Copy CD and add CD Text

[neranjana]

Hi
I have a lot of old CDs that don't have CD text. I would like to add the CD text.
Databases like freedb has all the tranck info. Also, Apple music can also automatically download the track info when you insert a disk in to the CD drive.
However, adding CD text to a lot of CDs is a time consuming process.
Does anybody know of any software that can retrieve the disk and track info from the internet, then copy the CD to a new blank disk and add the CD text in that process?
Thanks

 

[MajorFubar]

I'm not aware of any.
When I started to rip my 700+ CDs in 2012 (finishing in 2013) I was so dissatisfied with how they were automatically tagged in iTunes that I ended up manually doing it all: album names, song names, artist names, album artists, genres, sorting options, the lot.
Often I even scanned my own album art because the art added automatically was often wrong or poor quality.
That's why it took me over a year.
There didn't appear to be any shortcut route to the perfection I sought.

 

[VintageMacGS]

Hi
I have a lot of old CDs that don't have CD text. I would like to add the CD text.
Databases like freedb has all the tranck info. Also, Apple music can also automatically download the track info when you insert a disk in to the CD drive.
However, adding CD text to a lot of CDs is a time consuming process.
Does anybody know of any software that can retrieve the disk and track info from the internet, then copy the CD to a new blank disk and add the CD text in that process?
Thanks

I'm not aware of software that can automatically do what you're asking. However, since you mentioned the Music app, you already have the tool needed to accomplish the task but it will take two steps or so. You can also use iTunes if like me, you use an older version. I have enclosed a few screens shots from iTunes 10.7 since that is what I use most of the time but the fundamentals are the same.

First, you will need to start the iTunes or Music app so that when you insert the CD, your tracks will be acquired from Gracenote. Check for accuracy or change anything as needed such as genre, spelling mistakes etc. I find that most albums I have imported over the years have accurate information but not all. Make sure that before you import the CD, you have AIFF selected under Preferences/General/Import Settings. That is the type of file that will be the same lossless data that your CD contains with no compression although it does take up more space. When ready, click Import CD which should take only a few minutes or so.

After the tracks have been imported, select your Music Library and sort by album. Select the tracks for that album.

Then, go to the menu File/New Playlist From Selection.

This will create the playlist with the album name and the tracks from it. Select that playlist which will have the same album name. After you've done that and made sure that all tracks are in the playlist for that album, go to the menu File/Burn Playlist to Disc, click on the speed for the burn (some feel slower is better but that's your choice), make sure that Include CD Text is selected, then click Burn to begin the process which take only a few minutes depending on the speed chosen.

If you're making a CD of live recordings, change the audio gap to 0 seconds otherwise 2 seconds works fine. I hope this helps and it is quite easy. If you don't want the imported tracks after you've made the CD, you can always delete them but I maintain both AIFF and mp3 libraries for different purposes but you do need a large hard drive to hold all the tracks which are certainly cheap today compared to years past.

 

[neranjana]

I'm not aware of software that can automatically do what you're asking. However, since you mentioned the Music app, you already have the tool needed to accomplish the task but it will take two steps or so. You can also use iTunes if like me, you use an older version. I have enclosed a few screens shots from iTunes 10.7 since that is what I use most of the time but the fundamentals are the same.

First, you will need to start the iTunes or Music app so that when you insert the CD, your tracks will be acquired from Gracenote. Check for accuracy or change anything as needed such as genre, spelling mistakes etc. I find that most albums I have imported over the years have accurate information but not all. Make sure that before you import the CD, you have AIFF selected under Preferences/General/Import Settings. That is the type of file that will be the same lossless data that your CD contains with no compression although it does take up more space. When ready, click Import CD which should take only a few minutes or so.

View attachment 2107675

After the tracks have been imported, select your Music Library and sort by album. Select the tracks for that album.

View attachment 2107688

Then, go to the menu File/New Playlist From Selection.

View attachment 2107695

This will create the playlist with the album name and the tracks from it. Select that playlist which will have the same album name. After you've done that and made sure that all tracks are in the playlist for that album, go to the menu File/Burn Playlist to Disc, click on the speed for the burn (some feel slower is better but that's your choice), make sure that Include CD Text is selected, then click Burn to begin the process which take only a few minutes depending on the speed chosen.

View attachment 2107676


If you're making a CD of live recordings, change the audio gap to 0 seconds otherwise 2 seconds works fine. I hope this helps and it is quite easy. If you don't want the imported tracks after you've made the CD, you can always delete them but I maintain both AIFF and mp3 libraries for different purposes but you do need a large hard drive to hold all the tracks which are certainly cheap today compared to years past.

Thank you, I think this is exactly what I need

 

[VintageMacGS]

Thank you, I think this is exactly what I need

You're welcome. Many years ago, I used Toast for some CD-Text burning but it had some quirks. The free app Burn has CD-Text capability but that also didn't work all the time. Some CD players interpret the data differently so that is another issue. Hopefully, the iTunes or Music app process will work for you.

 

[satcomer]

I found over the years I’ve come to conclusion that Music while only be able to get data if the music is in the Store! If it’s not, you have to find the programs to add then yourself!