Beware!

These are not major problems - simply a number of points which prospective users of CD recording systems need to be aware of.

Time and Track Markers

The 74 minute limit has already been mentioned (though many people use 80 minute discs, and few players have any difficulties with them). With 80 minutes of recording to work with, it is important to mark tracks on the CD - one long 80 minute track will be very difficult to navigate, and unlike cassette players, the user cannot simply stop the player, and resume from where they were the next time they want to listen. All CD-recorders have a function to either automatically insert track markers (usually done by auto-detecting periods of silence), or to allow this to be done manually. We recommend the use of manual marking - pressing the appropriate button just before each hymn or chorus, before the Bible reading and the teaching, are typical natural breaks in the recording.

Copyright

Just like recording on cassette (or any other medium) you must ensure you have permission to do so before recording and duplicating any copyright material. If you are unsure whether or not a song is copyright free, you must presume it is not. It is not unusual to hear people say "we're not making a profit, so we don't need to pay" - this is a myth! Whether you make a profit or not (or even if you give away your recordings), if the material is covered by copyright (and most modern music certainly will be), then you've got to pay! The process of paying to use music for churches has fortunately been made much easier by the Church Copyright License service - find out more at their web site www.ccli.co.uk

Connecting Up

The connections to most CD recorders are very similar to cassette decks - in many instances identical. Most use "phono" connectors, and more professional equipment using XLR connectors may well have phonos too. It is worth checking when ordering your new equipment, that you have the correct cables to go with it!

Lamination.

Most low-cost (and many high cost) CD printers use inkjet print mechanisms. They produce very high quality results at relatively low cost, provided the proper "printable" discs are used. The only problem is that unlike commercial printed discs, inkjet ink can be easily smeared by wet or oily fingers. There are two options to resolve this problem - either use protective spray (cheap, quick, and messy!), or use a laminator. Most churches consider this added extra an unnecessary cost, however if the aim is to produce a robust high quality product, it is worth further consideration.

CD-RW's.

Some churches have been tempted by the option of using CD-RW's, re-using them each week as they do presently with cassettes. We would strongly recommend avoiding this route! Single-use discs are very cheap. The savings in using RW's is just not worth the hassle! Discs need to be wiped, dirty or scratched discs will fail in the copier, and of course the details printed on the disc cannot be wiped, so they cannot be printed to give details of any particular recording. Within a very short period of time, they will become scruffy, and eventually unusable. If the budget is really tight, then forget printing and just write on the discs - it will be no less professional

Single speed discs.

They are difficult to buy, but you will need them if you are using a CD-writer. Most cheap blank CD's are designed to be written in computer CD drives, at high speed. Running them at low speed in a CD-writer may lead to unusable recordings, and some manufacturers warn that they can even damage the laser in the CD-writer. Although a little more expensive, you should buy discs intended for single-speed use (sometimes referred to as 'x1' speed) for your mastering. CD copiers do not suffer from this problem, so you can use the lower cost high speed discs to match your copier drives.

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