Have been using Maxell Audio discs to make compilations etc on my Sony cd recorder.They are fine for a year or so then they start malfunctioning when I play back.
Has anyone got any tips, advice or remedies for this?
Cheers

First thing I'd ask is are you sticking ANY kind of labels on the disc,this includes the ones that you can print artwork on and then affix to the disc.These are well know causes of data loss as the glue attacks the surface on which the data is recorded on.I've got no experience specifically relating to the CDRs that are allegedly only to be used in CD Recorders as I always use standard discs to burn audio.

Have you tried playing them in a different CD player?
If they play okay you know it's not the discs.
If they're still malfunctioning use a different brand of disc.

No don't use labels, just marker pen(whoops)
Those recorders only use specific audio discs and trying to get hold of different ones is difficult.

Generally speaking recordable CD's are known to last for years, there is no specific data yet as to how long this will or should be. If they play after recording then in theory they will do so again and again etc.

The "whoops" suggests you have realised what the problem may be. The label side of the CD has a reflective backing which is needed for the laser in the player/burner to pick up the recording on the disc. If the label side becomes defective due to scratching or desolving by chemical then the disc will not work. A lot of marker pens contain solvents which can affect the coating. If using marker pens only use those made specificaly for the job.

It may be because since manufacture has moved to places such as India and China quality has gone downhill on CD-Rs. You need to find ones that are manufactured by JVC/Taiyo Yuden (made in Japan).

Since Taiyo Yuden media is now JVC-branded, these may be a good bet:

http://www.totalblankmedia.com/jvc-c...idnjvtuqtcj545

Another way round it is to copy your recordings from the Maxell CD-Rs to JVC/Taiyo Yuden discs using your PC burner.

Firstly thanks for all the advice.
And yes after the first reply I did think the marker pen(whoops) could be a factor.And I am going to give the JVC discs a look.

Over the years I've found cdr's to be quite unreliable long term but CD RW discs never miss a beat .
They are more expensive but they seem worthwhile

Some brands of CD-R really don't like sunlight. They'll last 100 years in the dark but only 6 months sat out somewhere near a window. How are you storing them?

There aren't many applications where a stand-alone audio CD recorder beats using a PC with a CD writer. Maybe for recording from FM radio in circumstances where the PC would interfere with FM reception. Apart from that, unless you have an aversion to PCs (but you're posting on Digital Spy!) using a PC might make your life far easier.

Cheers,
David.

Or when the computer and stereo system are at opposite ends of the house...

I can see the advantages of using a PC if everything is all in one place, but if you've grown up using traditional analogue methods then a device like a CD recorder is possibly more intuitive.

I would also imagine a dedicated audio device would be a cleaner RF environment for good quality recordings. The interior of a PC is very 'noisy' what with fast CPU's, video circuitry, PSUs etc. I've heard that if noise gets into the system then it can possibly degrade the audio quality although it may only be noticeable on a high-end set-up.

CD's use a digital recording system, noise should not be a problem.

The only reason a CD-R would begin to fail usually is delamination of the foil, although I had a pre-recorded CD so bad on the last track (it was an 80 minute album). There was no visible damage.

I imagine CD-RW would last better if the dye fades, as CD-RW are generally more refelctive.

CD-RW are far LESS reflective, which is why most players wouldn't accept them.

why would a recorder only use specific disks, out of interest?

And why do recordable audio cdr/rw's cost so much more than PC/computing cdr/rw's?

Audio or Music CD-Rs contain an electronic tag that CD recorders look for. If it isn't there (data CD-R) then the recorder rejects it. A certain percentage of the sale of these CD-Rs goes to the music industry (I think). So in effect they are taxed and the price is therefore higher. Apart from this tag there is no difference between data and audio discs.

However, if you get a 'prosumer' CD recorder like a Tascam then there is no such circuitry and you can use data or Audio CD-Rs.

There's one for sale here, and no, it's not mine.
http://www.lakenheathyardsales.com/i...066&src=SEARCH

Ignore me I'm an idiot at the moment, carry on.