rewinding past the beginning of the first track.

Most CD recorders require that the space before Track 1 be exactly two seconds, which eliminates the possibility of hiding tracks at the beginning of a CD. Check your CD recorder’s documentation for specific information about your drive.

Adding a bonus track at the end of a CD

You can hide a track at the end of a CD by adding silence at the end of the last track and adding the new track after the silence. Drag the final region tag to the new end of the CD.

Because both events are marked by a single CD layout entry, they will be treated as one track by an audio CD player.

The track list is the chronological reference that the CD-R device uses when writing a CD. This list contains information about tracks and indices. A track list is automatically generated when you add tracks to your CD project using any of the methods described in this topic.

Viewing the audio CD track list

1. From the View menu, choose Edit Details to display the Edit Details window.

2. From the Show drop-down list, choose Audio CD Track List.

   The list displays information for each of the tracks and indices in your CD layout.

   

Editing the list

Double-click an entry in the list to edit it. As you edit the fields, the track and indices in the timeline are updated.

Copying the list

Click the box in the top-left corner of the Edit Details window to select all rows in the list, and press Ctrl+C to copy them to the clipboard. You can then paste the list into a document to create a PQ sheet for a CD replicator.

You can also work with your existing CD Architect (.cdp) version 4 projects. For more information about opening a CD Architect project, click here.

After arranging your media on the timeline and adding CD layout regions and markers, you’re ready to burn.

1. From the Tools menu, choose Burn Disc, and choose Disc-at-Once Audio CD from the submenu. The Burn Disc-at-Once Audio CD dialog is displayed.

2. From the Drive drop-down list, choose the CD drive that you want to use to burn your CD.

3. From the Speed drop-down list, choose the speed at which you want to burn. Max will use your drive’s fastest possible speed; decrease the setting to prevent the possibility of buffer underruns.

4. Select the Buffer underrun protection check box if your CD recorder supports buffer underrun protection. Buffer underrun protection allows a CD recorder to stop and resume burning.

Buffer underrun protection can create a disc that can be played in CD players but may contain a bit error where burning stopped and restarted. Consider clearing this check box when creating a premaster disc.

5. Choose a radio button in the Burn mode box:

   Item	Description
   Burn CDs	Begins recording audio to your CD immediately.
   Test first, then burn CDs	Performs a test to determine whether your files can be written to the CD recorder without encountering buffer underruns. No audio is recorded to the CD during the test, and recording begins after the test if it is successful.
   Test only (do not burn CDs)	Performs a test to determine whether your files can be written to the CD recorder without encountering buffer underruns. No audio is recorded to the CD.

6. Select the Render temporary image before burning check box if you want to render your CD project to a temporary file before recording. Prerendering can prevent buffer underruns if you have a complex project that cannot be rendered and burned in real time.

The rendered temporary file will remain until you modify your project or exit the application. If an image file exists when you open the Burn Disc-at-Once Audio CD dialog, the check box is displayed as Use existing rendered temporary image.

7. Select the Automatically erase rewritable discs check box if you’re burning to rewritable media and want to erase the disc before burning.

8. Select the Eject when done check box if you want to eject the CD automatically when burning has completed.

9. Click OK to start burning.