cd

Review: Disketch Disc Label Software quickly creates great labels and covers

Disketch Disk Label Software lets you import images or your own designs for developing more custom made CD, DVD, and Blu-ray disk labels. Even though it doesn't offer too many options it's easy to use and could help you create disk labels on your own in just a few, easy steps.

During the installation, Disketch Disk Label Software tries to download a bunch of companion apps and toolbars. Skip the toolbars as you certainly don't need these, but perhaps consider downloading companion apps such as PhotoPad Image Editor or Express Burn CD Burner. Once the installation completes, … Read more

Review: Customize media labels using Disketch CD Label Software for Mac

Users with a large collection of disc media might want a way to customize labels for easier identification. Despite its dated interface, Disketch CD Label Software for Mac performs well and has a number of features one would expect from similar, more popular programs.

Being a rather light application, at around 634KB Disketch CD Label Software for Mac downloads quickly. After accepting a lengthy user agreement, the app's installation completed without any problems. There were no user instructions or tutorials readily available, but the main menu was intuitive, making this less of an issue. Technical support was also lacking. … Read more

The 404 1,250: Where we bet our bottom dollar (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Former 404 guest and Internet Archivist releases Web's largest collection of historical software.

- Judge holds himself in contempt for cell phone going off in court.

- NY Philharmonic phone disruption: A cell-phone etiquette reminder.

- Here's a 90-year-old granny freaking out over Oculus Rift.… Read more

Why a BEE CD player?

I get asked this question a lot: "Does anyone still make great-sounding affordable CD players?" Sure, most of the major brands do, but only NAD currently offers a large slate of players starting with the $300 C 516BEE, and it's a honey.

Before we go any further I want to first clarify why I'm reviewing a CD player in 2013. Despite the naysayers the CD isn't "dead," far from it. Music lovers are still buying hundreds of millions of CDs every year. Download sales just barely surpassed sales of physical music (CDs, LPs, … Read more

Tweak this car stereo's sound with a smartphone app

Most car stereos that I've ever fiddled with have offered some sort of equalizer setting that lets the driver customize the sound to their liking, but fitting more than the basic treble, bass, and --occassionally-- midrange controls onto the cramped display of a single DIN receiver is a tricky endeavor. Alpine wants to make it easier for users of its new CDE-147BT receiver to access advanced graphic EQ controls by offloading the audio tuning interface to an Alpine TuneIt app for Android and iOS devices.

The app lets users create a profile for their vehicle and any other Alpine … Read more

Create disk images with Free ISO Creator

Unlike zipping files, creating compressed ISO archives isn't as easy as a simple right click. Free ISO Creator is a solid tool to help you turn multiple files into a writable ISO image file. The program does exactly what it says it will. However, it's not the easiest or most customizable creation software you'll ever use.

The program gains major points just for being free. There aren't many similar programs that can say the same. However, there are a good deal of things missing that might be available in a paid program. Free ISO Creator is … Read more

Reuse and reburn mix CDs with 3Nity Music CD Burner

Though CD-burning software is built into just about every music player, most don't offer enough features. 3Nity Music CD Burner bucks the trend, giving you much more information about the CD you're working on. Though it's advertised as a CD burner, its biggest perk is the ability to delete written CDs.

In order to burn a CD, you will have to have a CD-RW drive on your computer. That's a given on most setups, though. You can preview any track and arrange your list of tracks however you want. There's no shuffle option on 3Nity … Read more

Securely send large files using YouSendIt Express for Mac

Working with large files with multiple users can be difficult without dedicated cloud space for storage. YouSendIt Express for Mac allows you to upload files without a Web browser and add additional security.

Available as freeware, YouSendIt Express for Mac is free to operate, although it does require that you provide an e-mail address to log in. Once signed in, you have the option of upgrading to a paid account, which allows for larger file transfers and more messaging capability at about $15 per month. The program's native installer is well designed and sets the program up quickly. Since … Read more

Rip, convert, tag, and now burn CDs with FreeRip 4.0

FreeRIP extracts and converts your audio tracks, as well as detecting CD and song info and making all of that info editable right from the interface. It's easy to start right up with FreeRIP, which supports the most common audio formats--MP3, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, WMA, and WAV. It can also convert files between any of those formats, play your audio files, and edit tags. With the release of version 4.0, the app now adds burning audio CDs to the mix of features that free users can access.

FreeRIP's bare-bones interface is set up for easy access and … Read more

Print disc labels with CD/DVD Disc Label Maker for Mac

For those who need custom disc labels, native programs may not have enough options. Fortunately, there are plenty of other programs to chose from. While functional, CD/DVD Disc Label Maker for Mac's price tag may not be justifiable for all but the heaviest users.

The free trial version of CD/DVD Disc Label Maker for Mac adds a mark to every disc printed while the full, unrestricted version requires a $29.99 payment. The program is nearly 100MB and has no native installer. While the program loaded quickly, the user is immediately prompted to enter, register, and pay … Read more